Pádraig Harrington gets back to the bread and butter of his scheduling at this week’s James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton in Florida, the first of three events in a four-week stretch on the Champions Tour.
For the early part of the season, the 54-year-old Dubliner focused on the DP World Tour – playing four events in the Middle East – where, as he pointed out, on a couple of occasions he was the only Irish player in the field in a clear and obvious sign of the lack of depth numbers-wise of the Irish contingent.
In recalling a meal with his caddie Ronan Flood at a restaurant in Bahrain, for instance, Harrington recounted: “There’s 10 French guys at this table, and 12 Spanish guys at this table, and eight Scots guys all in their little groups. That used to be us, there were 15 Irish guys when I first came out on tour.”
Hoping that the current lack of Irish golfers on the DP World Tour is “cyclical”, Harrington offered the view that a number graduating off the Hotelplanner Tour (where there is a good Irish contingent) at the one time could provide the start of a new cycle: “I will say the most important thing is that the current crop see one of their peers being successful, and then they’ll go, ‘I’m as good as him’, and follow.”
Harrington will at least have some company in Florida this week, where another Major champion, Darren Clarke, is also in the field.
Boca Raton will be Harrington’s first appearance of the season on the Champions Tour with the Cologuard Classic in Arizona and the Hoag Classic in California also on his itinerary this month.
Lauren Walsh makes her first outing on LPGA Tour in China
The growth in the number of Irish women on tour is reflected in the fields at the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour events this week.
Leona Maguire plays for a third straight week on the LPGA Tour when teeing up in the Blue Bay Championship in Hainan, China, where she will be joined by rookie Lauren Walsh – making her first outing on the LPGA Tour after earning her car at Q-school last year – and Stephanie Meadow.
Meanwhile, Áine Donegan, who finished tied-16th on her LET debut in the NSW Open having led at the midway stage, and Anna Foster, are in the field for the Australian Women’s Classic at Magenta Shores in Terrigal, NSW.
Shane Lowry of Ireland looks on from the 18th green. Photograph: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Word of Mouth
“The hardest thing about today is I’ve never won in front of my four-year-old [Ivy], and she was there waiting for me. Yeah, I only wanted it for her today. I don’t care about anything else. I wanted it so bad. Just to see her little ginger head running down the 18th green would have been the most special thing in the world. I thought I had it. I thought I was going to win.” – Shane Lowry opening his heart following his late collapse in the Cognizant Classic. Lowry is in the field for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. He has mixed form in the API, missing the cut in 2019 and 2021 before a third-placed finish in 2024 when Scottie Scheffler won.
By the Numbers: $20m v $4m
The Arnold Palmer Invitational – with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry – in the field has a $20 million purse, one of the PGA Tour’s signature events; the Puerto Rico Open – with Séamus Power playing – has a purse of $4 million.
On this day: March 3rd, 1985
Betsy King had spent seven years on the LPGA Tour before getting her first win, in the Kemper Open. So, the significance of her victory in the Samaritan Turquoise Classic in Phoenix, Arizona, was that the American future Hall of Famer kicked on, adding the title to what would become a CV boasting 34 wins on the LPGA Tour.
King shot rounds of 69-68-72-71 for a total of eight-under-par 280 which earned her a playoff with Patty Sheehan, although it would be another two years before the Pennsylvania woman claimed the first of her six Major titles.
Ironically enough, that win in the Dinah Shore tournament of 1987 would come in a playoff, with Sheehan again on the wrong end of their sudden death shootout.
Social Swing
Same guy that made the putt to win the Ryder Cup also does that … GOLF – PGA Tour player Michael Kim cuts to the chase on Shane Lowry’s finish at the Cognizant.
A birdie on the 72nd to win his first @KornFerryTour event and earn a spot in the 2026 @TheOpen Congrats to @A_Docherty for taking home the Visa Argentina Open #ProV1 #1ballingolf – the Titleist social media platform bigging up American Alistair Docherty’s breakthrough win in the Argentine Open on the Korn Ferry circuit to earn an exemption to Royal Birkdale in the summer.
Daniel Hillier gave the home crowd what they wanted – a Kiwi champion at the New Zealand Open – The Asian Tour social platform giving a tip of the hat to Hillier, whose win in his home open came a week after getting married.
In the Bag: Casey Jarvis (Investec South African Open)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (10.5 degrees)
Mini Driver: TaylorMade R7 Quad (13.5 degrees)
Fairway woods: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5 degrees), TaylorMade Qi35 (21 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P-770 (5), TaylorMade P-7MB (6-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 (50, 54 and 60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Ball: TaylorMade TP5 X (’24)
Know the Rules
Q: A spider’s web is closely attached to a tree and interfering with your swing. You remove the web and play your shot on to the green. What is the ruling?
A: There is no penalty as a spider web is a loose impediment even though they are attached to another object and may be removed. (This situation is covered under Definition of Loose Impediments and Rule 15).