Padraig Harrington: 2008 US Open Player
Padraig Harrington was born in Dublin, Ireland, on August 31, 1971. He had a flourishing amateur career, with his win of the Walker Cup in 1995 being his most significant launch into the professional arena. He turned professional in 1995 and joined the European Tour in 1996 and the PGA Tour in 2005. He has enjoyed 21 professional wins, of which 12 have been on the European Tour and three on the PGA Tour. His best results in the US Open have been 5th and tied 5th in the 2000 US Open and the 2006 US Open respectively.
Padraig Harrington's most significant finishes
Padraig Harrington, 2008 US Open player, enjoyed his first professional win in 1996 when he won the Peugeot Spanish Open. For the next couple of years he enjoyed a string of second place finishes in a variety of European Tour tournaments. This frustrating trend reached its most pronounced point in late 1999 when Harrington came second in four out of five tournaments he entered.
From 2000 to2004 Padraig Harrington had at least one annual win on the European Tour and also finished on this tour's Order of Merit seven times. He went on to top this list in 2006 and in 2007 became the European Tour Golfer of the Year.
In his most significant golfing achievement to date, Padraig Harrington won The Open Championship in 2007, defeating Sergio Garcia in a playoff over four holes by an eventual margin of one shot. This win automatically qualifies Harrington for the 2008 US Open.
Padraig Harrington at the US Open
Padraig Hamilton, 2008 US Open player, has had mixed fortunes at the tournament over the last ten or so years. He missed the cut in 1997 and finished 32nd in 1998. He did not play the following year but in 2000 he bounced back to finish 5th. In 2001 he came 30th, followed by back-to-back top ten finishes of 8th in 2002 and 10th in2003. He again missed the cut in 2005, after finishing 31st in 2004. In 2006 he bounced back again, snatching up another 5th position, before again missing the cut in the 2007 US Open.
