Padraig Harrington.....2015 Honda Classic Champion

slave1

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

Just finished reading an article on Padraig in a golf mag: "P Harrington - Why I may quit competitive golfing". Interesting.

What mag was it?

abff

slave1 wrote: »

What mag was it?

I think the only mag involved is SaveOurLyric's imagination.

SnowDrifts

abff wrote: »

There's an interesting article in the Irish Golf Desk today http://www.irishgolfdesk.com/news-files/2014/8/16/harrington-loses-pga-tour-card-i-just-cant-get-out-of-my-own-way-such-is-life

That makes for fairly sad reading. Hopefully concentrating on the European Tour might yield more positive results.

vienne86

abff wrote: »

There's an interesting article in the Irish Golf Desk today http://www.irishgolfdesk.com/news-files/2014/8/16/harrington-loses-pga-tour-card-i-just-cant-get-out-of-my-own-way-such-is-life

That's a very sad read. I hope we see more of him in Europe though.

SaveOurLyric

slave1 wrote: »

What mag was it?

Fairways

SaveOurLyric

The March 1992 edition (the one with Rafferty on the cover).

He was saying how it very hard to get enough practice in and didnt know whether he would ever be really good. Said he was going to complete his 4 years accounting training and reassess things then, but would quit playing if he didnt think his game was up to it.

SaveOurLyric

vienne86 wrote: »

That's a very sad read. I hope we see more of him in Europe though.

He still has a 4 or 5 year exemption for the European tour. So possibly see plenty of him (in these tough times though on a two day week a lot of others around the country).
The US has been a way of not facing the truth for the last few years however. If he plays a fullish Euro year but still isnt making the level to genuinly have a tour card what then ? He has to call a halt at some point.

SaveOurLyric

abff wrote: »

I think the only mag involved is SaveOurLyric's imagination.

No, no. I have it hear beside me.

Dr Devious

Wouldn't you think Ronan Flood would do the honorable thing and resign as his caddie because Harrington is far too much a gentleman to fire his brother in law. It may not make a whole pile of difference but you never know until you try. I still think Harrington has a potential autumnal spell on the European tour like Thomas Bjorn.

First Up

Dr Devious wrote: »

Wouldn't you think Ronan Flood would do the honorable thing and resign as his caddie because Harrington is far too much a gentleman to fire his brother in law. It may not make a whole pile of difference but you never know until you try. I still think Harrington has a potential autumnal spell on the European tour like Thomas Bjorn.

That won't be either of their decision.

vienne86

Dr Devious wrote: »

Wouldn't you think Ronan Flood would do the honorable thing and resign as his caddie because Harrington is far too much a gentleman to fire his brother in law. It may not make a whole pile of difference but you never know until you try. I still think Harrington has a potential autumnal spell on the European tour like Thomas Bjorn.

Maybe he has offered, and Padraig has said 'no thanks'.

PARlance

vienne86 wrote: »

Maybe he has offered, and Padraig has said 'no thanks'.

He could swap with JP... I'm sure he'll be up for the sack soon if Rory slips up with a second place finish.

Tobyglen

rrpc wrote: »

No offense, but I hate that phrase. To me he's just got the dreaded yips and has no longer any confidence in his putting stroke.

He's not the first golfer to get them and he won't be the last.

Just got the yips? Incorrect he's struggling with multiple facets of his game, to put it down simply as the yips is very wide of the mark.

Dr Devious

Who Knows maybe he has offered to step aside, whilst Harrington would easily get a good caddy to take over the bag I'm not so sure Ronan Flood would get name player as easily.

SnowDrifts

Dr Devious wrote: »

Who Knows maybe he has offered to step aside, whilst Harrington would easily get a good caddy to take over the bag I'm not so sure Ronan Flood would get name player as easily.

So Ronan is not a good caddy? Was he good when he was on the bag for 3 majors? Also... who is the new good caddy who will eradicate Padraig's yips?

Am I feeding?

cairny

Tobyglen wrote: »

Just got the yips? Incorrect he's struggling with multiple facets of his game, to put it down simply as the yips is very wide of the mark.

Really? I watched his full 1st round on Sky red button and tee to green he was better than Tiger or Phil, his putting deteriorated badly over the days. I know it's only one round but it changed my previously very pessimistic view about where his game is at. If he gets his putting groove back then all will be well IMO, that's a big if though.

Criticism of caddy is very unfair, he's a very good player in his own right and I can't think of any situation in recent times where a different caddy could have saved him.

Benicetomonty

Whatever has gone wrong with his putting, Harrington does not have the yips. I dont think anyone who has watched somebody play with the yips could truly believe he has them.

vienne86

SnowDrifts wrote: »

So Ronan is not a good caddy? Was he good when he was on the bag for 3 majors? Also... who is the new good caddy who will eradicate Padraig's yips?

Am I feeding?

I think that we all would say that Ronan is a good player and a good caddy. But frankly, we are at our wits' end to come up with suggestions about how Padraig might improve things. Changing caddy has been suggested as way of freshsening up, with no serious criticism being levelled at Ronan.

Dr Devious

SnowDrifts wrote: »

So Ronan is not a good caddy? Was he good when he was on the bag for 3 majors? Also... who is the new good caddy who will eradicate Padraig's yips?

Am I feeding?

Loads of golfers and caddys run there course after a period of time together, he's tried loads of ridiculous things in recent years, no harm in trying a new caddy. At the height of his form micky mouse would have successfully caddied for him as he would now for Mcillroy or any in form golfer. Its easy being good at anything when things are going well.

SnowDrifts

vienne86 wrote: »

I think that we all would say that Ronan is a good player and a good caddy. But frankly, we are at our wits' end to come up with suggestions about how Padraig might improve things. Changing caddy has been suggested as way of freshsening up, with no serious criticism being levelled at Ronan.

It's just funny that a lot of the same people were saying Rory should get rid of JP last year and, well, we all know what has happened since then.

GreeBo

SnowDrifts wrote: »

It's just funny that a lot of the same people were saying Rory should get rid of JP last year and, well, we all know what has happened since then.

I think JP is irrelevant to what has happened Rory this year tbf.

Harrington should try a new person on the bag, he's tried everything else.

SnowDrifts

GreeBo wrote: »

I think JP is irrelevant to what has happened Rory this year tbf.

And so do I... just as I think Ronan is not the problem with Padraig's golf results over the last few years.

First Up

GreeBo wrote: »

I think JP is irrelevant to what has happened Rory this year tbf.

Harrington should try a new person on the bag, he's tried everything else.

JP carries the bag and does bugger all else, whether Rory is playing well or otherwise. They get on well but as a
caddy at top level he earns his money easy.

fullstop

First Up wrote: »

JP carries the bag and does bugger all else, whether Rory is playing well or otherwise. They get on well but as a
caddy at top level he earns his money easy.

How do you now? You don't know what's said between them on the course. you can make all the assumptions you like from tv footage but you just don't know.

FixdePitchmark

fullstop wrote: »

How do you now? You don't know what's said between them on the course. you can make all the assumptions you like from tv footage but you just don't know.

Agree - but he seems in background. He is giving him the right clubs, that is all that matters.

But - you get a sense Rory is his own man.

The caddie player relationship is unusual , Colin Byrne explains it well. Some pros are almost like children and , couldn't pick a club themselves. Others you literary are just there to carry a bag.

He explains also that - Retief Goosen - would only have a caddy if he was like part of his family.

JP is always in the pictures and the celebration and they seem genuinely close.

A caddy like Bones or Williams is only going to suit a certain type of person.

At the end of the day - for all the speculation. JP suits Rory and Rory suits JP - otherwise he would be long gone.

So all the matters is JP has won 4 majors on a bag and gets to stand that close to a great Sports man.

I'd nearly pay to watch Rory's swing up close , never mind hand him the club at the big moments and get it right. Yes JP has made mistakes - I would rather he speaks up more.

But, Rory knows him better than anyone - and Rory has him on his bag still.

PARlance

fullstop wrote: »

How do you now? You don't know what's said between them on the course. you can make all the assumptions you like from tv footage but you just don't know.

I wouldn't use the term "bugger all else" but I would say that JP is probably a "low touch" caddy. And that's not a bad thing imo.

I think Rory prefers that, his relationship with Bannon and Stockon would go with along with that.
Stockton (interviewed on Newstalk's Golfweekly last week) was more or less saying that when he was working with Rory, Rory basically said, thanks for the pointers, I'll buy into a few of them but I'll do it my way. Stockton was laughing, Rory took his tried and tested method and Rory just changed it to make it better suit his own game.
Same with Bannon, I think they also mentionned this on the podcast. They highlighted that there's almost no talk between the two on the range... Again, Rory probably knows his game and doesn't want/like/need to be told what to do all the time.

Sometimes the worst thing you can say to a certain type of guy is tell them what they did wrong or even offer encouragement. If JP takes a back seat then he may be doing his job brilliantly.

He'll get blamed when Rory has his next on course collaspe but I didn't see him get any plaudits when Rory bounced back from the double bogey (10th) and bogey (11th) on Thursday of the PGA.
He probably said SFA to Rory and that's what he needed to say/not say.

vienne86

SnowDrifts wrote: »

It's just funny that a lot of the same people were saying Rory should get rid of JP last year and, well, we all know what has happened since then.

No, I think we are all just at our wits' end trying to come up with something that might help Padraig.

GreeBo

SnowDrifts wrote: »

And so do I... just as I think Ronan is not the problem with Padraig's golf results over the last few years.

Ronan doesn't have to be the problem to make removing him a potential solution.
Padraig needs *something*.
A change of caddy, routine, whatever might be just what he needs.

It would certainly be harsh on Ronan, but Padraig needs to look after Padraig first.

Rikand

Has Padraig tried going to Butch ?

Ed Winchester

Rikand wrote: »

Has Padraig tried going to Butch ?

He put on a few pounds last year alright...