Gaiety for Harrington After Jakarta

Padraig Harrington has climbed over 100 places in the World Golf Rankings after securing victory at the Indonesia Open on Sunday.

The former world number three is back up to 260th after his win in the event, which came after a tense final hole that saw rival player Thanyakon Khrongpha hit his ball into the water.

The victory was Harrington's first at a full field tournament since the 2010 Johor Open title. Following that victory the 43-year-old had plummeted to 371st in the world.

Speaking after the final round on Sunday, the Dubliner said: "Winning is a good habit to have. It gives you a lot of confidence and I need that confidence.

"I didn't start too well, but I came through and I got the win. This win brings a lot of confidence to my game and hopefully it will show up next year."

Harrington won't not be resting on his laurels after the win. He also told a TV reporter he intended to make ‘100,000 swings’ over an upcoming 49-day break from tournament golf.

He will also feature in An Evening with Padraig Harrington' in The Gaiety Theatre on Tuesday January 20th 2015, with all proceeds from the night benefiting the ISPCC and the Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation. 

An exclusive golf clinic will also give the audience insights into his career, the major wins and his involvement in the Ryder Cup. 

The evening will feature Padraig offering instructional advice on all aspects of the game including chipping, putting, bunker play, the long game and mental techniques as well as an interactive Q&A session. Padraig said today " I am really looking forward to spending the evening passing on my golfing knowledge, talking about my experiences on Tour and most importantly being able to raise funds for the Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation and the ISPCC." 

Padraig's professional career spans 19 years and victories include The Open Championship and USPGA Champion ship in 2007. Followed by a  second Open Championship at Royal Nikldael in 2008.

In addition to his three major wins, Padraig has been a member of the Ryder Cup team six times, was the winner of the 2006 European Tour Order of Merit, the winner of the World Cup for Ireland on US soil, the first Irish winner of the Irish Open for 25 years, boasts a total of 26 wins worldwide, and has earned numerous other professional caps for Ireland. 

Caroline O'Sullivan from ISPCC said "we are thrilled that Padraig has nominated the ISPCC to benefit from this special event" it will be a night of birdies, bunkers and bogeys. We face very challenging times in the charity at the moment so every euro raised really does count". 

*The Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation was established to provide financial assistance to deserving beneficiaries throughout Ireland and the rest of the world.

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Padraig's Long Road from Johor to Jakarta

Asian Tour

Padraig Harrington secured a thrilling victory at the US$750,000 BANK BRI Indonesia Open after defeating a battling Thanyakon Khrongpha of Thailand by two shots on Sunday.

The three-time Major champion held a four-shot lead at the start of the final round but stumbled at the turn in 37 as Thanyakon birdied three in his opening five holes to lead by two shots after nine holes.

Harrington clawed his way back up after a two-hour rain suspension to tie with Thanyakon heading into the 18th hole where drama ensued at the Damai Indah Golf, PIK Course.

Under immense pressure to win his first Asian Tour title, the 24-year-old Thai hit his second shot into the water for a double bogey as Harrington sealed the win with a 15-foot par putt after taking a penalty drop when his tee shot landed on the edge of the hazard.

Harrington, who signed for an even-par 71 and a winning total of 16-under-par 268 said, “Winning is a good habit to have. It gives you a lot of confidence and I need that confidence. I didn’t start too well but I came through and I got the win. This win brings a lot of confidence to my game and hopefully it will show up next year.”

“I had a bad break on the 18th hole when I hit my tee shot and it rolled to the edge of the hazard. I was about to chip my ball sideways to the fairway but when Thanyakon hit it into the water, there was no point to take a chance. So I went back to the fairway and hit my six iron for my best shot of the week,” said Harrington.

After completing five holes in his third round on Sunday morning, Harrington opened his final round campaign with a bogey before dropping two shots on the par three seventh hole. He admits that the rain delay after nine holes helped him recover.

“I hit a few bad shots earlier on and I hit a careless shot on the seventh hole. The biggest thing for me at that stage was that I was really praying for a rain delay. My momentum was gone but Thanyakon was flying and he didn’t miss a shot,” explained Harrington.

“It was very unlucky for Thanyakon because of that rain delay. It was unfortunate but he can be very proud with how he played all the way through. He is really impressive. He looks like a player to watch for in the future,” added the Irishman, whose last win in a full field tournament was in Johor in 2010.

A dejected Thanyakon rued the missed opportunity to win his first Asian Tour title after struggling to hold his nerve on the 18th hole.

“It was a great final round from me but I was under so much pressure on the last hole. I’m still happy with how I played. The rain delay stopped my momentum. It wasn’t good. The pressure made me scared,” said the young Thai, who posted a 69.

David Lipsky of the United States extended his Order of Merit lead by slightly over US$133,518 after finishing sixth while Merit runner-up Anirban Lahiri of India stumbled to tied 15th place after closing with a triple bogey.

“Looks like I increased my lead and I’m feeling pretty good about that. The goal was to play solid here. Step one done and now I’ll move on to the Thailand Golf Championship and see what I can do there,” said Lipsky, who won the Omega European Masters in Switzerland in September.

Lahiri will have much to play for in the remaining two Asian Tour events. “I got a lot to play for. David has a good lead and I need two solid results in the last two events. I think I’m playing well enough but I got to put it together over four rounds. I haven’t done that in these last two weeks.”

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Harrington Extends Lead Ahead of Delay

Asian Tour

Padraig Harrington held a commanding five-shot lead at the weather interrupted BANK BRI Indonesia Open before the third round was abandoned on Saturday.

The three-time Major winner was 16-under through 13 holes before play was called off at the Damai Indah Golf, PIK course. He will return on Sunday at 6.40am alongside 44 other players to complete the round.

Playing in the same group as Harrington, Australia’s Nathan Holman was a distant five shots back while co-overnight leader Thanyakon Khrongpha of Thailand struggled with his driver and was 10-under through 13 holes.

Local hope George Gandranata continued his fine run at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event where he sits on eight-under after playing 16 holes.

Harrington, who is aiming to win his first title since 2012, hopes to stay positive as he prepares for a 23-hole marathon finale on Sunday.

“I was doing nicely. I got a good start and holed a couple of putts at the right time. I didn’t do too many mistakes but it is always difficult when you have the lead. You are a little bit cautious and it is something which I have to deal with.

“The last thing I want to do is go out there and be negative because that gives the rest of the field a chance. It is an awkward position to be in. It is never easy to lead. It is always easy to chase,” said Harrington, who marked his card with four birdies.

Holman struggled to repeat his second round heroics where he posted a brilliant 63. The Australian needs a huge result this week to have a chance of retaining his Asian Tour card for the 2015 season.

“I didn’t have real momentum going. The suspension didn’t really affect anything. Obviously you can learn quite a bit from Padraig Harrington and it has been really nice playing with him. Hope to get a good night’s sleep and see what happens tomorrow,” said Holman, ranked 95th on the Merit list.

Thanyakon, who is chasing for a first Asian Tour win, rued poor tee shots as he stumbled to four bogeys against two birdies. He gave himself a lifeline when he birdied the 13th hole before play was called off for the day.

“I was hitting my driver to the left today. It was very disappointing and I couldn’t recover from that. It really hurt my score. I was also struggling to judge the speed of the greens. Hopefully I can bounce back,” said the 24-year-old Thai.

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Harrington Shares Bank BRI Lead

Padraig Harrington of Ireland struggled to take advantage of the calm morning conditions on Saturday as he tied for the second round lead with Thanyakon Khrongpha at the BANK BRI Indonesia Open.

The three-time Major winner was five-under through 12-holes on Friday which included an opening eagle before the halfway stage of the US$750,000 Asian Tour event was suspended due to inclement weather.

With a 4.50am morning call, Harrington returned to the Damai Indah Golf, PIK Course to finish with six straight pars for a 12-under-par 130 total which matched Thanyakon’s efforts yesterday.

“It was nice conditions and obviously I would like to make a few birdies this morning. But that happens and thankfully it was only six holes. Hopefully I will hit it a bit closer and make a few putts in the afternoon,” said Harrington.

Nathan Holman of Australia was a further two shots back following an impressive 63 while Jarin Todd after matching Thanyakon’s efforts of 63, while Scott Hend and Jarin Todd of the United States shot identical 64s for a 133 total.

The halfway cut was set at one-over-par 143 with a total of 72 players qualifying for the weekend rounds. Title holder Gaganjeet Bhullar crashed out from the event after finishing two shots over the mark.

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