Congratulations Padraig

Congratulations are in order for Padraig Harrington, who was voted Players of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America, receiving 75 percent of the vote. He also picked up PGA Tour Player of the Year honors in a vote by his peers.

As I wrote back in November, Harrington deserved the honors. It’s a matter of quality over quantity. Anyone who wins two majors—under all of that pressure, and against the best fields in golf—deserves the accolades.

Padraig Harrington was just the fourth player to win the British Open and PGA Championship in the same season. He also was the first European player to win the PGA Tour award since it began in 1990.

Harrington was quite gracious in receiving the awards:

“It has been a fantastic season individually out there, winning a couple of majors. At the time you win them, you certainly feel that nothing could compare to it. But to be honest, there is no greater accolade than to receive an award from your peers. … It compares equally to winning a major championship.”

The International Herald Tribune has an article on how Padraig Harrington’s work habits make him a candidate for the title of “hardest working man in golf.”