Padraig Harrington Inducted into the Hall of Fame
Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t the only one to have a memorable time in Pinehurst the week of the U.S. Open. Padraig Harrington was officially inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame, and it was an incredibly generous of him to invite me to the ceremony as his guest.
Thanks to the flexibility of several long-time students, I was able to move some lessons around and take an early flight to Raleigh Monday morning. I drove to Pinehurst and went to the Carolina Hotel to get my credentials for the event and there was Paddy, writing his speech in the lobby. He insisted I go see the brand new Hall of Fame, and it is 100 percent worth a golf trip on its own. Seeing the locker exhibits of legends like Old Tom Morris, Jim Barnes and Harvey Penick was like browsing through my antique golf book collection.
The induction ceremony was first-class all the way, from meeting golf heroes like Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins, Hale Irwin, Nancy Lopez and Ben Crenshaw at the cocktail party to sitting with members of Paddy’s team during the induction. It was amazing to be acknowledged as somebody who has helped him on his instruction journey, and to share stories with putting coach Paul Hurrion and Noel Fox. I was back in Long Island by the next morning, and it was fascinating to see what Bryson did to pass the strong test Pinehurst No. 2 presented for the week.
We didn’t have to wait too long to get back to work, the new Hall of Famer is getting ready for a nice stretch of tournament play: The Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, U.S. Senior Open, Scottish Open, British Open and Senior British Open, all in a row. Go start a new Hall of Fame circuit, Paddy!
