Rory McIlroy

Padraig Harrington was one of the best golfers in the world in the late 200s and early 2010s.

The Irish won three majors in a two-year period, winning back-to-back in the Open Championships in 2007 and 2008, while also winning the 2008 PGA championship. Harrington’s position in the world’s official golf rankings began to decline in 2010, but he believed unrestrictedly at the Congress Open in 2011 that he was the best player on the planet and would soon be taken home Grand Slam champion. 4.

But Rory McIlroy, then 21, had different plans. The Northern Ireland rising star blows the field away in Congress, finishing with a lowest 72-hole score (268) in U.S. Open history.

McIlroy’s performance destroyed Harrington, breaking his view of his position at the pro level.

“Where I was broken, Rory broke me in 2011,” Harrington said in the latest episode of the Cookie Jar Golf Podcast. “[He] Breaked everyone, but I was the best player. That’s what I believe. So I went to Congress. I practiced with Adam Scott on Wednesday. He came in for an interview and told everyone to go home. He said: “You might as well go home. Padraig Harrington won this. I was the best player in my mind. I just won three majors. I was in a great form. . I’m ready to be correct.

“I went into this game and Rory did something I couldn’t compete. Sweat the floor. Just like us. He just blows us away. But that’s OK, if I think I’ll get better. That’s OK. So when Tiger did this in the early 2000s, I was just on the road. It was my best, and I don’t think I could compete with him. So, the difference was huge, and it happened – named every player that reached its peak – In 2008, I didn’t look at my shoulders. I only care about me. [From] In 2011, I now think I’m not good enough. To compete with Rory, I need to be a better version. ”

When McIlroy launched his first major title, Harrington finished with his 45th tie in the congressional game.

The Irishman struggled with the remaining two majors of the 2011 season, but ranked in the top 10 in both the 2012 Masters and the 2012 U.S. Open. After the 2012 U.S. Open, Harrington did not record the top 10 until the major in the 2021 PGA Championship held at Kiawah Island.

Meanwhile, McIlroy won another major in 2012 and won two Grand Slams in 2014. The 35-year-old has met several approaches since then, but has now been in his major championship drought-11th grade.