Padraig Harrington Drops Stunning U.S. Open Admission Thanks to Rory McIlroy

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Julio Cesar Valdera Morales is a Newsweek contributor based in Spain. His focus is golf as well as politics and economics. Julio has been with Newsweek since February, 2025 and previously practiced law. Julio earned his Masters Degree at the University of Havana. You can get in touch with Julio by emailing j.morales@newsweek.com.

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Padraig Harrington is known for his insightful analysis on all golf-related matters, including his own quality as a player. The depth of his judgment was no less evident when he recently recalled how Rory McIlroy brought him back to reality when he thought he was still the best player in the world.

Harrington recently appeared on the Cookie Jar Golf podcast and opened up about how the then-21-year-old McIlroy shattered his pretensions as a heavy favorite to win the title.

The setting for this anecdote was the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Maryland.

"Rory broke me in 2011," Harrington said. "[He] broke everybody, but I was the best player. That's what I believed. So I've gone into Congressional. I played a practice round with Adam Scott on Wednesday. He [Scott] came in and did an interview and told everybody to go home. He says, 'You might as well go home. Padraig Harrington is winning this.' I am... in my head, I am the best player. I've won three majors just recently. I'm in great form. I prepared right. I go into this tournament and Rory does something that I can't compete with. Wipes the floor. Like we're all the same. He's just blown us all away."

Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walk on the 5th hole during a practice round prior to The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 17, 2023 in Hoylake,... Warren Little/Getty Images

But Harrington also offered a valuable lesson in how to make the best of any situation, no matter how painful or disappointing:

"That's OK if I thought I could get better. That's fine. So when Tiger was doing that in the early 2000s, I was only on my way up. This is me at my best and I don't think I can compete with him. So the big difference, and it's happened — name every player who has hit a peak — in 2008, I was not looking over my shoulder. I was only concerned about me. [From] 2011 onwards, I'm now thinking I'm not good enough. I need to be a better version of me in order to compete with Rory."

Rory McIlroy left no doubt as to who was the best player at the moment when he won the 2011 US Open wire-to-wire. The Northern Irishman carded rounds of 65, 66, 68 and 69 to finish eight shots clear of runner-up Jason Day, and also set an aggregate record (268) that still stands for the event.

At Congressional, Harrington could only manage one round under par and no sub-70s. He made the cut but finished tied for 45th at 5-over.

McIlroy went on to win three more major championships after his 2011 U.S. Open victory. Harrington, on the other hand, has only three top-10s in the tournaments this level since then.

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