Harrington undecided on PGA Championship trip

Pádraig Harrington shows off the Wanamaker Trophy and the Claret Jug the day after his memorable PGA Championship win at Oakland Hills in 2008. Picture: Brian Keogh

Pádraig Harrington will decide later this week if he will make the trip to San Francisco for next week’s PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2008 PGA champion and current European Ryder Cup captain has not played a competitive round since he missed the cut in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill 142 days ago.

Since making his debut in the event at Winged Foot in 1997, the Dubliner (48) has played in 20 consecutive PGA Championships, memorably lifting the Wanamaker Trophy and his third major title at Oakland Hills near Detroit in 2008.

He was tied 10th at Hazeltine in 2009 but has since recorded just two top-20 finishes, at Kiawah Island (T18) in 2012 and Baltusrol in 2016 (T13).

He has missed the cut for the past three years and six of the last seven years.

“Pádraig will make a decision on whether he will travel to play the PGA Championship later this week,” his manager, Adrian Mitchell, said.

Two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka will be aiming for a hat-trick of PGA Championship wins at TPC Harding Park from August 6-9.

However, this year’s event will be contested without spectators on-site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PGA Tour has two stops this week with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell in action in the WGC-FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis as Seamus Power plays the opposite field Barracuda Championship, which has moved from Reno to Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood Golf Course) in California.

The Barracuda Championship had expected Harrington to tee it up this week, tweeting his commitment on July 18.