Watch Padraig Harrington Play Incredible Seve-Inspired Recovery Shot In PGA Tour Event

Padraig Harrington played an incredible Seve Ballesteros-inspired recovery shot on the PGA Tour, where he more than matched the young guns with his driving distances

Padraig Harrington
(Image credit: Getty Images)

He may be 52, but Padraig Harrington showed he can still mix it with the young guns on the PGA Tour and will do anything to try and keep up - including playing a Seve Ballesteros-inspired shot off his knees.

Harrington claimed victory on the PGA Tour Champions last week, but after beating the seniors was back on the regular PGA Tour on Thursday taking part in the Texas Children's Houston Open.

Despite his advancing years he's still working on upping his swing speed and never scared of taking on risky or unorthodox shots - and when he pulled his drive on the 16th at Memorial Park he had to use all of his skill to escape.

And Harrington being Harrington, he immediately took to Instagram after his round to explain his choice of shot.

"Use a wood if possible to do this as the heel doesn’t snag as much and you don’t have a shank to worry about #paddysgolftips," he wrote in response to the PGA Tour video.

The Irishman's drive, which he smashed 326 yards by the way, went miles left and ended up under a tree, which is when he pulled out the Seve-inspired shot off his knees to escape.

With little fuss, Harrington stabbed a fairway wood at the ball and advanced it 120 yards, a brave play in itself given that water lurked across the other side of the fairway where he was aiming.

Staying dry, just about, Harrington then hit a 210-yard iron shot over more water and two-putted for a crazy par five.

Harrington finished on level par for the day after four bogeys and four birdies, which left him in T54 and six shots off the lead.

It looks too far back already for Harrington to add his name to the short list of four players ever to have won on the PGA Tour Champions and regular PGA Tour in the same season.

But it showed he can still mix it on the PGA Tour, matching the first rounds of the likes of Wyndham Clark, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Champ.

His recovery shot proved he's still got the artistry and, at his age, the flexibility to be able to pull off shots many a PGA Tour pro wouldn't even see, let alone attempt.

What will also please Harrington is his driving distances are right up there - his 326-yard effort, although wayward, was his longest of the day and the 48th longest of anyone in the entire field on Thursday.

Harrington also ended day one in 28th in the field in overall driving distance with his average of 310.9 yards, while he was 12th in strokes gained around the green showing he's still got that touch with the scoring clubs.

And if Harrington's shot looks familiar, then maybe it's because it's almost identical to one the late, great Seve played at the 1997 Trophee Lancome, which you can see in the video above.

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.