Padraig Harrington prepares for milestone 500th start DP World Tour at Qatar Masters

Over the course of two remarkable seasons, he won the 2007 Open Championship, followed by a successful title defence at The Open and US PGA Championship in 2008. At the time, only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were higher ranked in the world.

Aside from his Major triumphs, he has added 15 further titles across the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, finished as Europe's Number One with the Harry Vardon Trophy in 2006, and contributed to four Ryder Cup-winning teams before later captaining Europe in golf's pre-eminent team event.

"I couldn't have ever dreamt of the career that I've had," said Harrington on the eve of becoming the latest member of the DP World Tour's 500 club.

He didn't turn professional until the age of 24, late by today's standards, joining the paid ranks in 1995. Now, at 54, he remains as driven as ever, still competing with the best players around the world.

"It's not something that you envisage, plan for, but it's nice to get [to 500]," he added.

"I've probably played close to 800 tournaments in my career, 30 years as a pro. I'm thinking I might have another 300 tournaments in me before I finish up.

"Maybe not 300 on the DP World Tour! At some stage that's coming to an end, but at the moment I'm happy to be here, out here playing and enjoying it."

Throughout everything, Harrington's persistent drive to improve has never wavered.

"I'm quite an optimist," he said.

"So, if something goes wrong, the minute I get back on the horse the next day and start practising, I'm looking forward, I'm dreaming of what it can be, the potential.

"That's what I love about golf. It always gives you that hope value that you're going to find the secret. And today, I'm still trying to find the secret.

"Sometimes I get a bit caught up in that, and as my caddy (Ronan Flood) often says to me, I've earned the right to be there," he added.

Fear has played its part but Harrington has always used that feeling as a source of motivation rather than a hindrance.

Reflecting on himself while also comparing the latest generation of talent, he said: "I always felt I had potential to get better. Whereas I think sometimes you see with the young guys that come out here they've got really good golf swings, great ball striking, and if you've got a great swing and you're a great ball striker and you don't win, it's pretty harsh on you mentally.

"Whereas if I didn't win as a young kid, I was like, well, I can get better, I can get better, I'm improving. I think those two things really helped me."

Among his other notable feats, Harrington spent over 300 weeks in the top ten from 2001 to 2010.

Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in June 2024, he attributes much of that consistency to the grounding the DP World Tour gave him through to the turn of the 21st century.

Learning from and competing against some of the greats on an international stage are memories Harrington cherishes.

"It's been a great run, particularly in the 90s, the top ten in the world were playing in Europe," he said.

"I got to play with the best players at that stage. Monty [Colin Montgomerie] was unbelievable, Ernie [Els] was playing, Retief Goosen. These are guys that I would have put up on a pedestel. Lee Westwood was the best ball striker in the world in 1999.

"I just about crossed over with [Bernhard] Langer, didn't really play much with [Sir Nick] Faldo, played with Woosie [Ian Woosnam], he was a super ball striker, just a phenomenal swing. I missed out on the very best of the Sandy Lyles, played with Seve [Ballesteros] but not at his best, but the DP World Tour was unbelievable. After 2000, it just became so much easier to get your card in the states that a lot of peiple drifted away and financially [the PGA TOUR] became much bigger."