News about Padraig Harrington

Istabraq, the greatest horse to jump a hurdle and an iconic figure in racing, has died at the home of his owner JP McManus. He reached the remarkable age of 32. Having started out on the flat when trained by John Gosden, Istabraq was bought by McManus for £38,000 and went into training with Aidan O'Brien, who sculpted a career for the gelding in the National Hunt sphere that almost defied belief. The pinnacle of his achievements were four consecutive wins at the Cheltenham Festival , starting with the 1997 Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle before he rattled off three spectacular victories in the Champion Hurdle from 1998 to 2000. Only the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001 - which caused the Festival to be abandoned - prevented Istabraq from becoming the only horse to win hurdling's blue riband event in four consecutive years. His jockey Charlie Swan - who rode Istabraq in all 29 of his hurdle races, winning 23 (14 of which were Grade One events) - told Mail Sport for a special feature in March that he was adamant he would have made history in 2001 as there was not another horse around like him.

DOMINIC KING AT ROYAL TROON: Brian Harman has insisted he would play at The Open for free after tournament chiefs admitted they are concerned about escalating prize funds. Harman was the spectacular winner of last year's Championship at Royal Liverpool and he was understandably emotional on Monday after handing back The Claret Jug - from which he has drunk "unusually expensive wine" over the last 12 months - to R & A Chief Executive Martin Slumber. There is a £13million kitty up for grabs this week in Scotland, £2.38m of which will go to the winner on Sunday and Harman is bidding to become the first man since Padraig Harrington (2007 and 2008) to retain his title.

DOMINIC KING: Ninja, a black-and-white cat who is not able to capture everyone's attention, is found in a barn on a farm. A slewing bay horse affectionately known as 'Gil'. He is used to camera crews arriving in his stables, but he would like for people to worry about him, so he scrapes his hooves impatiently on the ground. A few carrots and a rub of the neck later, and it's back to normal. Gil (short for Gilgamboa) knows his place in the pecking order, and he also knows why we are here, at JP McManus' photo-perfect Martinstown Stud in County Limerick. The horse that had a cat's stealingth, a lion's heart, and was the first to scale a hurdle is being photographed in the box opposite.

As she took part in a round of golf at Kingsbarns Golf Links near St Andrews, Fife, yesterday, the actress was in a good mood. Posting a photo of her lying down on the green, she wrote: 'Is it 'Tee' time yet!'

Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion, calls it one of the most stunning par threes he has ever seen, and it will stand alongside the renowned Postage Stamp at Royal Troon. Meanwhile, BBC veteran Ken Brown, who has played in 14 Opens and five Ryder Cups, has his own view of Hoylake's brand new 17th hole. Brown tells Mail Sport, 'It could be a card disaster,' Brown says as he stands by the side of the green, with the Dee Estuary shimmering over his left shoulder.' It's going to be a very exciting hole.' For the first time, players are here looking for the right spot to miss the green. Given that it is such a short hole, it tells you everything. It will be so fascinating to watch.'

Padraig Harrington is seeing subtle shifts in a more wholesome skirmish among old adversaries in his game at a time when radical changes have caused chaos to the golfing landscape. Although the merger of tours and the shenanigans that preceded it has long been the most popular talking point of a tumultuous period, it has been too easy to forget about something else - a Ryder Cup will be contested in less than four months. Within this context, there has also been a gradual increase of the belief that Europe's position as strong underdogs could have just a little too much respect for recent findings.

Despite the high quality of the competition, the final round of the US Open began last night, with growing dissatisfaction from several of the competition's protagonists. Gripes have been broadcast among a number of the major's leading lights on the flat atmosphere, heavy ticketing, the LA Country Club course, and even the scheduling, with the 54-hole co-leader Wyndham Clark implying that the latter has a hand in the tournament's competitive credibility. The American said, 'It's a little bizarre' that we teed off at 3.40 p.m. local time on Saturday, pointing to the US Golf Association's ostensibly ludicrous decision to send out Fowler and Clark out at 3.40 p.m. local time, resulting in a twilight finish.' Around hole 15 or 16, it started getting to a point where you didn't get a good view.

DMINIC KING: Padraig Harrington enjoyed being on a different path on Thursday, as he led JP McManus on to the winners' podium after Zenta's dramatic victory in the Juvenile Hurdle. Harrington had backed the 5-4 favourite, and although it would have been stretching it to say he was smiling as much as he did winning his second Open 15 miles down the road at Royal Birkdale in 2008, it was certainly enjoying himself. The former Ryder Cup captain, who will be assisting one of McManus' five runners in the Randox Grand National, will be in Aintree on Friday and Saturday, but he has no intention of playing in a quick nine holes before racing begins.

XCLUSIVE - BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: According to Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods still has the swing and the fear factor to be a contender at the Masters. On Friday, the five-time champion announced his participation in the world's biggest debate about whether he can even be competitive at 47. Woods has now played just 11 competitive rounds since making the cut in dazzling fashion last year. In what was his comeback after almost losing a leg to a car crash in 2021.

At the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio, Justin Lower leads by a one-stroke over a group that includes three-time major champion Padraig Harrington. With half of the field still on the track, first-round play was postponed on Thursday. The round started on time early Thursday morning, but fog caused the PGA Tour to cancel play for more than three hours.

Woods has only made three competitive appearances this year, with all of them coming at majors after his dramatic return to the course 14 months after his horrific car crash. As the golf legend recovers from the injury he suffered in the crash, he recently suggested that he would only play golf's most prestigious tournaments next year. However, Harrington believes that Woods may be able to win another if he makes it to the final nine holes.