Not Kiradech Aphibarnrat.
Not Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed nor Rory McIlroy.
Not Seve, Phil nor Tiger.
So Padraig Harrington was asked then: If he didn’t believe those pros had a better short game than him, did that mean he had the best short game? The three-time major winner then paused.
And an interesting piece of social media content continued.
It came via the folks with the DP World Tour social media team, from the range at this week’s Qatar Masters, where a producer had told Harrington this: He’d name 10 names — but Harrington should shout when one of those names owned a better short game, in his opinion. Maybe you’ve seen similar-style videos. They’re engaging — we like rankings, and we like opinions — and this one was too.
Did Aphibarnrat have a better short game? Harrington didn’t speak. What about Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick or Cam Smith? Nothing. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed or Shane Lowry? Nothing. Not even Seve Ballesteros, Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods?
Still nothing.
“So you’re the best?” the producer asked.
Harrington then made a case.
“All I know is,” he said on the video, “when they did the stats in the States, strokes gained, they used my 10 worst years, and at that stage, I was third and only because I’m not a very good chipper off the fairway. But I’m number one out of the rough, and that was the worst of my career. I was way better before that. I’ve had some dodgy times in the 10 years they used.
“If I go at my peak, I was the ultimate pro — like they say, the dogs that chase cars, the pros that putt for pars don’t last. But I was the ultimate pro that putt for pars.”
But weren’t Ballesteros, Mickelson or Woods better?
Harrington again had some thoughts.
“Yeah, there’s been some — look, everybody on their day — Phil Mickelson is probably, can hit the best of the best shots,” he said on the video. “Yeah, Tiger was as good as you could, as gritty as you could. I don’t think you could argue against Tiger — he didn’t seem to leave anything out there.
“But if it comes to chipping, I’ll back myself against anybody.”
You can watch the complete video below.