Harrington Set To Fill In For Els In PGA Grand Slam of Golf
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Three time major winner Padraig Harrington has been handed a place in the four-man PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal in Bermuda on Tuesday and Wednesday after Open Champion Ernie Els pulled out with a sprained ankle.
The Irishman will line-up against Masters champion Bubba Watson, US Open winner Webb Simpson; while defending champion Keegan Bradley will stand in for US PGA holder Rory McIlroy, who had already committed to playing in the BMW Masters in China before his Kiawah Island win in August.
The winner of the event will receive £375,000 with £125,000 going to the man who finishes fourth.
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is supposed to bring together the four major winners of the year but US PGA champion McIlroy is instead defending his title in Shanghai. The second and third alternatives, Graeme McDowell and Tiger Woods, are also competing in Asia.
“While my entry is under unique circumstances, I am excited to compete in the event again,” said Harrington.
“I came close the last two times I was there, losing in play-offs to Angel Cabrera in 2007 and Jim Furyk in 2008, so maybe the third time will be a charm.”
Els, who won the PGA Grand Slam in 1997 and 2010, was looking forward to competing in the event, he said: “I am bitterly disappointed. It is a great reward for winning a major and something I have enjoyed in the past and was looking forward to again.”
Recent winners of the event include Keegan Bradley (2011), Ernie Els (2010), Lucas Glover (2009), Jim Furyk (2008), Angel Cabrera (2007) and Tiger Woods (2005 and 2006).
