Padraig Harrington recalls mental struggle he faced during his 'best year,' admits to trying to 'change' his golf personality for worse

Padraig Harrington recently reflected on the mental struggles he faced during the 2009 season, which he described as his best year in the FedEx Cup. During that time, he admitted to dealing with 'swing addiction.'

Harrington, a three-time major champion, is considered one of the greatest Irish professional golfers. He spent over 300 weeks ranked inside the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

On Monday, September 9, Harrington took to X to share his reflections on the 2009 season.

"Interesting 2009 was my best year in the fedex cup, just didn’t win," he wrote. "There’s not many that can change their golfing personality, I certainly haven’t but at times I manage it better.

The comments were in response to mental health coach Josh Nichols' analysis of Harrington's mindset during the 2009 season. Before that year, Harrington had won three major championships within two years, including a successful defense of the Open Championship.

However, Padraig Harrington's performance dipped slightly in 2009, with three missed cuts and only one top-ten finish in 11 starts leading up to the Players Championship. Nichols noted that the slump was a result of his intense efforts to improve, which ironically caused his game to decline instead.

"He was certainly getting worse as a result of the changes he was trying," he wrote. "But his team around him staged a sort of intervention. They said he needed to stop trying to change."

Harrington too had accepted back then that he was getting obsessive and was struck into things.

"I have definitely become addicted to my golf swing over the last couple of months and I definitely need to get rid of that," he said as per Irish Times.

Nichols added that improving the game wasn’t bad and that it was quite normal to get worse while doing so, but there were conditions for it.

"You have to ask yourself 'why am I making this change?'" he added. "If your answer includes being addicted to your golf swing, then it's got questionable motivations."

"I love Padraig and his endless curiosity to get better. He's clearly one of the most thoughtful pro golfers out there. But we're not all Padraig. We have to do what's best for ourselves, and make sure we're doing it thoughtfully," he added.

As for Padraig Harrington, he missed three back-to-back cuts after the 2009 Players Championship, but the changes paid off afterward. He concluded the season with six straight top-ten finishes, including two runner-up finishes. He also finished seventh in the FedEx Cup that season.

How did Padraig Harrington perform this season?

Padraig Harrington has had another fruitful season on the senior tour. He played 11 events and managed to win two titles. Besides, he also made three more top-ten finishes. He is currently ninth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

Here's a look at Padraig Harrington's performance this season:

Chubb Classic: T15
Cologuard Classic: T14
Hoag Classic Newport Beach: 1
Insperity Invitational: T19
Regions Tradition: T8
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship: T17
DICK'S Open: 1
U.S. Senior Open Championship: T16
The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: T5
Rogers Charity Classic: T7
The Ally Challenge: T63