George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, last night invited Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie to join him on stage to present Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington of Ireland with Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour.
Cabrera, 38, became the first Argentinian golfer since Roberto di Vicenzo 40 years ago to capture a Major Championship when he claimed the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania and little more than one month later Harrington became only the second Irish golfer after Fred Daly in 1947 to capture the Open Championship following a dramatic play-off with Spain’s Sergio Garcia at Carnoustie.
The two Major Champions, who become the 30th and 31st recipients of Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour, received their solid silver Membership cards from O’Grady during the HSBC World Match Play Championship Official Dinner at the prestigious Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.
O’Grady said: “This is a very special night for The European Tour – very special because we have two great Champions, winners of the two Open Championships in the same year, which is very unusual. All European Tour Champions conduct themselves with great style and charisma, and Angel and Padraig are no exception, and they will be joining a very special society of men including Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie, who are with us tonight, as Honorary Life Members of The European Tour.”
Cabrera said: “This is a great honour. I am thrilled to become an Honorary Life Member of The European Tour and it is extra special to be the first person from Argentina to receive the award. There are not many golfers who are fortunate enough to gain Life Membership and I regard this as a great privilege, particularly in view of what The European Tour did for me when I came over here in the nineties.”
Harrington, 36, is the third Irishman to receive the accolade following Daly in 1985 and Christy O’Connor in 2004. He has enjoyed an outstanding season in which he became the first Irish golfer in 25 years to win the Irish Open before going on to triumph at Carnoustie less than two months later.
He commented: “This is really special. You don’t think about accolades like this when you are still in the midst of your playing career, but when I look at the list of those who have received Honorary Life Membership, they are all people I put on a pedestal and look up to. That is what makes it such a huge honour and gives me a great sense of pride. Certainly, when I think back to my early days as a professional, I could never have imagined ending up as Open Champion and a Life Member of our Tour.”
O’Grady also hailed the achievements of the two Open winners, saying: “The Tour is extremely proud to welcome two such great champions as Angel and Padraig as Honorary Life Members. Both men showed extraordinary skill and courage under pressure in capturing their first Major Championships earlier this summer and we all take great pleasure from their successes at Oakmont and Carnoustie.
“Since joining The European Tour through the Qualifying School in 1995, Angel has proved himself to be a Major Champion in waiting – as evidenced by his superb victory in the 2005 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club – and it was only a matter of time until he converted his massive talent into that US Open victory.
“Padraig’s year has been little short of sensational. His Irish Open success, 25 years after John O’Leary’s win on Irish soil, provided one of the highlights of the season, but it was only a prelude of what was to come in July when he recovered superbly from a last hole double bogey to edge out Sergio and lift the Claret Jug.”
