Pádraig Harrington inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington is humbled by his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The 51-year-old, who counts back-to-back British Opens and the PGA Championship among his 21 worldwide wins, is only the third Irishman to receive the honour after amateur Joe Carr and Christy O’Connor snr.

The Dubliner will be officially inducted into the Class of 2024 next Monday, having been confirmed last year, and the achievement has given him pause for reflection on a career that saw him established among the ranks of multiple major winners, among a plethora of other accolades and victories.

“This is very exciting, obviously huge honour. It’s somewhat humbling,” said the former Ryder Cup captain, who also won the US Senior Open last year.

“At this stage of my life, it gives me some validation to what I’ve done in golf. [It] brings back a flood of memories.

The three-time major winner added that he had furnished a full set of clubs for the Hall of Fame to display as well as the bag and shoes from the high points of the 2007 and 2008 era.

Speaking on the induction of Harrington, Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy said: “He really kick-started this whole Irish golf movement. Padraig was the one that made us all believe we could do it. He's the ultimate pro.”

Harrington admitted that the prospect of earning such an accolade was something that only dawned on him as seasons passed and admitted that he was a little "apprehensive" as he waited on the culmination of the selection process for this year.

"Hall of Fames really aren't on the radar in Ireland are they? It's not something that we would have naturally grown up with," he said.

"It's only become a thing as you get out on tour. Then as you start to play better, it becomes a much bigger thing.

"You start realising 'that's a Hall of Fame career, he's a Hall of Fame player', people talk like that. I suppose it's a way of measuring success.

"So once you do start playing well, it does become on your radar and it's something that you want to be part of for sure. It's certainly not something I would've dreamt about when I started out."