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Scott Harrington will probably think about how close he came to winning the Houston Open on Sunday.
The 38-year-old PGA Tour rookie shot a final-round 67 at the Golf Club of Houston to surge into contention and it wasn’t until Lanto Griffin holed a 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole that Harrington was denied his first tour victory.
Still, there was more to the Harrington story than the golf.
While Harrington (above) chased a spot on the PGA Tour, his wife, Jennifer, has been fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 2017 and her battle has taken several life-threatening turns. She has been in remission for nearly a year and her story added to Harrington’s emotional accomplishment of finally earning his PGA Tour privileges in late summer through the Korn Ferry Tour.
“Personal stuff, professionally, I’ve been through so much,” Harrington said Sunday. “Personally, the last couple of years have been really difficult. To be out here is a blessing.
“We are so happy to be here and so fortunate she is in good health. It means the world to us. It’s been a really long couple of years. To be here, it’s really cool.”
Harrington locked down his PGA Tour card for the first time by finishing among the top 25 money winners during the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2019 regular season. Harrington birdied the last hole of the last regular-season event to squeeze inside the top 25.
His achievement was more poignant because Harrington had taken a long leave from competition to be with his wife. Although Jennifer received initially encouraging reports after her 2017 diagnosis, the lymphoma returned in May 2018, necessitating a long cycle of chemotherapy treatments.
While his wife gradually improved, Harrington went back to work on his career earlier this year, and his tie for second in Houston gave him a big jump start on keeping his card.
“Total success,” Harrington said of his week in Houston. “I played great. Sure there are a couple of putts I’d like to have back but there are some really tough shots coming down the stretch here. To pull them off is something I can really take with me moving forward.”
Staff and Wire Reports