Padraig Harrington will carry on tattoo tradition if Europe wins Ryder Cup

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – There is no shortage of traditions at the Ryder Cup, but it seems Thomas Bjorn has added something new to that legacy.

Prior to the 2018 matches in Paris, then-European captain Bjorn promised his team he’d get a tattoo if the Continent won. True to his word he had “17 ½ - 10 ½” (the winning score) etched into his backside. It seems this week’s captain, Padraig Harrington, has made the same promise.

“I am delighted that that’s all they ask for, but I’d have given up a lot more,” Harrington said Wednesday at Whistling Straits. “So yes, I will be getting a tattoo. If my team produce a winning week, I will be getting a tattoo to mark the occasion, and very comfortable that they only asked that much of me because I would have given more.”

Harrington didn’t specify what the tattoo would be or where he would place it, but he felt it was important to continue the tradition.

“I think it’s an unwritten rule,” Harrington said. “Maybe they didn’t ask. Maybe I offered and they felt that was enough. But definitely, yeah, it’s a given now in Europe. Captain has to get a tattoo.”