This week’s Volvo Champions event in Durban will be a sentimental occasion for triple Major winning Padraig Harrington.

It was 17 years ago the Dubliner made his European Tour debut in the FNB Championship in February 1996 on this week’s Durban Country Club host venue.

The then fresh-faced 24-year old Harrington finished T49th on one under par with fellow Irishman Des Smyth to earn the princely sum of Euro 2,612.

Since then Harrington’s gone on to carve out one of the most successful careers in modern day golf capturing three Majors and banking Euro 23.3m in prize money in Europe alone.

And Harrington recalls later admitting to his mum Breda that he could “not have played any worse” as he chipped and putted like a champion.

“I could not believe I could play like that,” he recalls.

“And still win a cheque for £1,480. I thought they must be giving money away.

“But it gave me momentum and I went on to make the cut in my next seven tournaments with three top-ten finishes before my first win at the Spanish Open.”

That Spanish Open materialised just seven events later when he captured the Spanish Open and the first of 14 European Tour counting victories.