Irish golf star Padraig Harrington has revealed how his friends and family have been poking fun at him after two nightmare finishes at the US PGA and the WGC.

Harrington, who blew chances of victory at the US PGA and the WGC events, said he has been swamped with water jokes after his game foundered in the water hazards in Minnesota and Ohio.

"I came to disaster twice in the water hazard," he said, and "when I got home I got a voicemail with the theme tune to "Jaws" on it.

"And as I was traveling on my way here I was looking in my golf bag and I found a golf ball retriever for getting golf balls out of the water."

Harrington was speaking at the 12th annual Wall Street 50 annual awards dinner, co-hosted by Irish America magazine and business communications firm FTI.

Also in attendance was NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman of the American Ireland Fund, and a host of other luminaries.

Harrington said his game was all about trying to improve.

"I think that my ultimate principle in life would be that every day I try to get better,” he said.

"Many people who would be following my career this year would see that I did take a few steps back to try and go forward.”

"I came out of winning three majors and I decided to change something that had been bugging me for a while, for a number of years and my performances dipped because of it,” said Harrington of his decision to completely revamp his swing

“The main thing all through this is that I know that all this part of the process, I know that I will get better and I will get better.

"I came out of last year being third in the world feeling that I have peaked, but now I have the feeling that I can go anywhere and that I haven’t peaked and that I am going to get better."

Harrington went on to say that though both he and the world of business had experienced a little bump in recent times, that he felt both were on the way back up.

The keynote speaker Brian Moynihan's address capped a hugely successful night for honorees and co-hosts Irish America magazine and FTI.