Born in Sydney, Australia, Harwood turned professional in 1979 and ended his wait for a European Tour victory in 1988 at the Portuguese Open.

His biggest win came on one of the Tour's biggest stages the BMW PGA Championship in 1990, which helped him achieve a career-best Order of Merit ranking of sixth.

Ended Greg Norman's sequence of six victories in the Australian PGA in 1986.

Runner-up in the 1991 Open Championship, two shots behind compatriot Ian Baker-Finch at Royal Birkdale.