HAVING collected three of the last six major titles in the space of little more than a year, claiming victory in the US PGA on Sunday as well as at the Open last month, the prospect of Padraig Harrington booking a place in history and joining the five illustrious champions who have relished the career Grand Slam was deemed within the Irishman's grasp yesterday.
The chances of Harrington keeping Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen company in golf's most exclusive club by some day adding the Masters and the US Open titles to his haul of major successes before he retires was rat
ed by the oddsmakers at 4/1.
The Irishman's status as arguably the second best player in the world after becoming the first European ever to win back-to-back majors was also reflected in one bookmaker offering 100/1 against the 'Paddy Slam', holding all four majors at the same time.
Having already finished in the top ten three times at Augusta as well as three times at the US Open, there's nothing in Harrington's CV which suggests those majors lie outwith his capabilities. Of course, by next spring Tiger will be back at the Masters to raise the bar for everyone, but in covering the back nine on the last day at Oakland Hills in 32 blows, just as he did at Royal Birkdale, Harrington laid down a marker about his ability to perform under pressure.
"I don't think anything is beyond Padraig," observed his coach, Bob Torrance, yesterday. "He didn't drive the ball particularly well at Oakland Hills, but he was so determined and dedicated. When you have that kind of attitude, there's nothing you can't achieve."
Now he knows how to win majors, there's a resilience and self-reliance evident in Harrington's performances which are hugely impressive. "I'm a great believer in making it your own responsibility, whether you win or you don't win," he said.
"Some days, it won't go for you and you have to be prepared to handle that. But you've got to be prepared to take shots on, take that responsibility and the consequences that go with it. You're not going to win any other way."
While Phil Mickelson remained above Harrington in the latest world rankings announced yesterday, few who watched the resolute manner in which the Dubliner performed on the back nine at Birkdale as well as Oakland Hills could dispute that Europe's best golfer is now closer to Woods in terms of grit and composure than anyone else.
Harrington's head-to-head confrontation with Sergio Garcia in Detroit was one of the most compelling showdowns between two outstanding players on the last day of a major championship since Tom Watson edged Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry in 1977.
Although Garcia's ball striking was more consistent, Harrington brought a certainty of purpose to his work over the closing holes which could only be described as Tiger-esque. Even when his shot-making wasn't as precise as it was at Birkdale, Harrington chipped and putted like a demon. During Woods' absence from the game while he recuperates from a knee operation, no one has looked more suited to the demands of major golf than Harrington.
"I know I love the idea of the back nine of a major on a Sunday," he said. "I love it so much that I'm actually disappointed I'm seven months away from the next major, and I don't know what I'm going to do. My whole schedule is built around majors. And definitely I've turned up at other events, unless I get into contention, you know, sometimes it feels like a race; like a sprint.
"Whereas, a major feels like a marathon. I feel like I can be patient and take my time. And I love the feeling of knowing that it's going to come down to the back nine; it's going to come down to who can do it under pressure in the last nine holes."
Following the action unfold on TV at home in Largs, Torrance sensed Garcia was starting to feel the pressure over the closing stretch when the execution of his shot making became heavier. Nevertheless, the Scot was impressed by the Spaniard's performance and felt, unlike Carnoustie, when the pair last duelled, that Harrington won the contest rather than Garcia losing. As he watched Harrington single putt ten of the last 13 holes, Torrance saw the same intensity about the Irishman as is often found in Woods' work at the majors. The consolation for Garcia after another near miss in the majors rested in the knowledge that this time he gave of his best.
"Why are you guys making this a disappointment?" Garcia queried. "Obviously I was trying to win, but that's it. It's not disappointing. Every time you're out there, you know there can only be one winner. I'm fine.
"It was worse when I finished the Open last year than right now. I lost it the Open on the back nine. There, I kind of lost control a little bit. Here, I gave it my best, and the end result is not what you wish for, but you feel good."
The full article contains 872 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
