Ireland’s Padraig Harrington fired a nine-under 63 to grab a share of the Honda Classic lead on Sunday, then won a three-man play-off to claim his first title on the United States PGA Tour.
Harrington’s sizzling final round included 11 birdies and saw him vault from a tie for 21st to a three-way tie for first alongside Fiji’s Vijay Singh and American Joe Ogilvie. He won the play-off at the second hole.
”Obviously I’m thrilled, if a little bit surprised I’ve won today, but you’ve got to take it when you can,” said Harrington, who split his time last season between the US and European tours.
”I played really well yesterday. That gave me some confidence coming out today.”
Harrington birdied 10 of his first 13 holes, including six in a row from the eighth. His only setbacks were back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15 as he finished with a 72-hole total of 274.
”When you start making birdies, like I made 10 of the first 13 holes and made six in a row, I’m thinking 59,” Harrington said. ”My bubble was burst on 14 where I dropped a shot and I was a little unlucky on 15 to drop a shot. Thankfully I birdied 17 and I wasn’t sure if 14-under would be good enough, but it was just enough.”
Ogilvie fell by the wayside with a bogey at the first playoff hole, the 18th.
”I hit it to the one place on 18 that you absolutely cannot hit it, that left bunker,” Ogilvie said. ”When you hit it as far up into it as I did, you just have no shot.”
Singh was the only one to find the fairway with his drive but his birdie putt trailed off to the right by inches and he tapped in for par.
Harrington drove in the rough and found the rough again on his approach, but was able to get up and down, draining a six-footer to force another hole.
On the second playoff hole, Singh and Harrington were both in the fairway off the tee and were within feet of each other in the rough to the left of the green.
Singh was inside Harrington after each player chipped on to the green with his third shot and Harrington drained his putt for par.
Needing to hole a putt from four feet, Singh saw his effort lip out on the right.
”It was a shock. I was mentally prepared to go back to the tee,” Harrington said. ”I’m thinking the longer it goes on, I’m going to get my chance. I assumed he was going to hole it.”
Harrington, the owner of nine previous titles worldwide, had never finished better than second on the US Tour, where he had three runner-up finishes prior to Sunday’s triumph.
”It does mean a lot to me now that I’ve done it,” Harrington said. ”I’ve worked very hard at my game to get to this level.”
Harrington became the second straight player to post his first US tour win in Florida.
Last year, Todd Hamilton used a victory in Florida as a springboard to his triumph at the British Open.
”It’s brilliant for my confidence,” Harrington said. ”I was well down in the field last week and struggling to make the cut here for most of the week. You try not to get down on yourself so to get a win so quickly is phenomenal.” — Sapa-AFP