Capelle On Golf

British Open Coverage

Padraig Harrington reminded me on Sunday of a great thoroughbred charging home to victory. He hung with the pack, trailing Greg Norman by a shot at turn. Then as the race turned towards the homestretch, he went into another gear, playing a series of four long distance approach shots the likes of which the game has never seen.

It all started on the long 13th where his 215 yard long iron pulled to a stop 15’ left of the cup. He drained the putt to go to +6. On the par 5 15th he reached the green in two with another long iron and two putted for a birdie. Then, at the 17th, his five wood shot from 249 yards landed short of the green, then began a long distance roll. As his ball traveled across the green it started breaking right to left on the severely contoured surface.

By the time his ball reached hole high it was a foot right of the cup. It died four feet past. The Ice Man from Ireland ran it home for an eagle to drop back to plus three, four better than Ian Poulter, the leader in the clubhouse. On 18 Harrington striped his tee shot, then hit the best approach to 18 all day, a pin seeking long iron that stopped 15’ beyond the cup. Two commercial putts later and he’d joined Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods as the only repeat winner in the Modern Era (1958+).

Bob Rotella has Created a Monster
Not long ago Harrington thought of himself as a journeyman who would be lucky to ever win a major. But his work with noted mental game guru and author Dr. Bob Rotella is paying off big time. From no majors and lots of questions about his inner self to two major titles in 53 weeks is pretty heady stuff. With his game and the closing skills he’s displayed in winning two Opens, more majors will almost certainly be coming his way.

Harrington Enters the Top 3 in the World
Padraig Harrington entered the week in the 14th position in the World Golf Rankings, have just slipped below Anthony Kim, the new #13. Thanks to his resounding win on Sunday and the 100 WGR points that he earned, Harrington’s average jumped from 4.62 to 6.37, sending him into the third position, or three slots higher than after his Open victory last year.

No Asterisk for Harrington
Golf was looking for someone to step up and fill the void created by Woods’ absence, but the game was probably thinking of a win by the triple major winners or a fresh new face. Instead it got Harrington, who already proved he can win with Tiger in the field at last year’s Open where Woods finished 12t, five back. As a result, there is no reason to believe that his convincing four shot win in torrential rains and gusty winds wouldn’t have held up against Tiger, who’s never won in these conditions.

In less than a year Harrington’s done two things Woods never has: 1) He’s come from behind to win a major – twice actually, 2) He’s won a bad weather British Open, which is the classic test. In contrast, Woods’ three Opens wins were all birdie fests.

Harrington Runs Hot and Cold
Consistency enables players like Jack Nicklaus and Woods to contend and to put themselves into position to win so often. Their ability to play at such a super high level sets them apart from the rest. For mere mortals like Harrington, it is much better to run very hot or icy cold. This won’t earn a long string of top 10s, but is does lead to more Ws. As proof, here’s Harrington’s line in the last seven majors: 7t, MC, W, 42t, 5t, 35t, W.

Harrington’s resume in taking on major proportions.
2 wins
8 top fives
11 top 10s (3 Masters, 4 US Open, 4 British Open)
He missed a top 10 slam in the majors 2002 by a single shot at the PGA!

Making Up for a Late Start
Unless a player wished to make a run at Nicklaus’ 18 majors, they can delay winning major until their thirties and still have plenty of time to carve out a Hall of Fame type career. Here are some prominent players who won their first major in their 30s.
1st–Total
34—9—Ben Hogan
30—6—Nick Faldo
35—3—Nick Price
33—3—Phil Mickelson
35—3—Vijay Singh
35—2—Padraig Harrington

Harrington on a Roll
In Tiger’s absence golf wondered who might step up, claim a major, and assert themselves as a force to be reckoned with upon his return. Turns out that player already exists, we just didn’t know it. By winning Harrington has reinforced the notion that he’s a big time player and added to his career momentum. Going forward, “This one will give me more confidence,” said Harrington. It’s also possible that he’s entered that time in a great player’s career when they feel free to add to their legacy, knowing that their reputation as a great champion has been secured.

The Thinking of a Champion
Harrington won this championship by outthinking Norman on the final round. Prior to the event he shared his thinking on how he would play Birkdale in this article.