Capelle On Golf

PGA Championship Coverage

During Tiger Woods absence golf was looking to someone to step up and fill the void. It turns out Padraig Harrington had already emerged into the big time with his win at last year’s British Open at Carnasty where Woods finished 12t. The golf world evidently needed further proof considering the number of one hit wonders in the Woods Era. So this summer Harrington gave it to them.

Harrington won the British Open by four shots in howling winds at Birkdale. Then he backed that up with a gritty come-from-behind performance at Oakland Hills, the Monster. This earned him his second straight major, and recognition at the new second best player in the world. Yes, he still trails Phil Mickelson by 2.02 in the WGR, but you’d be hard pressed to find an expert who believes that’s an accurate indicator of their positions.

The story behind Harrington’s “overnight success” is that the 36 year old Irishman toiled for years as a journeyman player who, for a long time, was satisfied making a living as a touring pro while seeking incremental gains. He won his first European Tour event in 1996, but his first PGA Tour win didn’t come until 2005 at the Honda Classic. During this period Harrington seconds to wins ratio was about 2:1.

But Harrington gamely plodded along on his journey, improving slowly in the technical areas. Then he reverted to playing more by feel three years ago and his game perked up. More importantly, he’s put in the hard work on his mental game for years now with noted guru Dr. Bob Rotella, a critical part of golf that some players like Anthony Kim oddly treat with disdain.

The result is a player who’s crossed over the line from believing majors are incredibly difficult to win to knowing that he’s a player who belongs in the winner’s circle. This is no small accomplishment since it can be argued that only he and Tiger enjoy this kind of confidence and belief in themselves. Phil Mickelson had it from 2004-06, then lost it. Ernie Els has been struggling to find it most of his career. And Sergio Garcia, the new #4 in the WGR, is on the brink of discovering the magic. Other than that, the remainder of today’s top players are a cut or two below upstairs. They can all play great golf, but they are minus that X Factor that makes for multiple majors.

The Closer
As Harrington proceeded on the back nine Sunday, you could see the intensity in his eyes and his single-minded approach to playing each shot. Nick Faldo said that he “never blinks.” In the press conference Harrington said that he “wants the responsibility of playing the big shots” and he wants to be “fully accountable” for his results. Now this “one shot at a time” kind of talk sounds like psychobabble coming from most players because most tend to self destruct at the moment of truth, but not Harrington. You know he’s put in the work and he believes in his way of thinking – certainly his results testify to the rock-solid nature of his mental game.

In short, Padraig, with Rotella’s help, has joined Tiger as one of the two strongest closers on the planet. He finished off the back nine at Birkdale in 32 shots to win by four. Then shot another 32 on the back nine at Oakland Hills to overtake Garcia, who held a three shot lead at the turn, and win by two. In case you fell asleep in your chair, here’s how he did it:
Harrington on the Back Nine
10 – Holes a 15’ to go -1. Two back.
12 – Makes a 4’ birdie putt.
16 – Rolls home a 20’ with 12” of break for a par.
17 – Drilled a 5-iorn to 10’ and canned it to go -3 knowing Garcia had a 5’ for birdie.
18 – With the shadows of the flags dancing he rolls in a 15’ to win.

Padraig’s Putting Under Pressure
Harrington’s putting was sublime under pressure as the recap shows, as good as Woods’ at his best. Much of the credit goes to his technique. He uses a wide stance, which helps him to get in a solid position. He putts cross-handed, which prevents the hands from “going off” at impact under pressure. And, like Jack Nicklaus, he is in no hurry to get the putt over with, unlike the one look and putt players. Instead, Harrington takes two to three looks at the hole while he settles in. At the same his ability to will the ball in the hole steadily grows. When and only when he is absolutely certain of the putt does he pull the trigger.

Harrington and Nick Price
Players who win multiple majors in short order capture our attention. In 1994 Nick Price was on top of the world after winning this third major in three years. At that point, his career was quite similar to Harrington’s today.

• Both have a quick upright swing and are solid shotmakers.
• Both won their first major at age 35
• Both had 8 top 10s in the majors before their first win
• Both won the last two majors – Price in 1994, Harrington in 2008

After 1994 Price would go on to record nine more top 10s in the majors, but never finished better than solo fourth. Winning majors is never a certainty, and Harrington might have had his big burst like Price – but I don’t think so. He seems hungry and confident, and he enjoys the challenge while Price quickly discovered that he did not enjoy all that goes with being at the top of the game.

Harrington will be 37 when he joins Woods at the first tee at Augusta next spring. He’s probably got five good years left in the majors, maybe more, which equals 20+ starts. The way he’s playing, it’s easy to see him winning two to three more majors, which would make him the second best player of the Woods Era. And maybe a couple of those wins will come at Woods expense as he provides the kind of competition that Nicklaus faced from the likes of Lee Trevino and Tom Watson.