Tiger's New Rival is Finally Emerging

Padraig Harrington did it again, putting on another stunning back-nine performance, including a magnificent display with his putter in the final three holes to become the first European man since 1930 to win the PGA Championship. The golf world has craved for a legitimate rival to the larger-than-life game of Tiger Woods, and they may have finally found one with the 36-year old Harrington. During Woods’ brief two major absence, Harrington swept both of them to become only the fourth golfer ever to win The Open Championship and the PGA in the same year. The rankings may list Phil Mickelson as the number two golfer, but there’s little doubt that the title now belongs to Harrington.

Harrington has long been considered one of Europe’s prominent superstars, but has failed to make a mark in the States. His win at Oakland Hills CC is his first win on U.S. soil since 2005, and ends a long drought for Europeans winning majors abroad. The way in which he ended the 78-year drought for Europeans at the PGA legitimizes Harrington as Tiger’s true rival. With three majors overall, Harrington puts himself in a group of golfers that includes Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and Ernie Els as the active leaders in majors behind Woods. Harrington, however, sets himself apart from the others because he’s won his set of majors all within the last 13 months. The last time any of the other four broke through was when lefty won his second major in a row at the Masters in 2006. Since then, Woods has won four majors, with Harrington sitting right behind him.

Harrington’s first PGA Championship triumph was as exciting as it was historic. Sitting six shots back heading into the weekend, Harrington posted back-to-back 66’s, demonstrating a gritty determination that led him past Sergio Garcia for the second time in a major championship. The first time, at last year’s Open Championship, Garcia had the title taken from him when he missed a putt for the win on the 72nd hole, then lost to Harrington on a playoff. Putting was crucial again this time around, as Harrington burned Garcia in a bitter taste of déjà vu.

Harrington and Garcia were the two best golfers on the course on Sunday, with Garcia four under on his round (-3 overall) through the first 15 holes, with Harrington right behind him three shots under for the day. Both were terrific during that span; Garcia held a one shot lead heading to the 16th, which is where things took a monumental turn. The major-less Spaniard spilled his second shot into the drink, opening up an opportunity for Harrington to pull even. With a historic major championship starting to come within reach, Harrington sunk a crucial putt from 12 feet to save par, while Garcia had to salvage a bogey, his first of the day. The ill-timed mistake put Harrington all square, six holes after he made the turn trailing Garcia by three strokes.

On the par-3 17th, both players stuck their tee-shot stiff to set up a dramatic showdown of the putters that ended up clinching the title in an eerily similar situation to what transpired in the '07 Open. Harrington was first, and was sublime when he nailed his 10-footer to gain the outright lead at -3. Garcia’s attempt to match was actually a much-easier putt with only a four-footer needed to get his birdie. But, as it has done several times in the past, Garcia’s putter let him down and his effort lipped out. On the 72nd, Harrington closed the deal emphatically, sinking a 17-foot putt that eliminated Garcia before he had a chance to finish his round. Ben Curtis, playing in the final pairing one hole behind, still had a mathematical chance of catching Harrington, but was also eliminated before reaching the green on 18.

After winning his second consecutive British Open last month, Harrington spoke of how he had turned a corner as a golfer by validating his first major victory. With this notch on his belt now, he has confirmed himself in history, becoming the first European to win consecutive majors. Searching for someone to hold the golf world’s attention in Tiger’s absence, Harrington has become the storyline. Whether or not Padraig can stare down Tiger on Sunday of a major remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt now that he represents the best of the field.