Irishman finds success in majors without Tiger
A U.S. Open without Tiger Woods certainly bodes well for Padraig Harrington.
Remember 2008, when Woods, out because of reconstructive knee surgery, missed major championships for the first time since he turned pro in 1996?
With many suggesting Woods’ absence was an opportunity for Phil Mickelson, it was Harrington who seized it. At Royal Birkdale, he overtook sentimental favorite Greg Norman to win his second straight British Open. A month later at Oakland Hills, the Irishman drained clutch putts on the final three holes to capture the PGA Championship and become the first European to win consecutive majors.
| Up next |
| St. Jude Classic |
| When » Thursday-Sunday |
| Where » TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn. |
| TV » Golf Channel, CBS |
With Woods out of the field next week at Congressional with knee and Achilles tendon injuries, Harrington takes on a higher profile even though he’s far from peak form.
This week at the St. Jude Classic he competes for the first time since straining his right knee last month at the Players Championship. The injury was serious enough to keep Harrington out of the flagship event on the European Tour, the BMW PGA Championship last month.
Harrington pronounced himself fit last week at a media event at Royal St. George’s.
“My leg seems great, and there was no problem with it whatsoever,” Harrington told reporters after playing 18 holes at the site of next month’s British Open. “The rest from competition has done it good.”
Since the 2008 PGA Championship, Harrington has yet to win in 50 starts on the PGA Tour and 18 on the European circuit. This week he tumbled out of the top 50 for the first time since 1999.
Early this year, Harrington appeared to be rounding into shape with top-10 finishes at Doral, Houston and Quail Hollow before his injury at the Players. The knee has often been troublesome for Harrington, 39, who had minor surgery on it last May. Like Woods, Harrington is known for his dedication to fitness.
Harrington is one of the few headliners this week in Memphis, Tenn., at the St. Jude Classic. The tournament suffers by occurring the week before the U.S. Open; many players prefer to rest as they enter major championships. The only player in the field in the world’s top 20 is No. 2 Lee Westwood, the defending champion.
“I just like to be competitive,” Westwood said. “I like to have that feeling of needing to make 3- and 4-footers on the green and that extra pressure, hopefully get into contention, have some pressure put on me the week before a major championship.”
After finishing in the top three in four of his last six majors, Westwood will seek his breakthrough next week at Congressional.
By contrast, Harrington has had no such trouble closing in majors. The question concerning him is whether he is sharp enough to contend. He hopes to answer it this week before he heads to Congressional for his 14th straight appearance in the U.S. Open, a streak that began at the same course in Bethesda in 1997.
