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It is not the money that leads to talented professional golfers struggling to even hit the ball straight, it’s the history and prestige of winning one of the four biggest tournaments in the world.
On Sunday afternoon an ever-changing leader board was a total vindication of this fact when any one of half a dozen men had the chance to win the Open and the sort-after Claret Jug.
Many of the top players though did not even make this far including Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie who was unable to get any kind of consistency going on the greens and never made it to the weekend. This must have been a disappointment to the Scot who had high hopes given his tour victory two weeks previously and another major passed him by.
Going into the last day Spaniard Sergio Garcia had a three shot lead from American Steve Stricker and both were ahead of a group of players at three and four under, so it appeared Garcia was a clear favourite.
This was as long as the weather stayed dry and free from the coastal breezes that often make this sport 10 times more difficult. Apart from the early starters this is exactly what he got, but we did not get the easy victory procession. It was nothing like that at all.
Firstly, Richard Green came out of the pack to set a very challenging club house target of five under when he shot a course equalling 64.
Then Argentine Andres Romero shot an incredible 10 birdies, but a six and a five at the last two holes put paid to his chances. Others such as Ernie Els and Stewart Cink flattered but ultimately deceived. This left two Europeans, Garcia and Irishman Padraig Harrington who was playing the round of his life.
Coming to the eighteenth Harrington was one shot clear, mainly due to a wonderful eagle at the 14th and a par would have virtually sealed victory for him.
Would he become the first Irishman for 60 years to win the Open Championship – following in the footsteps of Fred Daly who was victorious in Hoylake in 1947? An errant tee shot though saw him land in the water that runs between this fairway and the 17th, where Garcia himself had driven down.
In a moment of drama the two men crossed on the bridge separating the fairways and it was impossible to see if they acknowledged each other but they must have worked hard not to.
Garcia played his up to the green but Harrington hit his heavy and disastrously went into water again that guards the front green.
Courageously though he got up and down for a double bogey leaving Garcia needing a par at the last to win the Claret Jug.
Playing the last with two irons and landing in the bunker suggested a degree of nerves but playing out to within 12ft meant he had a makeable putt to win. The golfing gods though were not prepared to let the drama end and Garcia’s putt agonisingly lipped out denying him victory and sending him to the purgatory that is the four hole playoff.
The playoff, though tense, was one sided, as Garcia could not make up the gap from the first hole when he bogeyed and Harrington birdied.
Only Harrington’s conservative playing of the last opened the door for Garcia and a five foot putt sealed an unlikely victory at the start of the day.
This, however, was far from unlikely given that Harrington has won the Dunhill Tournament twice on this course and has been the best European player for some time. Born in Dublin in 1971 he has been a regular winner on the European Tour but in the past few years has travelled to the America to compete more there and enjoyed a degree of success including a PGA Tour win. This probably added some steel to his game and it is something many more of the home golfers could learn from rather than enjoy the comfort and trappings of the Tour in Europe.
So Harrington becomes the first European winner of a Major since Paul Lawrie in 1999, ironically on this same course. This, however, was a very different place to that day as the weather was good this time around and the greens were receptive leaving this an ideal challenge for the 156 competitors.
Ultimately though, it was the popular Irishman who kept his nerve the most and at the same time went from established professional to Major winner in just four days.
This is a journey many want to make – but very few do – and that is the reason so much prestige and fame comes with the achievement.
It is the pinnacle of golf and one Harrington deserves reaching more than most.
By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk
