After third major win in last six attempts, Harrington is second only to Tiger

Originally Published: August 10, 2008

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By Roland Thatcher
Special to ESPN.com
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Sometimes golf tournaments that many people overlook turn into classic battles that few want to miss.

In a Tiger-less field competing against the Beijing Olympics, this year's PGA could have been forgettable. What the fans at Oakland Hills and the viewers at home got to see was an amazing battle between three players, each of whom deserved to win.

Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis fell short of winning the PGA Championship, but not due to poor play. Padraig Harrington simply played better golf than anyone in the world. Harrington played more golf Sunday and made up more ground than any player in recent memory.

He did everything that he needed to do, and never seemed to get out of rhythm or run out of focus.

Harrington started the day 4 over par. He finished the third round Sunday morning in style, picking up four birdies in a row before a final-hole bogey, finishing at 1 over. He was able to carry the momentum from that third-round finish into the final 18 holes of the major. Harrington's final-round 66 was tied for the low round of the day. He was able to make up 3 shots on third-round leader Curtis to win his third major, and his second in a row.

One of the factors that might have helped Harrington was the fact that he was paired with Garcia.

Garcia got off to an amazing start, going 4 under in the first six holes to join Curtis at the top of the leaderboard. Many times when people at home watch a tournament on TV, they will notice a particular pairing seems to disappear from the telecast. This can be because the players in that group have fed off each other's poor play.

The other side of the coin is also true. Being paired with someone who is playing so well can help carry the other player in the group along. I think this was a factor with the Garcia and Harrington pairing. Charlie Wi was the third member of the group. He fell off and finished 4 over for the day, but he started 2 under through four holes. The play of Garcia and the start of Wi helped spur on Harrington, who shot even par through the first five holes.

Momentum is a fickle thing. The tide can turn so quickly, and it is up to the player to avoid losing that momentum. Harrington went through a stretch of holes late on the front side in which he did not strike the ball as cleanly as he would have liked, but a few sand saves kept the momentum on his side and allowed him to make a move when his ball striking returned.

Another factor that worked in Harrington's favor was the weather stoppage Saturday. The way the course was playing earlier in the week, back-to-back rounds of 66 were not possible. Harrington took advantage of softer conditions to make up the deficit. When the course conditions change that drastically, there are players who gain an advantage and players who lose their advantage.

In looking back at the week of the 90th PGA Championship, there are several things that became apparent. Harrington has now laid claim to the title of world's No. 2 player. Three majors out of the last six makes a believer out of me. I was wrong in my top 25 predictions earlier in the week. There is now another person besides Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson who can win back-to-back major championships.

I also now believe that Garcia is ready to win not just one, but multiple majors.

The Spaniard did not lose this tournament as some will probably say. He was just beaten by another world-class player. Garcia was focused and mentally under control. That should be scary to the rest of the golfing world.

Sunday's finish also gave me even more respect for Curtis, who held his own under the pressure of playing in the final group on Sunday at a major. Curtis won the British Open in 2003, but he finished a few holes in front of the final group. He played admirably Sunday despite the fact that his playing partners were not a factor for the last six holes.

Roland Thatcher is a PGA Tour professional who will be providing analysis for ESPN.com throughout the week of the 90th PGA Championship.