Does Padraig Harrington have the world asking where Tiger is or trying to remember who he is altogether? It seems far-fetched, I know, but by winning the PGA Championship and his second consecutive major, Harrington may have turned more heads than you think. No player since 2000 has won more than once in a season. Except of course for Tiger Woods, who has 4 PGA seasons in which he has won two or more tour championships. Padraig Harrington has captured the empty hearts of SportsCenter addicts and the nothing-else-is-on golf crowd. As we wait for Tiger Woods to bring his dominance and swagger back to the links, we are left to watch the best of the rest, and Harrington has surely accepted that title. He battled the crowds and the cameras-and Mother Nature-at the British Open to defeat Greg Norman and the Cinderella glitz that he carried into the final round. Then Harrington followed that performance up with back-to-back rounds of 66 to beat Sergio Garcia at the PGA Championship. Has the unassuming Irishman captured more than the lonely hearts of golf fans, or is he simply on an asterisk-laden voyage to the Tiger-less list of tournament winners. Padraig Harrington is no slouch. His game is consistent and true, but does the energy falter when Woods is out of the lineup? Few fair-weather fans knew that the final Tour event was even played last week. There was no practice round hype. There wasn't the three week advertising campaign that includes Tiger and a Buick. There was no energy. The Tour seems secondary since Tiger underwent another knee surgery. In no way do Harrington's accomplishments fall to deaf ears, but outside of PGA circles he may be another supporting actor in the soap opera that has become the "Tiger Woods Saga". His wins have not come easy, nor have they come without challengers, but his wins may ultimately be seen as flawed. Woods will be known as the greatest player to swing a golf club. It may be hard to speak loud enough to turn heads and be acknowledged as a legitimate champion. Harrington deserves the toasts he receives. Once Tiger comes back, though, I'm afraid he will be nothing more than an opening act. His wins will always be in the books, but only Woods matters right now. On a grand scale anyway. The accomplishments of any winner until Woods' return will be equal to what Harrington has done. It will be noted that Woods was not in the field. It is unfortunate for those of us who enjoy competitive golf, but it is the dim reality. Tiger Woods owns the media and the PGA Tour with it. Until he comes back, we will hear more of Woods' rehab than the third round scores of an event he couldn't partake in. Bare with it golf fans, it's going to be a long winter.
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3 months ago
Harrington has made it onto a small list of golfers who have ever won back to back majors. The significance of Harrington's accomplishment is has not been fully felt for two main reasons.
1) Tiger Woods was not in the tournament, which in many people's minds (which should not be the case but is) makes the winner less of a winner. It also means that not as many people tune in to watch the event nor are interested in the event.
2) Padraig Harrington is not a popular household name like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh or Adam Scott.
Padriag has shown us all that he is no fluke; that when his game is on he is more than capable of beating the world's best - he just doesn;t happen to be sponsored by Nike or appear in all sorts of hotel ads
Tiger Woods has significantly grown the game of golf but along the way he has turned millions and millions of fans into 'Tiger Woods' fans and not golf fans, thus millions and millions of people have no interest in golf if Woods is not playing.
from 3 months ago
He's a popular name on our side of the pond unlike Adam Scott etc
He'll be a much bigger name now.
2 months ago
This article is depressing. The problem is that Tiger has not been challenged. Someone will eventually take him down in a big event. I'm thinking it will be one of the young guns in their 20s. Padraig doesn't play enough events on the PGA Tour to get attention in the U.S. 12 events for the FedEx regular season is less than most players.
from 2 months ago
Padraig won two consecutive Tour Championships this season, so it's hard to say that he isn't playing enough. He is playing on the biggest stages and that is where Tiger will have to fall for anyone else in the sport to be taken as more than a flash in the pan.
Anthony Kim looks promising. He may be one of those twenty-somethings you are talking about.
2 months ago
Just so you know, the "Tour Championships" are actually Major Championships. There is an event called the Tour Championship and that happens to be the conclusion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. For comparison, Vijay Singh played 19 events and Kenny Perry played 22 during the regular season. So that is significantly more events. Padraig plays events in Europe that will never get the same attention. I agree about Kim. I expect big things from him.
from 2 months ago
I apologize for the Tour Championship reference. I did mean Majors. It's true that Padraig does play a lot of European events, but he has shown up big in PGA events as well. He is a name in the sport, whether he's on our shores or across the pond.
The only reason I bring up his status here is because in order for golf to be seen as more than Tiger and Company, someone is going to have to take him down in the big events here.
Europe doesn't get the same coverage here, you're right, but eventually the best golfers from around the world are going to have to face off. That happens at Majors. If those are the only tourneys where Harrington or any other challenger can face Tiger, then it will be at one of those four venues he must fall.
Thanks for your comments.
2 months ago
You're right. It's also worth mentioning that the World Golf Championships are official events on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. So the top 50 players in the world rankings will either be there or be home. If someone were to beat Tiger in a close finish in one of those events that would be huge because he has dominated those tournaments.
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