PGA Tour ChampionsBrian KeoghPadraig Harrington, Hoag Classic

Harrington wins after late drama: “Throughout my career, the best thing I do is when my back’s to the wall”

PGA Tour ChampionsBrian KeoghPadraig Harrington, Hoag Classic
Harrington wins after late drama: “Throughout my career, the best thing I do is when my back’s to the wall”

Padraig Harrington shows off the Hoag Classic Trophy. Picture via PGA Tour Champions

Padraig Harrington produced some late dramatics that summed up his Hall of Fame career when he rescued himself from disaster with an epic finish to claim his seventh win on the PGA Tour Champions in the Hoag Classic Newport Beach in California.

The Dubliner (52) birdied the 15th at Newport Beach Country Club to lead by a shot from Thongchai Jaidee and Miguel Angel Jimenez on another day of challenging winds.

But after running up a potentially disastrous double bogey six at the tough 16th to find himself trailing, he conjured two closing birdies to shoot a two-under 69 and win by a shot from Jaidee on 14-under.

Scores

“Throughout my career, the best thing I do is when my back’s to the wall,” Harrington said at the finish. 

“When I have to do something, I’m at my best, and I’m at my absolute worst when I’ve got an easy shot.”

After making a slick 20-footer for a two at the short 17th to draw level with Jaidee as Jimenez made bogey, Harrington gave a fist-pump reminiscent of his winning putt in that 2008 PGA win at Oakland Hills when splashed out of greenside sand at the 18th and watched his uphill eight-foot putt for victory catch the left side of the hole and drop. 

“This is the great thing about the Champions Tour; it allows us to relive our past glories,” he said.

“We get to hit shots where we feel anxious, we feel nervous, we feel excited. And it doesn't change when you've got a putt to win or a shot to win; you don't want to mess up in front of people.”

One clear overnight, he matched Jaidee’s birdie at the third but double-bogeyed the short fourth and knew it wasn’t fatal.

“As I've always said, I have won tournaments hitting out of bounds in the last round, l've won tournaments with two double bogeys like today,” he said. “I think I made six birdies today, so you're hoping you're going to make enough birdies to overcome any of those double bogeys.”

Having birdied the 15th to draw level with Jaidee, he immediately double-bogeyed the next after what he admitted was one of his biggest faults. 

“There was no trouble, and it was the easiest tee shot in the world,” he said of the 16th, where he hooked his tee shot into trouble, chipped out, bunkered his third and took three more to get down.

“When I’m overconfident, I’m not great. I’m much better when I’m in trouble. That’s just my personality. 

“I wish it was different, and sometimes it’s nice to win easy, but even after 16, I knew I was playing well, I knew I was hitting the ball well. I could finish strong.”

He certainly wasn’t hoping to get lucky and force a playoff.

“Look, I knew I could finish birdie-eagle if I had to,” he said of his mindset heading to the 17th. 

Even after hitting a poor tee shot on the 18th, he willed himself to make a birdie four from green side sand to win.

“I was never not getting up and down from there,” he said. “When you're presented with an opportunity, you've got to take it.”

Still, he had to put himself in trouble before producing the shot that mattered.

“I never make it easy, don't do it simple,” he said. “I think one of my best traits in golf is when my back's to the wall, I'm pretty good at taking things on. 

“When I get a bit relaxed, maybe a shot's a bit easy, that tee shot at 18, I couldn't see a bad shot and all of a sudden a little bit of doubt at the end, hit a bad tee shot…that's my personality. 

“I played very well all day, seemed to have a lot of downhill putts that I couldn't be aggressive with. That didn't help my confidence on the greens, as I said. 

“Played nicely and got my chance on 18. I was going to take it. I stood over that eight-footer and I was just saying, win it now, don't be trying to get into any playoff or anything like that, this is your best opportunity to win it. Grabbed that left side of the hole and went in.”

Harrington has turned himself into a power hitter among the seniors and last year made the cut in every major he played - the PGA, the US Open and The Open.

He won $300,000 last night and is now fifth in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings but won’t remain in California for The Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage this week.

He’ll be the lone Irishman taking on the young guns in the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course.

He’d prefer to be taking on the old guys again, as that final fist pump proved.

“As I said, what other tour like the Champions Tour gives you that opportunity for glory, to be excited, the fun of it,” he asked.

“It's just phenomenal out here that we can come back out after, you know, 25 years of playing professional golf, I'm back out here still enjoying it and winning and hitting shots and feeling under pressure and feeling like an idiot messing up on 16, things like that. It's just a great place to be.”