Harrington gets revenge with Barclays win
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2005 Barclays Classic | Wrap | 27 Jun 2005
Padraig Harrington gained revenge on the Westchester Country Club when he holed a magnificent eagle putt from 65 feet at the par five last to edge out long time leader Jim Furyk by one shot. Not that Harrington was looking to get back at an enemy. “This is a great golf course,” he said in a post round interview. It was easy to tell that these were not comments prompted by the fact that he had just won but rather that he was echoing the thoughts of most who played the event and highlighted his love and respect for the Walter Travis designed layout.
Twelve months ago Harrington lost a playoff against Sergio Garcia at this course and to all intents and purposes it appeared that if he was going to win this year, it would be in yet another playoff.
At the last, after Furyk had missed from four feet at the 17th, Harrington was first to play from the tee and found the fairway. Furyk, knowing that he needed a great tee shot to set up a chance to match Harrington’s capacity to get home in two, pushed his tee shot a little to the right and found the rough. He was forced to punch it out and left himself 105 yards. Harrington with likely a two iron for his second in hand found the front left of the green some 65 feet from the hole.
Furyk was faced with an awkward pitch with the flag cut just a few yards over a gentle ridge in the green and he had no option but to fly it all the way on top and hope for it to grab. He played it well but it still came to rest just off the edge of the green, but only fifteen feet from the hole. Harrington now had a putt to win but perhaps a two putt would still get the job done. His putt would have to come up over the ridge on an angle and then as it came over the ridge it would be run downhill a little to the flag. Five feet out from the hole Harrington already had his hands in the air in anticipation of it dropping and drop it did.
Furyk made his putt from off the green to miss by one but he will rue the bogey he made at the 16th when he missed the green left and the short missed putt at the 17th when taking bogey from the middle of the fairway.
Harrington on the other hand, as he jets back to Dublin, will look over many shots over the course of the week which could be seen as key to the victory. His putt at the last will no doubt be foremost as it left a lasting memory but if he was looking for another in terms of importance it may well be his second today to the par three 16th. After missing the green right he found a way to somehow hit his pitch out of the long rough, over the bunker and within three feet of a flag tucked close to the right side. It brought him within one of Furyk, who after missing the green left, was unable to get up and down.
The pair had broken clear of the chasing pack to the point that the third placed players, Kenny Perry, Brian Gay and Brad Faxon finished four back of Furyk.
As Harrington heads back to Ireland to be with his ailing father and to play the Smurfit European Open this week, he can look ahead to the British Open with the knowledge that he has his game back on track after missed cuts in each of his last two starts. This is his second win in the US in 2005 after his first victory on the USPGA Tour at the Honda Classic earlier in the season.
Brian Gay had missed six of his last eight cuts coming into this week. He played well here last year before a last round 75. Brad Faxon, not always the most accurate of players, found a way on a golf course requiring just that, to get the job done, his brilliant putting also helping to keep him in the tournament. It was an impressive all round display for Faxon who seems on the comeback trail. Kenny Perry continued on with his brilliant year which has already seen two victories and now close to US$3 million.
Of the Australasians, John Senden had one of his best finishes on the USPGA Tour when 7th. His cheque for US$173,000 is his biggest in his USPGA Tour career and takes him to US$593,000 for the season. He is well on track to retain his card for 2006 and do so for the fifth consecutive year. This was just Senden’s fourth top ten in 108 USPGA Tour starts. He does not contend often and when he has, he has often faltered but his time will come.
Michael Long and Paul Gow did well to finish 22nd and for both it was their best finishe of the season. Gow seems to have found a secret to his game in recent weeks finishing second in a Nationwide Tour event two weeks ago. Stephen Leaney was 32nd, Steve Elkington 57th, Gavin Coles 63rd, Brendan Jones 66th and Steve Allan 71st.
The USPGA Tour now heads to Chicago for the Western Open at the Cog Hill Golf Club.
