BOCA RATON (Fla.) — It was obvious that Sunday would be Padraig Harrington’s day from the moment his eagle shot at the first-hole bunker nicked the green and stopped to allow for a tap in birdie.
Harrington won the TimberTech Championship, at Broken Sound Club, after he made consecutive birdies on the second, fourth and fifth holes.
It was a simple question of how much.
Harrington shot a 7-under-64 on the Old Course, beating Charlie Wi (64), a local hero, by seven shots. Langer was attempting to win TimberTech Championships for the fourth time and second consecutively.
Harrington’s start was not much better. “I made some good puts and hit some close shots. I got some nice breaks as well, which is what happens when you win golf tournaments. “I was actually thinking of shooting a score of 59 when I made it to 8.”
Harrington, who is a three-time Major Champion and will be inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame this year, created a bit of excitement when his drive on No. The 9th hole was flooded. Langer birdied this hole, and Harrington was forced to make a 6 foot bogey. Harrington’s advantage went from four to two shots.
Harrington stated that the 6-footer was crucial to winning the tournament. “A two-shot advantage is fine.”
Langer was unable to get any closer. Langer bogeyed No. 11, Harrington birdied No. The tournament ended at 14:
Langer is a tough opponent in his home event. In 16 starts, Langer has won three times, placed four seconds, and earned $1.932 with an average score 68.21.
Langer stated that despite being four-under par on the first nine, he still fell behind the leader. “I made a terrible bogey at 11. The finish was disastrous. He made a double-bogey on 17, and then had a bad shot.
“Padraig played flawlessly except for the bad teeshot on 9. It looked like he birdied each hole. He played well the rest of the afternoon.”
Ernie Els, a Hall of Famer, shot 70. He tied with Shane Bertsch for the fourth spot (70). Marco Dawson (67), whose paramedics had to treat him after the round was over, tied with Ken Duke (69), and David Toms (70).
Harrington’s length was his greatest weapon. He regularly outdrove Langer and the majority of other players by up to 40-50 yards. Harrington played the three par-5s at a combined 8-under. Harrington’s 3-wood would sometimes go farther than the drivers of his playing partners.
Harrington won the Honda Classic twice before, in 2005 and 2015 In his 33rd appearance, it was also his sixth victory on the PGA Tour Champions.
Harrington commented, “I think Irishmen are good at playing in the wind.” It’s great to be back in the winners’ circle. This is the Champions Tour, giving us another chance. You want to be in the running to see if your nerves and pressure can hold up. “I still do it at 52 because of days like these.”
Drama was evident throughout the final round. Wi began the week in 54th place, barely making it into the second playoff, but with his final 64, he jumped up to 35th. This earns him a full-exemption on the PGA Tour Champions next year and a place in next week’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Rob Labritz took the 36th spot after a clutch bogey putt at the 18th. He celebrated with a series fist pump and a hug from Duke.
Harrington won the first prize of $350,000, a heavy trophy that was a claim to rare victory over Langer.
