February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
With a final putt a few minutes later he stamped an emphatic period on an extraordinary journey that has seen him win golf’s last two majors, and three out of the last six.
Harrington’s triumph in the PGA, the last “major” of the 2008 season, came at the immediate expense of closest challengers American Ben Curtis and Spain’s Sergio Garcia who lost out to Harrington in a playoff at the end of last year’s British Open at Carnoustie in Scotland. The Irishman is the first European to win the PGA title in almost eighty years.
And Harrington’s win, which comes atop his back-back British Open triumphs, now has the Dublin native snapping at the heels of laid up Tiger Woods and bookies are already taking bets for the now expected showdown between the two at the Masters at Augusta next April.
In the meantime, however, Harrington, who is simultaneously holding the British Open’s Claret Jug and the PGA’s weighty Wanamaker Trophy, is gearing up for next month’s Ryder Cup showdown at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.
The USA versus Europe biennial clash is set for September 16-21.
Harrington, meanwhile, is likely to be spending more of his time on U.S. soil even when he is not playing golf. He is planning to set up a second home at the soon to be opened White Oak course in south-western North Carolina in the near future.
White Oak is being developed by a consortium of Irish developers.