CHASKA, Minn. — This time, there was no official looking at his watch, no pressure to hurry things along.
Padraig Harrington had plenty of time to ponder his strategy on the eighth hole at Hazeltine National, when he remained one shot behind leader Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship.
Once again, though, a single hole ruined a perfectly nice Sunday afternoon. For the second week in a row, Harrington stood toe-to-toe with Woods on the final day of a tournament, only to fall apart in record time. The defending PGA champion got off to a bad start on the par-3 eighth hole when his tee shot splashed into the water short of the green, sparking a comedy of errors for a quintuple-bogey 8.
In a matter of minutes, Harrington put two balls into the water, nearly beaned playing partner Henrik Stenson and came up short as he tried to chip onto the green. Only a week ago, a triple bogey after a warning for slow play spoiled his final round. Still, the Irishman handled Sunday’s repeat calmly.
“It was a strange day, all right,” said Harrington, who shot a 78 to finish the tournament at even par. “Obviously, it was disappointing for me. I’m not going to mull over it. In the course of your career, you’re going to mess up sometimes.”
Ogilvy unhappy.
Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, won twice early this season, raising expectations he might contend for another major title. But Ogilvy did not finish in the top 10 in any of the game’s four biggest tournaments in 2009, punctuated by his mediocre play (tie for 43rd) in the PGA.
Then, after his final-round 72, he took a none-too-subtle swipe at the courses used for the last three majors (Bethpage Black in New York, Turnberry in Scotland and Hazeltine National).
“It was a frustrating year in the majors,” Ogilvy said, “but in 2010 we play on real golf courses.”
Whistling Straits will host next year’s PGA. The U.S. Open goes to Pebble Beach in 2010, with the British Open returning to St. Andrews.
Denver Post wire services
