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Harrington Wins PGA; Doesn’t Blink on Back Nine

Padraig Harrington won his second straight major championship Sunday. He ripped the victory right out of Sergio Garcia’s grasp with three clutch putts on the final three holes. Beginning early this morning to complete a third round washed out by rain, Mr. Harrington was four over par when he began on the 10th hole. Four birdies in a row and he was right in the mix, finishing with a 66 for his third round. He began the final round in the penultimate group with Mr. Garcia and Charlie Wi, who was playing in his first major

Published

18 years ago

Aug 10, 2008

Eric Schuster

Four birdies in a row and he was right in the mix, finishing with a 66 for his third round. He began the final round in the penultimate group with Mr. Garcia and Charlie Wi, who was playing in his first major. Mr. Garcia would start the final round birdie, eagle and hold a three shot lead over Mr. Harrington going into the final nine holes. Once again, Mr. Harrington birdied four holes on the back nine, going out in 32, for a two shot victory. I was completely amazed at the focus he was able to conjure. Eyes wide open, tongue stuck in the corner of his mouth, teeth thrust forward. And he never blinked. Seriously I don’t think he blinked from the time he focused on the beginning of a shot until after the ball had come to rest. I found it disturbing and uncomfortable to watch, as I kept thinking how dry his eyes must be getting. I don’t mean a deer in the headlights kind of stare, rather a look of complete total control over oneself.

The back nine was one of the most compelling golf tournaments I watched in quite some time. Mr. Garcia, Mr. Harrington, and third round leader Ben Curtis trading ups and downs until the final four holes. Beginning at the 15th hole the play of the leaders became riveting. Mr Garcia holed his six iron from about 170 yds. but the ball jumped out of the cup and finished 10 feet from the pin. He missed this putt but he did make a good stroke. On the 16th hole Mr. Garcia hit his second shot into the water right of the green. In response, Mr. Harrington pulled his second shot into the left hand bunker a long way from the hole. Hitting from the drop zone, Mr. Garcia pitched to within 4 feet for his first bogey of the round, while Mr. Harrington had 12 feet for par with at least 2 feet of break. He made that putt right in the center of the hole, then on the 17th hit a 5 iron to 8 feet and rolled that in for his fourth birdie on the back nine. Mr. Garcia answered with a 5 iron of his own to 4 feet and lipped out the putt to fall one behind. The 18th hole saw both men hit tee shots right, Mr. Harrington into the bunker under the lip, and Mr Garcia into the rough right of the sand. Mr. Garcia hit his second shot into the bunker short of the green, while Mr. Harrington hit his shot fat and didn’t even make it to the fairway. Catching a reasonably good lie in the rough his third shot was 18 feet from the hole. Mr. Garcia blasted to about 10 feet. Once again Mr. Harrington made that putt, leaving only Mr. Curtis with an opportunity to tie, and for that he needed to hole out his second shot on the 18th hole. Mr. Garcia missed his putt after the matter was settled.

“I obviously came up a little bit short,” Garcia said. “But I guess that’s the way things go sometimes. The only thing I can do is go back home with my head up high and keep working on it.” One consolation is that he qualified for the Ryder Cup team, an event were he makes every putt in sight.

Mr. Curtis came up just short in his bid for a second major, however his showing was good enough to get him on the Ryder Cup team. “It’s almost a victory in itself,” Curtis said.

What did Charlie Wi think about playing in the group with Mr. Garcia and Mr. Harrington? “I turned to my caddie on 16 and said, ‘God, this is a lot of fun just to watch,”’ said Wi, who shot 74 and tied for ninth. I whole heartedly agree sir.

So Mr. Harrington has won 2 major championships in a row and 3 of the last 6 events played, positioning himself for a place in history. He’s showed he can play and play well when the pressure is on, and he doesn’t even need to blink in the process. Even if his focused look reminds me of a crazed amphetamine user cleaning his stove at 3 AM using only a toothbrush. That guy didn’t blind either.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ben A

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping Max G440
Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
Wedges
Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

A party on the green!

Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase