Stricker closes door on Harrington

AS THE OLD song goes, Pádraig Harrington keeps on knocking on the door, but nobody wants to let him in. Yesterday, the 38-year-old Dubliner endured another close call in the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston – firing a final round 68 for 269, 15-under – that left him in tied-fourth, two shots behind winner Steve Stricker.

Stricker birdied the final two holes for a 67 to claim a one-shot winning margin over Scott Verplank and Jason Dufner and moved to the top of the FedEx Cup rankings ahead of Tiger Woods heading into the BMW Championship, the third of four events in the US Tour’s play-off series, at Cog Hill in Chicago later this week.

It was Stricker’s third win of the season, and a birdie-birdie finish ensured he avoided the need for a play-off as the American shot a final round 67 for 267, 17-under-par. “We are taking up space in his world out here . . . but it’s been a blast, and I just want to keep on riding it,” remarked Stricker of taking over the top spot from Woods.

Harrington, though, had his chance to claim victory. But he effectively lost out on a golden opportunity for a first tour win since his USPGA title win 13 months ago with two wayward drives on the back nine. Both times, the errant drives were fully punished leading to a bogey on the 10th and two dropped shots on the 12th.

The Irishman played beautifully over the front nine, grabbing four birdies – from eight feet at the second, five feet at the fourth, eight feet at the fifth and, then, narrowly failing with his nine footer for eagle on the seventh – to move to 16 under at which stage he held the lead on his own.

But Harrington endured a horrid time to the start of his run for home. On the 10th, he pulled a three-wood tee-shot into the hazard and a penalty drop on the way to his first bogey in 40 holes (stretching back to the sixth hole in his second round) but worse was to follow when he duck-hooked his drive on the 12th into trees and, faced with an unplayable lie, he had to walk all the way back to the tee from where he played three. He ran up a double-bogey six, and dropped from a share of the lead to two behind Dufner and Stricker.

Harrington did fight back, finding a birdie from thick rough on the 17th and, then, hitting a fine approach to inside 11 feet on the 18th for an eagle putt which stubbornly refused to drop and which left him in tied-fourth. It was Harirngton’s third top-five finish in his last four outings, and means he heads on to the BMW championship in Cog Hill, Chicago, still with a chance to claim the FedEx Cup.

Tiger Woods started the final round in tied 30th, but leapfrogged his way into the top 10 with a 63 that included an eagle two on his sixth hole. “You go out there and post a low number, as low as you’ve got for that day. It doesn’t change, whether you’ve just made the cut or you’re dew sweeping on the last day. It doesn’t matter. You post a low round and see what happens.” As it happened, Woods’s final round charge was too little, too late.

Sergio Garcia, who had started the Deutsche Bank in 71st on the FedEx standings, shot 68-67 in his last two rounds to guarantee his place at the BMW.

The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup rankings qualify for the BMW, with Stricker assuming the lead from Woods. There are two events left in the series, this week’s BMW starting on Thursday and the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta in three weeks time.