Pádraig Harrington produces vintage display at Baltusrol

His last competitive action was a straightforward tap-in for par on the 18th green, then a removal of his cap which he raised towards the galleries.

They like their past champions, and Pádraig Harrington – rekindling many of those quality shots of old – deserved whatever accolades came his way as a final round 68, for a total of six-under-par 274, earned him a top-10 finish.

This was vintage Harrington, a fact appreciated by player partner Danny Willett, who had played with the Dubliner (44) for the final two rounds of this 98th PGA Championship and witnessed the three- time Major champion show grit, quality shot-making and a capacity for rescuing shots from unlikely places.

In the final round, Harrington’s approach to the sixth plugged in a greenside bunker and, undeterred, he committed to a wedge recovery, hit it to four feet and saved par. Typical, really: “Probably hit one of the best shots in my life, I didn’t back off,” he acknowledged.

Although a chance to actually contend for the Wanamaker Trophy proved beyond his reach, Harrington’s weekend rounds of 65-68 provided a throwback to his wonderful close-up to win this championship at Oakland Hills in Detroit back in 2008.

And, if anything, it provided confirmation that the road ahead isn’t quite so rocky as he sets out formulating new goals.

Indeed, this finish from Harrington has effectively secured his place in the season-ending FedEx Cup series on the PGA Tour. He started the week in 140th position but has moved inside the critical 125 cut-off mark and will play one of his favourite regular tour events, The Travelers, in Connecticut this week before moving on to represent Ireland in the Olympics.

Heavy rough

Harrington suffered only one bogey in his final two rounds, on the 10th hole of this fourth round, where a pulled tee shot into heavy rough proved his undoing.

It was a round that had everything: on the fifth, his approach hit the flag pole, leaving a tap-in birdie; and, overall, there were birdies on the third, fifth and 17th, making for a very decent week’s work. “I’d take putting like this every day. I’d take playing like this every day.”

Indeed, it could have been better if only the putts had rolled into the tin cup. Time and time again, Harrington set up chances. On the 12th, he left it on the lip. On the 13th, it shaved the cup. On the 14th, 15th and 16th, there were birdie chances that refused to drop.

“I look back, I could have holed a few more putts,” he observed. “But I probably came out of the round neutral. That’s probably what I deserved.”

With the rain soaked into his own Dunnes-store brand top and the water dripping down his face, there was no rush anywhere afterwards. Harrington soaked in the moments of again getting into the fringes of contention in a Major. This is what he wants, why he works so hard.

“I’m not walking away from this” with any questions, he said. “I’m not second-guessing anything. I’m very comfortable with the way I played. If I continue to play like this every day, there’s [going to be] good days ahead for me.”

Short game

With the Olympics looming, Harrington said: “I’m happy with my swing, getting a lot better with my putting, getting a lot better with my mental side. The only thing I’m not comfortable with, kind of, is my short game.

“Then when I look at the PGA Tour [statistics], I’m No 1 in bunkers and No 4 in strokes gained around the greens, but I don’t see it so good.

Maybe that’s just my own perception. Maybe I need to change my attitude.”