Harrington hangs on for $1m success

GOLF: A round of incredible about-turns and reversals of fortune ended in perhaps the biggest - and certainly the hardest-earned - victory of Padraig Harrington's career yesterday. The Irishman won the Target World Challenge and a cheque for $1million with a final round of 71 at the Sherwood Country Club in California.

The bare statistics of his two-shot win fail to do justice to the drama of the day, however, which saw Harrington start with a six-shot lead over World number one Tiger Woods, increase it to eight then see it whittled to one in agonising fashion, before the unlikeliest twist of the day when Woods apparently self-destructed on the 16th.

From the middle of the fairway, with the momentum running strongly in his favour, Woods hit a terrible hook into a thicket of trees. Typically, he made the best of it, chipping in three shots later to claim an unlikely par, but with Harrington recording a two-putt birdie, he established a vital two shot cushion with two to play.

The drama didn't end there, however, as Woods birdied the par three 17th, leaving it all to play for at the last.

To Harrington's great credit, he hit a perfect drive and approach shot onto the green and Woods, needing the birdie to tie, missed the green, chipped past the hole and could do no better than bogey.

The day had started so brightly for Harrington, who birdied the first two holes to establish an eight-shot lead over Woods, but, typically, the world number one was not fazed and set to work. With three birdies of his own at the fourth, fifth and seventh, Woods narrowed the gap to five at the turn as the birdies dried up for Harrington.

Two further birdies, set against a bogey and birdie for Harrington narrowed the gap to three as the Irishman struggled to recapture the form of 24 hours earlier. On Saturday Harrington had recorded three eagles and nearly made another en route to a course-record nine-under-par 63 and a six-stroke lead.

But Woods commented prophetically after that: "I just need to play a good, solid front nine tomorrow and hopefully narrow the gap so I have a realistic chance on the back nine," he said. "If I can realistically narrow the gap, with the three par-fives on the back nine, anything can happen."

And it did, with the pressure eventually telling on Harrington at the par four 14th when the Irishman hit a dreadful hook of his own out of bounds and then failed to find the green with his fourth shot. He played a superb chip, however, and after holing from four feet for a double bogey, went to the 15th tee with a one-shot lead.