Play-off victory could propel Padraig Harrington onwards

It came out of the blue but it was great to see Padraig Harrington back in the winner’s circle at last week’s Honda Classic.

For the last few years, it looked as if we were watching Padraig go through the motions a player almost in terminal decline at 43. He was making up the numbers, trying to make the cut and having to rely on sponsors’ invites as he had lost his PGA Tour card.

Padraig could have retreated to the European Tour and some of the weaker tournaments. But he still wants to compete against the best and it has paid off with a substantial victory. Suddenly when it mattered most, he found his game in the last nine holes on one of the toughest courses in America against the strongest field of the year.

He started to hole clutch putts, rediscover his confidence and then he hit a superb iron-shot to win the play-off. It was the type of response you expect from a three-time Major winner because they are special players.

If anything, we’re surprised at how someone who had won three Majors out of six in 2007 and 2008 could drop so far to 297 in the rankings.

Padraig is one of golf’s great practisers and he is forever tinkering with his game. You have to admire his ferocious work ethic but if anything, he managed to lose his form on the practice ground and couldn’t find it on the course.

In trying to get better, his golf went the other way and we hope he has learned the salutary lesson about not over-complicating things in search of the mythical ‘next level’.

He proved when he won an Asian Tour event in Indonesia before Christmas that he hadn’t forgotten how to win, and this success at PGA National confirms his rehabilitation. Now he has his card back in America and he can start to plan his schedule again. He also has that golden ticket to Augusta next month.

Harrington isn’t at Doral for the WGC event, so he’ll be keen to tee off in Tampa on Thursday with his restored confidence. It was a momentous Monday but we don’t want that to be the end of the story.

This puts Padraig back in the top echelon, mixing with the big boys and we know that he can perform under pressure.

And he can start to think once again there could yet be another Major triumph for him.