Harrington’s Irish luck finally pays off

Monday, March 14, 2005 | 9:57 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

St. Paddy's Day came four days early for Ireland's Padraig Harrington.

Harrington won his first PGA tour title Sunday when Vijay Singh unexpectedly missed a 2 1/2-foot par putt on the second hole of a playoff. Just like that, a shocked Harrington had won the Honda Classic at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. It ended his string of near-misses around the world.

Harrington, who tied the course record with a nine-under 63, is believed to be the first player from Ireland to win a PGA tour event.

"It was a shock, and it took me a couple of seconds for it to sink in that I had won," Harrington said. "I wouldn't have given that putt to . . . (Singh), but I thought it was a gimme."

Singh had little to say after a rare playoff loss. He had been 5-1 in sudden death on the PGA tour and closed with a 64 Sunday.

"It's a little disappointing," Singh said on NBC. "I hit that putt too hard. Obviously, you can't miss putts like that in a playoff."

Singh, No. 2 in the world ranking, declined to talk to reporters after that interview. When approached by a PGA tour official, he said, "No, I'm going to get out of here."

Even had Singh won, he wouldn't have regained the top ranking from Tiger Woods after holding down the No. 1 spot for 26 consecutive weeks.

Joe Ogilvie also was in the playoff but was eliminated after he failed to par the 18th hole on the first playoff hole. Like Harrington, Ogilvie was trying to win his first PGA tour event.

It was a strange ending to a crazy day where five different players took a turn in the lead, then handed the lead to someone else. The Sunrise Course gave up plenty of birdies on the front nine, but then gave players fits on the back nine.

Harrington may have been fortunate on the second playoff hole, but he earned the victory with a birdie barrage early in this round. Starting the day seven shots back, Harrington birdied 10 of his first 13 holes to help stage the biggest comeback in the event's 33-year history.

"When I birdied six in a row, I'm thinking 59," said Harrington, who quickly changed his thought process after he bogeyed the 14th and 15th holes. "From there on, I was trying to win the tournament rather than shoot 59."

Harrington said he was inspired earlier Sunday when he saw Ernie Els rally from five shots back to win the Qatar Masters.

"I figured if he can do it, why couldn't I," Harrington said.

Harrington, a cousin of Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington, decided to join the PGA tour this year as a full-time member for the first time. This was his 63rd career PGA tour start, and he seemed headed for his 27th career runner-up finish as a pro when Singh had a 15-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole.

"If he makes that putt, we're talking about me being a runner-up again," Harrington said. "It's nice when somebody gives it to you a little bit, considering how many times I've been close and had it taken away from me."