Nine days after winning the British Open for the second year running, Padraig Harrington can cement his place among the game’s elite at this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Although yet to claim one of the prestigious World Golf Championship (WGC) titles, the Irishman proved at Royal Birkdale he can triumph anywhere against any field.
He produced one of the best rounds of his life in strong gusting winds to seal his second major victory and has set his sights on further success in golf’s biggest events.
“I do believe I’m getting better with time,” Harrington told reporters after winning his 13th European Tour title. “I’m maturing as a player, as a person. My golf game is improving all the time and I need it to be.
“Wins like this help you wait it out, help you say: ‘Keep doing your thing, keep trying to improve, keep working at it, and your days will come.’
“Thankfully what I might be getting good at is making sure those days are the big days, and that’s very important,” added the world number three.
Although Harrington has never flourished at Firestone Country Club with just two top-15 finishes in nine starts, he is well aware of the recipe for success on the par-70 layout.
“Every year, it’s the same,” the 36-year-old Dubliner said. “It’s a real tough, fair challenge. There’s nothing really on the golf course that nobody particularly likes.
“It’s quite long and it is one of the narrowest courses we play of the year. You’ve got to really be a straight hitter to do well.”
A notable absentee this week will be world number one Tiger Woods, a six-times champion at Firestone who has won the title for the last three years.
Woods is sidelined for the rest of the year while he recovers from reconstructive knee surgery, opening the door for players such as Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.
“Now that Tiger is not playing, it gives us all a little bit more of a chance this year,” said rising American talent Anthony Kim, a twice winner on the 2008 PGA Tour. “I think everybody is trying to seize that opportunity.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves and stamp our name in the golf world,” added the 23-year-old, who will be making his first appearance in a WGC event at Firestone.
South African Els has loved the venue since playing there for the first time in 1999 when he finished fifth.
“I’ve shot a lot of decent scores on this golf course and despite never having won the tournament I always like my chances coming in,” the three-times major winner said on his official website.
Els, Kim and Harrington are among an elite field of 81 vying for the third WGC title of the year.
