Harrington tops so-called favorites with second win

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SOUTHPORT, England -- With three major championships in the books this season, we have champions from three different countries -- three different continents, even.

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Padraig Harrington's win at the British Open almost didn't happen because of a wrist strain.

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South Africa's Trevor Immelman was a surprise winner at the Masters; Tiger Woods was an expected winner at the U.S. Open, but not in the fashion that he got it done; and on Sunday, Ireland's Padraig Harrington successfully defended his Open Championship title at Royal Birkdale, becoming the 16th player in the tournament's history to do so.

Harrington was a question mark at the start of the week after suffering a right-wrist strain during a practice session leading into Open week. He didn't decide he was going to play for sure until the eve of the championship.

"I sat down on Wednesday evening," said Harrington, who finished at 2-over 283 total, four shots better than runner-up Ian Poulter. "My physio was quite comfortable with all the work and he was quite happy that he could get it right. I sat down Wednesday and spent a little bit of time talking with (sports psychologist) Bob Rotella. I think Wednesday evening I was comfortable that I could give it a go even if I felt pain."

The win moved Harrington to No. 3 in the world, two spots behind Woods and one behind Phil Mickelson and shot him up to No. 9 in the latest FedExCup standings.

Greg Norman, all 53 years of him, shocked the world with his incredible play that earned him a two-shot, 54-hole lead. He couldn't maintain that pace, though, in shooting a 7-over 77 in the final round and tied for third at 9 over with Henrik Stenson.

With all the madness and unthinkable things that happened at the Open, about the only thing we can be 100 percent sure of for the upcoming PGA Championship -- just two weeks away -- is that there won't be a successful defense. Woods is famously on the disabled list, nursing his surgically-repaired left knee, after his magnificent U.S. Open playoff tangle with Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines.

Put all the names in a hat and pick one out. And if it's a seemingly obvious favorite -- an Ernie Els, Mickelson, or Sergio Garcia -- you might want to slip it back in before your friend sees it and pick again.

The so-called favorites at the Open all made the cut with varying degrees of ... well, not necessarily success the way they know it. Els was the best of the three with a tie for seventh, which was tremendous considering he opened with a 10-over 80 and followed it with a 1-under 69 in the second round to make the cut on the number at 9 over.

Thanks to another 69 on Sunday after Saturday's 74, Els finished at 12-over 292 along with eight others, including Steve Stricker, Paul Casey and 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis.

"I said to Butch Harmon I'm going to see him for two days in Vegas and work on the short game and get it sharp and I think I'll start scoring then as it's been a tough year," said Els, who's still trying to find some consistency in his game. "I'm going back to basics. I've tried different putters and different methods. There's a method that worked for me in the past and I'll go back to that."

Mickelson was the next best with his tie for 19th at 14 over, but he's never performed that great at the Open. He is, however, the winner of the 2005 PGA Championship.

Finally there was Garcia. He lost in a playoff to Harrington at Carnoustie and was everyone's top pick to break through and pick up that elusive major win at Royal Birkdale. It never panned out.

The Spaniard struggled mightily, failing to break par in any of the four rounds. His best effort was a 2-over 72 in the first round. He eventually finished up with a 17-over 297 to tie for 51st.

As for the PGA Championship, you might expect to see the Europeans play well -- that is, of course, if the final results from the Open mean anything. Seven Europeans finished in the top 10 at the Open. Of those seven, four played for the European team in the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, which will host the PGA Championship. If you'll remember, the Europeans won in a rout in '04, dusting the U.S. by a record 18 ½ - 9 ½ margin.

That said, a European has never won the PGA Championship in the stroke-play era, which dates back to 1958. So we'll have to see what happens.

Next week presents another great opportunity for someone to earn a big win with Woods out of the picture, as Firestone plays host to the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods has won seven of the nine played, including the last three.

After the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup get fired up.

With Tiger on the shelf, opportunities have never been so endless for the rest of the world's best golfers.