PGA TOUR Player of the Year: Padraig Harrington

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Padraig Harrington's two majors gave him the Player of the Year award over Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Camilo Villegas.

The Player of the Year award has been given for nearly two decades, but no European player had won until Padraig Harrington. That's nothing, though, compared to what other long-standing record Harrington broke in 2008. He became the first European in over a century to win the British Open in consecutive seasons.

Harrington

• Harrington won two majors and had a top-5 finish at the Masters. The only tournament he didn't fare as well in was the U.S. Open, where he tied for 36th.

• Speaking of the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods won that but the TOUR players considered Harrington's two-major season a more impressive feat. When the players' votes gave Harrington Player of the Year honors, it meant Woods would not win it for the fourth straight year.

• The Irishman was named the European Tour Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He also won the Irish PGA in 2008 for his 16th international victory.

• Harrington earned over $4.3 million this season, which was the most he's made in one season on the PGA TOUR. His previous best was $2.6 million in 2007.

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