Padraig Harrington began the restart at today’s Honda Classic at two under par, five shots off the lead and seemingly out of contention. With so many good players between him and the lead his chances were slight at best.
But that’s why they play the game and an amazing string of four straight birdies from 11-14 brought the three time major champion right into the mix.
Of course Paddy doesn’t like to do things the easy way. He splashed his tee ball at the par three seventeenth and fell one back of Daniel Berger who was in the house at six under.
So Harrington needed a birdie to tie for a playoff and he does so by laying up at the par five eighteenth and getting it up and down for a birdie that sent him and the youngster to a sudden death playoff. 
After exchanging pars on the first playoff hole, the eighteenth the odd couple headed to the harrowing seventeenth.
Harrington is the grizzled veteran with three major championships but that was another lifetime ago. Recently Harrington has been battling back from the golfing hinterlands.
He won recently on the Asian Tour and has been saying he finally has found something in his game.
Berger is the unknown, up and comer in his first year on tour who challenged the resurgent Harrington.
Off to seventeen they went and Berger had to feel good having hit his tee ball dead nuts there in regulation for a critical birdie.
Harrington could have been nervous about a return to there as he rinsed his tee ball there just moments ago.
But the roles were reversed as the young Berger, who started the final round nine shots off the lead, felt the pressure and rinsed his shot leaving Harrington who had struck a brilliant shot with the victory.
Harrington has been to the mountaintop with back to back Open Championship in ’07 and ’08 followed by the ’08 PGA Championship. But he fell from the worlds best as he tweaked his golf swing time after time.
He’s 43 and still thinks he has some wins left in him. This game is all about confidence and right now Paddy has plenty of it.
Berger was the most unfamiliar of the names in contention today at but his finish today should change that. The PGA Tour rookie shot a tournament low 64 for his final round including a back nine with three birds and no bogeys. The 21 year old birdied seventeen and eighteen to post six under par and wait for the field to finish.
While Berger lounged in the clubhouse and even laid down on the practice range the big names self destructed in the Bear Trap and everywhere else on the course.
Berger is a local boy from Jupiter, Florida and turned pro after two seasons at Florida State. He’s currently 173rd in the Official World Golf Rankings but that will change after his second place finish today.
Here’s how the rest of the contenders fell by the wayside.
Paul Casey started tied for the lead with Ian Poulter and he was the hottest golfer when play was called going six under through his last 12 holes before play stopped on Sunday. But he left his game in the hotel. No birdies and two bogeys dropped him to -5 and a T3 finish.
Ian Poulter had a share of the lead at the start and wore the European Team Ryder Cup colors but his play was anything but Ryder Cup level. Poulter splashed one at eleven and then two on fourteen. Even a Ryder Cup hero can’t comeback from that.
Patrick Reed was one off the lead at today’s restart and in contention until a horrible string of double bogey, bogey, and bogey including a wet ball at fifteen. No move into the top five today.
Jeff Overton was T4 at -4 to start but “Boom Baby” never got anything going. Consecutive bogeys on eleven and twelve ended his chances. He finished at -3.
Phil Mickelson started T4 at -4. Phil the Thrill was anything but thrilling. Driving was poor and putting was worse. He started with a needed par putt for his first shot of the day, missed it and never really contended.
Brendan Steele started tied with Mickelson, Overton and Berger but three bogeys and a lone birdie on the back nine wasn’t enough to contend.
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