Padraig Harrington refused to be second best yet again at São Paulo Golf Club when he peeled the ‘runner-up’ label from his tournament record in emphatic style by capturing the Brazil São Paulo 500 Years Open by two strokes from American Gerry Norquist with a 14 under par total of 270.
The 28 year old Irishman, who secured his maiden victory on his first season on the European Tour in 1996, had finished second or tied second no fewer than nine times since that win in the Spanish Open.
Five of those second places came during 1999, when he performed heroics to qualify for the Ryder Cup without managing to enter the winner’s enclosure. He finished runner-up in the Benson & Hedges Malaysian Open in February and only last week missed out in a sudden-death play-off against Roger Chapman in Rio de Janeiro.
Those close calls could have played on the minds of some golfers but not a competitor of Harrington’s mental fortitude. The Dubliner put the disappointment behind him and proceeded to earn a wonderful pre-Masters boost by claiming his second Tour title.
He fired a final round 68 to prove that he deserves to be on top of the podium again. In a fortnight in Brazil, Harrington has won a total of €202,975 (£123,606) from his second and first place finishes.
Norquist, winner of the Malaysian Open last year, closed with birdie putts from six, 35 and six feet for a 68 and 12 under par total of 272, leaving five players sharing third place a further two strokes behind.
Harrington admitted: “It’s great. I’ve had a lot of second places so this is tremendous. It’s a strange game. I won on my 10th start on the European Tour in 1996. I led from the gun and nothing went wrong. Since then I’ve had to learn a lot about winning and lost. I’ve had good and bad days but you are always learning.”
He added: “I felt very relaxed, even after losing last week. I didn’t let it get on top of me. I felt comfortable and made a couple of good 20 footers on the back nine. I came to Brazil for competitive practise and I got that.”
Harrington now heads to Augusta National for his debut in the Masters Tournament buoyed by his performances in South America. He had arrived in Brazil seeking to sharpen his competitive edge after a fruitless trip to Florida, and left knowing that he is a champion once more.
“I’m not even thinking about the Masters” he continued. “I will think about it on Thursday. At the moment I want to enjoy this.”
Paul Affleck of Wales had taken the first round lead with a five under par 66 over the superb, traditional lay-out at São Paulo Golf Club. Harrington, who opened with a 69, followed it with a 68 to lie five behind halfway leader, rookie Matt Blackey from Hampshire.
After three rounds, Harrington was sharing the top spot on 11 under par after a controlled 65 which left him level with Welshman David Park, who birdied the final two holes on Saturday for a 68 and total of 202.
However on the last day, Harrington seldom looked like putting a foot wrong. A birdie at the first and back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th sealed the fate of his rivals.
The most dramatic finish was conjured up by Eduardo Romero of Argentina, who punched a sand wedge 112 yards from behind a palm tree into the hole for an eagle two at the 72nd hole.
That shot earned him a share of third with Greg Owen, Steve Webster Pedro Martinez of Paraguay and the improving rookie Ian Poulter, who has missed only one cut from seven starts since winning his card at the Qualifying School last November.
