SUPER POD DOES THE DOUBLE!
Padraig Harrington pumped his fist four times
An inspired Padraig Harrington has added the 90th US PGA Championship to his 2008 Open crown to become one of just a handful of men who have won back to back-back majors.
He also broke a European victory drought of 78 years in this final major of the year, Scotland's Tommy Armour being the last winner from this side of the Atlantic in 1930.
The 37-year-old Irish golfing icon, who started the day six shots off the pace, putted like a man inspired, especially on the tough last three holes where he masterfully drained improbable, but must-make putts of between 10 and 20 feet for a brilliant, second-successive 66.
It took him to a two-shot victory over third-round leader Ben Curtis and luckless Sergio Garcia who will have to wait another year to shake off the title of being the 'best golfer never to have won a major'.
Garcia looked as if he was going to edge away from Harrington and Curtis, the shock winner and only player to break par at the 2003 Open, but the little Spaniard inexplicably found water with what should have been a straight forward wedge shot from the centre of the fairway at the 16th.
Garcia salvaged his pride with a solid, single-bogey save, but he was never the same, cool player he had been, noticeably at the 17th where he should have but didn't match Harrington's birdie putt after both men had fired magnificent approach shots to get into birdie range
Curtis appeared to have fought off the European challenge of Garcia, Harrington and Sweden's Henrik Stenson over the opening holes - having gone into the rain-delayed fourth round with a one-shot lead over the Swede and fellow American JB Holmes after completing his third-round this morning with a two-under-par 68.
Playing in three-man groups and with the backmarkers starting on the 10th tee to try and get back on schedule after losing half a day's play to rain yesterday, Curtis got off to a great start with an opening birdie.
But the American slipped back midway through the round and although he gamely fought back over the closing stretch, he never looked like closing the gap on a rock-solid Harrington, who in Tiger Woods' absence, is probably the best golfer in the game right now and is sure to be a tower of strength at next Month's Ryder Cup
Harrington retired to the scorer's room to record his second consecutive 66 as Curtis was teeing off at the 18th needing an eagle two on the final hole.
That was one miracle too many - and so it was Harrington, who had claimed, just 48 hours earlier that he had run out of steam after a second-round 74 , who was once more on top of the world.
Harrington was almost incredulous as he reflected on his achievement.
"It (The PGA) is totally different to The Open. I was very confident in The Open," he told Sky Sports, still wide-eyed with amazement.
"Here I hit some of the wildest golf shots I've ever hit on a golf course on Friday.
"In the end it was a lot of sheer willpower (that won it)," Harrington added.
Garcia, in the meantime was left to rue some narrow misses.
"If a couple of things had gone differently, we would have been talking differently," said the Spaniard.
"But they went Padraig's way, not mine."
ALL THE FINAL ROUND SCORES
All the final round scores from the 109th US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills CC in Bloomfield Township, Michigan (USA unless stated, par 70):
277 Padraig Harrington (Irl) 71 74 66 66
279 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 69 73 69 68, Ben Curtis 73 67 68 71
281 Camilo Villegas (Col) 74 72 67 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 71 70 68 72
282 Steve Flesch 73 70 70 69
284 Phil Mickelson 70 73 71 70, Andres Romero (Arg) 69 78 65 72
285 Charlie Wi (Kor) 70 70 71 74, Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 68 74 70 73, Justin Rose (Eng) 73 67 74 71, Alastair Forsyth (Sco) 73 72 70 70
286 Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 71 71 71 73, Ken Duke 69 73 73 71
287 Paul Casey (Eng) 72 74 72 69, Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 74 72 68 73, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 76 70 68 73, David Toms 72 69 72 74, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 76 70 69 72
288 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 68 77 71 72, Brian Gay 70 74 72 72, Boo Weekley 72 71 79 66, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 70 72 72 74
289 Retief Goosen (Rsa) 72 74 69 74, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 75 71 70 73, Mark Brown 77 69 74 69, Brandt Snedeker 71 71 74 73, Nicholas Thompson 71 72 73 73
290 J.B. Holmes 71 68 70 81, Jim Furyk 71 77 70 72
291 Robert Allenby (Aus) 76 72 72 71, Sean O'Hair 69 73 76 73, Paul Goydos 74 69 73 75, Chris DiMarco 75 72 72 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 75 70 75, Ian Poulter (Eng) 74 71 73 73, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 73 74 74 70, D.J. Trahan 72 71 76 72
292 Steve Stricker 71 75 77 69, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 72 73 73 74, Steve Elkington (Aus) 71 73 73 75
293 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 73 71 75 74, John Senden (Aus) 76 72 72 73, Mike Weir (Can) 73 75 71 74, Tom Lehman 74 70 75 74, Briny Baird 71 72 73 77
294 Dean Wilson 73 73 77 71, Michael Allen 70 75 71 78, Billy Mayfair 69 78 75 72, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 71 74 76 73, Charles Howell III 72 76 77 69
295 Peter Hanson (Swe) 71 73 75 76, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 77 70 73 75, John Merrick 73 75 70 77
296 Anthony Kim 70 75 74 77, James Kingston (Rsa) 72 76 74 74, Tim Clark (Rsa) 76 72 73 75
297 Pat Perez 73 73 79 72, Justin Leonard 74 71 72 80
298 Steve Marino 73 74 75 76, John Mallinger 72 75 77 74, Chez Reavie 78 70 78 72
299 Paul Azinger 72 76 76 75, Mark Calcavecchia 71 76 76 76, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 73 73 75 78, Corey Pavin 75 73 73 78, Kevin Sutherland 76 71 77 75
300 Hiroyuki Fujita (Jpn) 77 70 76 77, Peter Lonard (Aus) 74 74 74 78
301 Bubba Watson 75 73 77 76
303 Richard Green (Aus) 71 77 79 76
304 Rocco Mediate 73 74 72 85
306 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 76 72 81 77