Harrington happy to be a "boring" front-runner
Padraig Harrington reacts after a putt on the eight hole during the final round at the 2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course) in Bethlehem, Pa. on Sunday, June 26, 2022. (Chris Keane/USGA)
Pádraig Harrington was thrilled to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by seven shots and boost his confidence as he prepares to play three of the four regular majors next year.
The Dubliner finished on 27-under par in Phoenix, matching Jack Nicklaus' PGA Tour Champions record and shaving a shot off the 72-hole low aggregate.
"It's nice to hold the record with Jack Nicklaus," said Harrington, who finished second to Steven Alker in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race but got a massive injection of confidence for 2023, having already qualified for the US PGA, the US Open and the Open. "Kind of glad I didn't beat him."
He was most pleased to build on his five-shot overnight lead, having struggled as a front-runner his entire career.
Pádraig Harrington shows off the Charles Schwab Cup Championship trophy in Phoenix. Picture: Getty Images.
"I have a friend who often says about golfers, but I know he's kind of saying it about me, some golfers have to win a tournament twice, and I didn't have to do that today," Harrington said. "I got out there with a lead and I never gave anybody else another chance at the tournament, so that brings a lot of confidence.
"In past years, I would have let somebody back into the event. I probably would have gone on to win, but I would have made it more exciting for the crowd. Today I was pretty boring."
Rory McIlroy can match Harrington as the Irish player with the most DP World Tour wins if he captures his 15th in this week's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The reigning FedEx Cup champion and current world number one is looking to put an exclamation point on a watershed year.
He's looking to be crowned European number one for the fourth time, but the top nine in the Rankings can overtake him, with nearest rival Ryan Fox just 128 points behind in an event offering the winner 2,000 points.
Third-ranked Matt Fitzpatrick needs to finish second at worst, while eighth-ranked Shane Lowry could deny McIlroy if he wins and the Co Down man finishes eighth or worse and Fox seventh.
On the LPGA, Leona Maguire moved up one spot to 20th in the world following her tie for 10th in the Pelican Women's Championship. She's ranked 17th entering this week's season-ending Tour Championship in Florida, where the winner will bank a cool $2 million.
Stephanie Meadow failed to make the 60-strong field, but she comfortably retained her card, finishing 81st in the standings with $373,874 and two top-10s from 25 starts.
