Golf: Is Padraig Harrington now the best of the rest?
Padraig Harrington's thrilling victory in the US PGA at Oakland Hills brings his majors tally to three out of the last six and makes him the first European to claim the Wanamaker trophy since in 78 years. The Irishman has now won the same amount of majors as Ernie Els, Vijay Singh or Phil Mickelson and has three more than nearly all of his European contemporaries.
Major victories are how the leading players judge the success of their careers, as Colin Montgomerie knows all too well, so in that respect Harrington stands head and shoulders above any of his Ryder Cup team-mates. But Harrington used to be more famous for his remarkable run of second-place finishes and is only finding success at this level after several years on the tour, so is this hot streak a lucky break in a career otherwise known for frustration and wasted talent? Can he continue to win the big tournaments? And does the absence of Tiger Woods for two of his three major wins render his achievements less meaningful?
More importantly, who is going to tell Roy Keane that Harrington is now Ireland's greatest ever sportsman?