The beers were well and truly on Padraig Harrington on Sunday as the three-time major champion tasted victory at the PGA Tour Champions season finale in Arizona.
The Irishman was in control at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship when he reached the par-three 15th, but paused before his tee shot before turning to the grandstand to make a request. With spectators seemingly casting long shadows over the tee, Harrington politely asked them to move for his shot.
They duly did so and then the 51-year-old didn't fluff his lines, playing a sumptuous approach to within a few feet of the hole. But the 2021 European Ryder Cup captain wasn't about to stroll down towards his ball without saying thank you.
A smiling Harrington then waved at the grandstand before proceeding to hand over a clump of bank noted to one male spectator. He then requested that the money be spent specifically on beer.
“They’ve been sitting there, I assume all day, waiting for this,” Harrington told reporters afterwards, via CNN. “I hope they were waiting for me. I got them to move, they still had a good view.
“I gave it to one guy (the money), but it was for everybody in the area. I actually went in with 50 and then I kind of said, ‘Probably only get a few beers for 50, I better go back with 100.’”
Harrington's goodwill gesture may have reflected the fact he had all but sown up a tournament win by then. Indeed, he comfortably played out the closing holes to finish seven strokes ahead of runner-up Alex Cejka of Germany.
In carding 27-under, the Irishman matched the PGA Tour Champions record score, set by the iconic Jack Nicklaus at the Kaulig Companies Championship in 1990. However, Harrington said he was relieved not to break the marker of the 18-time major champion.
The victory wasn’t enough to secure him the overall Charles Schwab Cup title though. Steven Alker’s third-place finish ensured the New Zealander got the points needed to take the crown.
