PGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington admits to surprise at Sergio Garcia finding water on 16

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - As well as Padraig Harrington played in the final two rounds of the PGA Championship (66-66, including 3-under on his final back nine), it’s hard to argue that Sergio Garcia blew this major more than Harrington won it. Unless, perhaps, you listen to Padraig Harrington.

“On 16, I was surprised,” Harrington said moments ago, the Wanamaker Tropy resting in front of him. “(Sergio) was in control there.”

Then, Sergio sent his approach into the water.

“When I was on the 17 tee, I felt like I was going to win the PGA Championship,” Harrington said. “On the 16th tee, I didn’t feel that way.”

Poor Sergio. He came so close to being a great sport about the whole crushing runner-up thing and then just couldn’t help bitterly firing at the media at the very end long after he’d been off 18. He shot 68-69 in the final two rounds of a major himself, with 35 of those holes today, and still happened to end up losing to the only golfer in the field honest enough to admit he felt Garcia choked on 16.

For a full column on Sergio almost giving himself better, almost turning himself into one of those losers that you cannot help but feel for even more than the winner, and a full story on when Harrington realized he could be the second best golfer in the world, when things like winning two straight and three of the last six majors, became something he could imagine (it happened well before the 07 British), tune in to the front of WorldGolf.com this morning.