BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Padraig Harrington's Irish eyes don't smile. At least not until he's holding some hulking trophy in celebration of another major championship.

In the heat of a major Sunday, those eyes sear. They could burn holes in kevlar. We know that they can melt his opponents at just the right time.

They are the eyes that show no fear, only a fierce determination to do what so many others find impossible: produce the shots and the putts when you absolutely have to.

STUART FRANKLIN / Getty Images Padraig Harrington has victory in hand after saving par with a 15-foot putt on the 72nd hole.

Harrington already had shown he could do so in capturing back-to-back British Opens. He's never done it better, however, than he did yesterday when the 90th PGA Championship was in doubt, and he responded with one of the finest closing efforts a major has seen.

The 36-year-old from Dublin made a 20-foot putt to save par at 16, made a spectacular 10-foot birdie at the brutally difficult par-3 17th, and saved an all-world par from the sand and rough with a 15-foot putt at 18 to win a major for the second time in a 21-day span.

Already lauded as Ireland's greatest golfer, Harrington ended a 78-year PGA drought for the Europeans, who hadn't won since Tommy Armour beat Gene Sarazen in match play in 1930.

BACK-TO-BACK After Walter Hagen won the British Open and PGA Championship in the same season, it took 70 years for someone to do it again. Now the feat has been accomplished four times in the past 15 years: 1924 – Walter Hagen 1994 – Nick Price 2000 – Tiger Woods 2006 – Tiger Woods 2008 – Padraig Harrington

“I knew the situation. I knew what I had to do,” Harrington was saying last night, the enormous Wanamaker Trophy sitting at his side. “I'm a great believer in making your own responsibility, whether you win or you don't win. You get chances on the back nine in a major tournament, and you've got to take them.”

You could see it in his eyes. As CBS commentator Gary McCord joked, “I don't think I've seen him blink for three hours.”

Harrington wanted it badly, and few beyond the absent Tiger Woods seize it the way he does.

Forced to play 27 holes because of Saturday's thunderstorm suspension of play, Harrington finished off a third-round 4-under 66 in the morning, and matched that with another 66 in the fourth round to win the $1,350,000 first prize at 3-under 277.

Once again, Harrington's resolve delivered a crushing blow to 28-year-old Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who lost to Harrington in last year's British Open playoff at Carnoustie.

In sole possession of the lead through 15 holes, Garcia made critical errors on the last three. He hit into the water on 16, missed a 4-foot birdie at 17 and found rough and the greenside bunker at 18. He also saw his great shot into the 15th hole hit the flagstick and bounce to 10 feet, from where he missed a birdie. Garcia shot 69-68 in the final two rounds and tied for second with Ben Curtis (68-71) at 1-under.

“There are guys who get a little bit fortunate,” Garcia said. “They get into contention in majors and manage to get things going their way. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened to me.”

Grouped with Garcia, Harrington said he had to remind himself that it wasn't match play down the stretch against his longtime European Ryder Cup teammate. He carried with him the confidence of having succeeded in similar circumstances, while Garcia owned the scars of his previous failures.

“I felt an edge in terms of my ability to take an opportunity when it comes around,” said Harrington. “I didn't think I would be too sentimental to think, 'Well, I won the last one; he should win the next one.'

“Obviously, you have to get yourself away from that. It's a bit like the Greg Norman story at Birkdale (in last month's British Open). It's a great story, but you can't let yourself get drawn into it.”

Harrington relishes dramatic tension, even if it's self-created. He went into last month's British with an injured hand, and this week he said he never felt right physically. Saturday, he complained about exhaustion, and he related that he couldn't get to the clubhouse fast enough on Friday night after finishing with two horrible swings that led to bogeys in his second round of 74.

He called his trainer, who convinced him that he was suffering from dehydration.

“At least I had something tangible to pin it on,” Harrington reasoned. “Whether that was the answer or not, it certainly helped me focus.”

Harrington caught up on his sleep with a nap in the rain delay on Saturday, and he said he slept for an hour between rounds yesterday.

“Best sleep I had all week,” he said.

The tournament's turning point came late yesterday on the 17th hole. In a three-way tie with Curtis, Harrington and Garcia each striped beautiful shots to the wicked uphill par-3, which surrendered only 25 birdies all week. Harrington was 10 feet, Garcia was 4.

“I kind of felt like I won the PGA at that stage, thinking this is it,” Harrington said. “I had the opportunity to get the putt in first, which was important.”

He was dead on. Harrington made his effort, Garcia missed – as he had done on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie last year – and Harrington had the one-shot cushion.

There was still the hardest hole on the course to conquer, and Harrington made it interesting. He drove under the lip of the right bunker and blasted out into the rough, but then launched an excellent 7-iron to 15 feet.

Harrington stroked it true, and got to celebrate a major win like never before, pumping his fists in celebration.

He's getting accustomed to the rush.

“I know I love the idea of the back nine of a major on Sunday,” Harrington said with a satisfied smile. “I love it so much that I'm actually disappointed I'm (eight) months away from the next major, and I don't know what I'm going to do.”

---

Tod Leonard: (619) 293-1858; tod.leonard@uniontrib.com