Padraig Harrington is aiming for more wins after rediscovering his “mental edge” at the Honda Classic.
The Irishman claimed his first PGA Tour win since the 2008 US PGA Championship as he beat Daniel Berger on the second play-off hole on a wild afternoon at PGA National.
Finishing the fourth round on Monday afternoon due to weather problems over the weekend, Harrington was in the final group with Ian Poulter and Patrick Reed and looked out of contention after a bogey on four and a double on six saw him reach the turn in 38.
But a run of four birdies starting on 11, coupled with a collapse from Poulter, saw Harrington move into the lead before a double bogey on 17 slipped him a shot behind clubhouse leader Berger.
A 16-foot putt handed him a birdie on 18 and a place in the play-off before a stunning approach on 17 sealed victory as Berger found the water.
And Harrington, who has jumped from 297 to 82 in the world while earning a place at the Masters, is feeling good about his game again.
“I was pretty keen on my own form at different stages but I wasn’t delivering,” he told Sky Sports 4. “2012 I played well, I putted very badly, I had the yips.
“It was tough after that but last week I kind of found something in the mental game which is what’s been going wrong.
“I stuck with that this week. It worked half the time, sometimes it didn’t work but I’m very happy with it.”
He added: “When I get in contention I can hit the shots. The problem has been actually when I’m starting the week, middle of the road shots, easy shots, I’m just not hitting them.
“When I’ve got tough shots I can hit them.
“Hopefully this isn’t an isolated win.
“I really do believe in myself. I think I’ve found that mental edge that I’ve been lacking the last number of years.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to stick with that going forward and be consistently contending because I know if I am contending I can win.”
Poulter shot a closing 74 as his game imploded on the back nine, recording a triple bogey on 14 as he found the water twice.
“There’s lots of ifs and buts, but you know, tee shot on 14 was out of position,” he told a press conference. “I’ve hit the tree. It’s gone right in the hazard. Buried in the bunker. I mean, that hole just killed my day.
“So it’s a shame. There’s lots of pluses with how I’ve played all week, but there’s nothing like handing the golf tournament away. It makes you feel pretty sick.”