When you go in pursuit of Tiger Woods, the world's number one, and then proceed to grab him by the tail, it is the sort of thing you'd associate with golf's so-called "silly season", those year-end tournaments when there are no ranking points but plenty of greenbacks on offer and a lot of fun to be had by golf's high flyers, writes Philip Reid
For Padraig Harrington, though, this end-of-season odyssey around the globe is no little game - and, quite apart from the prize money, victory in the Target World Challenge represents serious business, and evidence of further progress in his career path.
Everything Harrington does, in the gym, on the range, on the practice putting green, or on the course itself, is designed towards one thing, and one thing only: to win a major. Going into Tiger's backyard, as he did at the weekend, taking the bait, and then beating Woods, will give Harrington a massive confidence boost as he sets his sights to next year's majors.
"Winning the way I did," insisted Harrington, "was important. It wasn't only about beating Tiger. It was about beating a world-class field, and it is nice to win in America. While we usually don't talk about prize money, $1 million does spice things up a bit . . . it's a lottery pay-off in Ireland.
"It may be an unofficial tournament, but I will count this in my official book as a win. Against Tiger? Against a world class field? Yes, I'll count it. It'll give me a lot of confidence."
He added: "People call this the silly season, but it is only silly if you don't play well. It's not silly when you can win $1 million."
Harrington, indeed, became the second Irish player to earn a $1 million pay cheque. Darren Clarke was the first when winning the World Matchplay in 2000 and, ironically, that victory was also achieved in California and, coincidentally, Woods was also his prize catch coming down the stretch, as he defeated the world number one in the final.
On the previous occasions in which Harrington had played with Woods, the Irishman had come out second best - in the final round of last year's US Open, most critically in the third round of this year's US Open at Bethpage (when they were the final pairing) and in the first two rounds of this year's AmEx championship at Mount Juliet.
This time, even if it wasn't a major or a WGC event, Harrington showed he could go head-to-head with Woods, and win.
"The more you play with Tiger, the more comfortable you are going to get. Playing with him in an event like this will stand to you when you are paired with him in a major," he said.
Of his efforts to fend off Woods, Harrington, who started the final round with a six-stroke lead, said: "I knew Tiger would come on. My strategy was to play very conservatively."
When he birdied the first two holes of his final round, his strategy changed. "I played even more conservatively," he admitted, then with an eight-shot lead.
Woods, however, narrowed the gap to just one as they made their way to the 15th tee, after Harrington double-bogeyed the 14th at Sherwood.
"The double bogey actually left me feeling good," insisted Harrington. "Because I got it up and down, after hitting out-of-bounds. I walked away pretty positive, not the other way around."
Indeed, Harrington was one-under for the final four holes, and it was Woods who buckled, bogeying the last hole when he needed a birdie to force a play-off. It meant Harrington had a two-shot cushion in the end.
Harrington, who remains world number eight, teams-up with Paul McGinley in this week's World Cup in Mexico, attempting to reclaim a title the duo won at Kiawah Island in 1997.
The team event will end one of the busiest sequences of play he has endured since turning professional. The Dubliner has played continuously for eight weeks (in fact, he has played 12 of the last 13 weeks), but, once play is completed in Mexico, he plans to take a nine-week break. "I'll need those nine weeks to recharge my batteries," he admitted.
Currently leading the European Tour 2003 money list after his win in the Asian Open three weeks ago, Harrington - who has topped the strokeplay average on the European Tour for the past two seasons - became the first European winner of the event, which is hosted by Woods, who donated his $500,000 prize money to the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Woods will return to the circuit in four weeks for the season-opening Mercedes Championship on the US Tour. Harrington has yet to decide whether he will restart his 2003 campaign in the world matchplay at La Costa or in Dubai.
