Players' Championship: In the aftermath of it all, Tiger Woods could only stand with his hands on his hips and remark, "That was one of the most impressive displays of putting I've ever seen."

Given he'd witnessed a close-up and personal view of Padraig Harrington's back nine charge in the Players' Championship at Sawgrass on Sunday, and that it was reminiscent of the kind of move so often made by the world's number one, it was as if he appreciated what was unfolding.

Of course, the charge - covering the home stretch in a mere 30 shots on the way to a finishing 66 - came up a little short for Harrington, who finished one stroke behind Australian Adam Scott, at 23 years the youngest winner of a tournament termed the unofficial "fifth major". Incidentally, Harrington's back-nine total of 30 was the first time that feat was achieved since Taylor Smith posted the same figures in the first round of the event in 1997.

So, for the second year in succession, Harrington finished runner-up in the Players, which moved him back into the world's top 10 - at eighth in the rankings - and put him to the head of the European Ryder Cup world points table.

And, although he had the consolation of collecting $864,000 for second place, Harrington was more conscious later of coming so close to winning a title of such status. "It really is such a huge tournament," he observed.

To all intents and purposes, the PGA Tour rewards its champion with all the status of a major winner, giving him a five-year exemption on the US Tour, a three-year exemption into the Masters, four years to the British Open and a one-year invitation to the US Open and the US PGA.

For Harrington, the back-nine charge was remarkable and relentless. It appeared to come from nowhere. After an inauspicious start to his final round, which included three bogeys and a birdie in the first five holes, Harrington set the course on fire on the way in, getting the run under way with a birdie on the 11th and then finishing the final six holes in threes: par-birdie-birdie-eagle-par-birdie.

For someone who had been self-critical of his putting going into the final round, the turnabout was extraordinary. "I was waiting for it to happen. I kept telling myself to stick in there, to ride it out and hopefully it would turn around. I didn't think there was a lot wrong with my golf swing, I just felt I got a little quick and it was more mental errors over the previous 27 holes than anything. These things come back as quickly as they go."

The catalyst for the charge came on the 14th, the hole ranked number one in difficulty, where Harrington holed a 30-footer for birdie. He rolled in another from off the collar on the 15th, and on the 16th he pulled off a bold, brave play. Faced with 195 yards to the flag with his second shot, Harrington called his caddie over twice to wipe his hands with a towel. "I stood off it twice because I just wasn't comfortable over it. I was really trying to be as aggressive as I could be. It was a time to be aggressive."

It paid off, the ball bouncing on the front of the green and rolling up to five feet. He sank the eagle putt. On the 17th, his 20-footer looked as if it would find the hole. "All my putts all day that looked like they were going in the hole went in, and I was nearly expecting it to fall in. It was close."

Still, he manfully finished off with a 15-footer for birdie on the last, posting a score of 11-under-par 277. Now, it was up to Scott.

At one stage in the final round, Scott was nine shots clear of Harrington. By the time he stood in the middle of the 18th fairway, that advantage had dwindled to two shots. There, he tried to hit a low shot with a six iron, and hooked the ball into the water and was forced to get up and down - from the point of entry in front of the green - to save his victory, and take the $1.4 million top prize.

In hitting the chip that got him the title, Scott applied a lesson given to him last week by Greg Norman. The lesson was arranged by Butch Harmon, who once taught Norman and Woods and who now works with Scott. "I asked Greg to work with Adam with Augusta in mind, (because) his weakness has been his short game," said Harmon. The lesson had more immediate benefits, giving Scott the biggest win of his career and moving him to 12th in the world rankings.

For Harrington, who was competing in only his fourth tournament of the season, the end result brought home just how fickle golf can be. Indeed, it was as if he was spurred on by playing Woods.

"Always playing with Tiger puts a little more pressure on the day. Going into the last round like that in 12th position, you're hoping you're hiding in the pack and hoping you can gradually build up, have a good finish and come from nowhere. But when you tee up with Tiger, you know all eyes are on him from the start

. . . but the more times you play in competitive play with Tiger, the more you get used to it."

It would seem Harrington has overcome any such restraints. On Sunday, he out-shot Woods by seven strokes, 66 to 73. And, of course, there was the endorsement that it was the best sequence of putting Woods had ever seen, which is saying something.