Maybe Tiger's Defense of Slow Harrington Motivates Defending PGA Champ

Tiger Woods played about as perfect of a round as he could have in the opening day of the 91st PGA Championship.  Firing a bogey-free 67, Woods stands alone atop the leaderboard at five under par. 

Even with defending champion Paddy Harrington lurking a shot back, most are pretty well ready to concede to Tiger his fifteenth major championship and join the ranks of Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen as the only five time winners of this tournament.

The field might not be willing to make such a concession, but Tiger doesn't lose leads.  He gets the lead, expands it just enough to feel comfortable, and then cruises to victory.  This method is slightly different from the Tiger Woods that was more likely to step on the field's collective throat just a short handful of years ago.  Woods seems to prefer obtaining a lead just big enough to ensure victory - even if it takes a 19 hole playoff with a forty-five year old man.

The only man who I feel could stand in his way is the man who Woods fiercely defended in public all week.  Padraig Harrington was lifted - almost too often - by Woods in his public comments pertaining to Clockgate.  Well, perhaps all of the talking up that Woods did had some kind of impact on Harrington, whose game is clearly coming around right now.  That extra encouragement from Woods - that it was John Paramor, not Harrington, who blew it at Firestone - may have added some fuel to the fire.

Harrington took full responsibility for his snowman at the 16th at Firestone.  While he said he felt rushed, he also expressed that execution ultimately fell in his lap. 

Woods was ambivalent to Paramor and with the press about being put on the clock.  His defense may well could have been construed by Harrington as patronizing the defending champion.

Poor Paddy, it's not his fault he didn't win.  It was that big bad referee with the stop watch.  You'll get 'em next time, champ.  See you in Chaska!

Tiger certainly did not intend to fire up Harrington with his words.  He was angling to publicly congratulate Harrington on 71 holes of great golf.  Woods was looking to lift the profile of the duel rather than allow the press and fans to say that another Woods challenger crumbled in his midst.  After all, writer after writer - myself included - lament at the lack of quality in Tiger's competition.

Maybe Harrington got an extra boost from the subject that Woods would just not drop.  Maybe the defending champion wants to prove not only that his swing changes are working, but that he can defend his body of work without the help and patronage of the world number one.