AKRON // Nine days after winning the British Open for the second year in a row, Padraig Harrington can cement his place among the game's elite at this weekend's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He produced one of the best rounds of his life in strong gusting winds to seal his second major victory - and 13th European Tour title - and has set his sights on further success in golf's biggest events.
"I do believe I'm getting better with time," he said. "I'm maturing as a player, as a person. My golf game is improving all the time and I need it to be. "Wins like this help you wait it out, help you say: 'Keep doing your thing, keep trying to improve, keep working at it, and your days will come.' "Thankfully what I might be getting good at is making sure those days are the big days, and that's very important."
Although Harrington has never flourished at Firestone Country Club, with just two top-15 finishes in nine starts, he is well aware of the recipe for success on the par-70 layout. "Every year, it's the same. It's a real tough, fair challenge. It's quite long and it is one of the narrowest courses we play," he said. * Reuters
