Winner of the Week

So I’ve got a question… if an Irishman wins a major in Michigan, and nobody is around to see it, does he really win? Well in Padraig Harrington’s case, it is an emphatic yes! It’s quite a downtime for sports right now (yes, even though the Olympics have started) so there was not much competition for this honor. Michael Phelps just went 2-2 in his quest for 37 golds, but even he would not jinx himself by taking our weekly top prize after only a quarter of his events. The nation of China was a contender for their mind blowing Olympic Opening Ceremony, but their horrible pollution, wacky weather altering strategies, and the unfortunate stabbing-turned-murder-suicide of an American with Olympic ties tarnishes the opening night spectacle. Nothing in the MLB really jumps off the page, a “Redeem Team” (pardon me while I yack) win over China is hardly news, and the preseason has only just started in the NFL (pardon me while I fall asleep). We had it planned out to name us, the American public, Winners of the Week for the simple fact that Brett Favre was traded and we no longer had to listen to the ‘Brett Favre vs. Green Bay’ saga 24/7… but then ESPN went and made this the #2 article in their top stories over the weekend. Really? He ran a lap? Stop the presses. So while the grandstands at Oakland Hills looked more barren than a Florida Marlins vs. Atlanta Hawks game, the happenings on the course still did not go unnoticed by this individual.

Paddy. The best of those not nearly as good as Tiger.

As far as I’m concerned, the debate for 2nd best golfer in the world now starts and quickly stops with Padraig Harrington. He’s won back-to-back majors (both with no Tiger, make your own conclusions on what that means) and 3 of the last 6. That is a stretch of major dominance, if you will, that we have not seen from someone other than Tiger since possibly Nick Faldo in 1989-1990 (2 Masters, 1 British Open). He’s ranked #3 in the world right now, but it’s hard to argue that the current #2, Phil Mickelson, is playing as well as Paddy right now. In fact, it’s impossible. Phil really hasn’t contended in a major since he choked away the 2006 U.S. Open. He’s missed as many cuts (2) as he has top 10s in that time, and he didn’t really put any pressure on the final round leaders in either of those. His mind seems to be out of it and he still can’t hit a fairway, and until then, Paddy is the new top contender.

It will be interesting to see what kind of momentum Harrington can carry into next season and into the Masters in 7 months. There is a lot of time and one very important leg rehab before we get to see him try to complete a “Paddy Slam”, but in the meantime, he can bask in the glory of being Second Jumpability’s Winner of the Week.

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Tags: Brett Favre, China, Golf, Michael Phelps, MLB, NFL, Olympics, Paddy, Padraig Harrington, PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, Winner of the Week

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