Legend Tom Watson yesterday backed Padraig Harrington's final hole fling at Muirfield and declared - He will win a Major.

The five-times Open champion believes the Dubliner was right to hit the driver and go for glory.

But Ireland's Christy O'Connor Junior disagrees.

Harrington's final hole bogey eventually cost him a place in the play-off for the title but Watson believes that it was the correct club and that a Major win is just around the corner.

Said Watson: "He's been knocking on the door a bunch of times. He's going to be there. I wouldn't be surprised if he wins a Major. I wouldn't be surprised at all.

"But I can't give him any advice. He's got to play the tournament two or three shots better than he has been playing.

"Every golfer can figure out how to save three shots. His decision to take driver at the last, that's okay. I think the decision of Levet made was a bad decision, both times."

Frenchman Thomas Levet used the driver at the sudden death playoff hole but ended up missing the fairway and taking a bogey.

But Watson feels that the Irishman was right to go with his instincts.

"Levet was 100 percent wrong. Not Padraig, he was two shots behind and where that pin position was located he felt that to get the ball close he needed to go with a shorter club.

"I hit driver in the practice round there and then an eight iron, which lets you stop the ball close to the hole. But with a four or five iron you can't get the ball close to that particular pin.

"When you are behind I can't argue the fact that he hit the driver. But with Levet it was the wrong decision."

But Christy O'Connor Jnr feels that Harrington made a fatal error.

He said: "Well he didn't throw away the Open. His final score would have won many Opens. He thinks took the right decision but I would not have hit driver down the last.

"He had used the two-iron all week and he knew the hole exactly and he's such a great iron player and a very good long-iron player. But of course that's how he saw it and he didn't want to lose the Open from being called a coward.

"I don't think he would have been called a coward. He had a hell of a golf tournament and any time you finish just a shot behind it's a hell of an Open. He did awfully well."

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© Brian Keogh 2002

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