Wednesday 24 February 2016 12:32, UK
Padraig Harrington is confident that his game is "going in the right direction" as he prepares to defend his Honda Classic title in Florida this week.
Harrington defied the odds and a nervy finish at PGA National last year as he ended a six-and-a-half year winless run on the PGA Tour with his play-off victory over emerging youngster Daniel Berger.
The three-time major champion was on course for a win in regulation, but he found water off the tee at the short 17th and double-bogeyed before bouncing back with a superb birdie at the last from 15 feet to force extra holes.
Harrington then knocked a stunning five-iron to three feet back at the 17th, and his sixth PGA Tour title was assured when Berger failed to find dry land.
The Irishman, who also lifted the title at Mirasol in 2005, said: "It's great to be back. Obviously the Honda has been a good tournament for me having won twice here, and it is always interesting coming back as a defending champion - it puts a little bit more pressure and stress on the week.
"In many ways, you can't treat this just as another normal week. It's a different week and you have to take a little bit of a different attitude coming into it. Certainly it's like coming to a major, you have to reduce your workload during the week because there's lots of things going on."
Harrington admits he has been struggling with his putting in recent seasons, but he insists he feels more comfortable on the greens despite a disappointing final round at Riviera on Sunday.
"I'm very comfortable with my game," he added. "The long game hasn't really changed much over the years, but my putting has been struggling a bit and that has come back well, so I'm pleased about that.
"I know it's a cliche in the game, but when you start holing putts and you're holing out better, it does lead to a lot less stress during the round and a lot more confidence in your game. I see an improvement in my putting, which really bleeds through my game.
"Clearly it wasn't there on Sunday, and probably the last two Sundays I've played. But what I've been doing in my game, I see some nice things about it and I need to carry it through 72 holes, but I'm happy that it's going in the right direction."
Harrington conceded that he made things difficult for himself at Palm Beach Gardens last year when he made his huge error at 17, and he revealed he was more comfortable chasing the lead rather than defending it.
"I tend to have a little bit of an issue with having a lead," he said. "I relax a little bit at times and get a bit defensive. I think I've always played my best golf when it's on the line, I'm under pressure, and I get the feeling that I've got nothing to lose.
"If I get a lead, I have a habit of coming back to the pack and making it tight and if I don't have a lead, I end up catching the leaders and making it tight. Ultimately, most of my tournament wins have always come down to the last hole."
Harrington also enjoys the "major feel" of playing at PGA National, which is regarded as one of the toughest venues on the PGA Tour schedule.
He said: "This golf course plays like a major tournament, no doubt about it. There are a lot of big shots out here and you've got to 'man up' quite a bits and take on those shots.
"Six-under par won last year, although I got to nine-under at one stage. You don't generally see people getting to a score and coming backwards unless it's on a major-type golf course. This is everything a major would be, and it's very capable of holding a major.
"But it's a big tournament and the best players are turning up. You see all the best Europeans that are coming over. If you can win here, you can win a major and that's why you see guys here. This is definitely a warm-up in terms of the attitude that you need in a major.
"If you've got the skills to get around here, you know you can win in any major golf course."
