Mike Celizic

Who needs Tiger Woods? Certainly not the British Open, which showed that you can have must-watch golf even without the greatest player in the world at the top of the leaderboard.

All you need is the original major championship played on a great golf course with one of the world’s nastiest finishing holes and three or four golfers charging down the stretch alternating between miracles and catastrophes.

Then boil that down to two men, one, Sergio Garcia, a popular and charismatic Spaniard with a history of choking these things away, and the other, Padraig Harringnton, a much-beloved Irishman who’s arrived at the age of 35 without winning a major. Throw them in a playoff — four holes for the Claret Jug — and, voila! Great golf is yours.

Terrific competition is what makes any sport worth watching, and that’s what this was. When Tiger goes into the final round with the lead, tournaments turn into five-hour victory laps, more coronation than contest. Fans love watching Tiger, but where’s the fun in that?

The 136th British Open had what Tiger has a hard time providing — genuine, nail-biting tension. Harrington had it won, choked it away, saved it, won it again.

Garcia had it won, choked it away, got a second life and finally succumbed in overtime.

Not having Tiger is like not having the Yankees in the World Series — always a surprise, but not a disaster if there’s an equally good plot. And Garcia provided that plot line, playing the part of the Boston Red Sox — the 1986 version in this case — the popular guy trying to break a schneid.

And having another guy like him — Harrington — just made it more compelling as theater.

Okay, so none of this is going to matter at the John Deere Classic or the Bob Hope Invitational, where if there ain’t no Tiger, the casual fan is switching channels. But this was the British Open at Royal Carnoustie, the course which added the verb Van de Velde to the language, the course that can derail anyone at anytime, the course on which nothing is a foregone conclusion.

136th British Open Harrington beats Garcia in playoff Celizic: British Open was a bloody good time Opinion: Sergio needs more class, not talent Opinion: Carnoustie cruel to Garcia once again Opinion: Carnoustie's 18th is menace again Tiger fades into background at Carnoustie Romero pulls a Van de Velde one hole early   Slide show: Top images from Carnoustie Expert: Van de Velde revisited  | New worries Hole-by-hole breakdown   |  Coverage

If you didn’t remember Frenchman Jean Van de Velde’s incredible brain lock eight years ago on the 72nd hole of the 1999 Open, you were more than aware of it by the end of Sunday’s broadcast, thanks to endless replays of one of the greatest meltdowns in the history of sports. Van de Velde blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole. Van de Velde is still very much alive, but his ghost took up residence that day on the 18th at Carnoustie, waiting for the next would-be champion to see if he could do better. The specter found its prey when Harrington stepped on the tee with a one-stroke lead over Garcia.

By then, Harrington and Garcia were the only contenders left, and Garcia’s chances seemed to be somewhere between slim and none, with Harrington playing all but flawless golf down the stretch.

He had seemed immune to the pressure over the previous half dozen holes, when a cavalry charge had thundered into the home stretch. For most of the tournament, they had been led by Garcia, who fought desperately all day to conquer the erratic putting that had kept him from winning a big one until now.

Five or six men had legitimate shots at it, including multi-major winner Ernie Els, Andres Romero, Steve Stricker, Harrington and Garcia.

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

Mickelson thwarts Els, Tiger for HSBC victory Bo Bae Song wins Mizuno Classic HSBC returns to sponsor LPGA event Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Special section: Golf on NBC Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: