"It has been awhile," Woods said. "I hadn't played good enough for anyone to cheer for anything, so it was nice to actually put it together on the back nine and put myself right back in the championship.

"Everyone was just so excited and fired up that it was just a great atmosphere to play in front of."

I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.

I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.

And yet if we have learned anything about Harrington, 36, it is that he is one of the most resilient players in the game today. He is not as gifted, nor does he possess the same skills as a Tiger Woods or a Phil Mickelson or even a Sergio Garcia, who was the tough-luck loser again on Sunday.

But the man has moxie. And that is why his victory comes as no surprise at all. The man loves it when his back his up against the wall. He shot a 4-under-par 66 to rally from three strokes back with nine holes to play, shooting another 32 on the back nine -- just like at Royal Birkdale -- to win by two strokes over Garcia and Ben Curtis.

"I just finished doing cartwheels," said Harrington's longtime coach, Bob Torrance, 76, when reached after midnight at his Scotland home. "The back nine was unbelievable. He holed some fantastic putts. And you have to do those things to win majors. He has gone well beyond and he is one of the top players in the world. He's just a great, unbelievable pressure player. Under the crush, he is just extremely good."

And that is exactly what Harrington relishes. He has now won three of the last six major championships -- not even Woods can say that, although he's missed the last two due to injury. Harrington undoubtedly took much from his Open victory last year in a playoff over Garcia at Carnoustie, and last month's four-shot win over Ian Poulter at Royal Birkdale.

Along the way, he won seven of 16 events, including last month's PGA Championship -- his 13th major title -- and the season-ending Tour Championship yesterday in Atlanta. Being the first golfer to earn the silver FedEx Cup trophy and receive its $10 million annuity prize was just a bonus, he said.

"For me, I don't look at what the purse is or prize money," Woods said in a post-round press conference yesterday. "When you play, you play to win. That's the way I was raised."

When asked what mattered more to him, the Tour Championship or the FedEx Cup, Woods hardly hesitated. He declined to be the first to kiss the FedEx Cup trophy, though PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem urged him to do so before presenting him with it on East Lake Golf Club's 18th green.

"Winning the FedEx Cup is one thing, but I think as a player you always want to win the Tour Championship," said Woods, who finished at 23-under-par, eight shots ahead of Mark Calcavecchia and Zach Johnson. "There's history involved."