Padraig Harrington had been looking forward to some "stress free" golf in Bermuda.

Mid Ocean Club and Angel Cabrera certainly spoiled those plans.

The British Open champion had seemed certain to cap off his remarkable year by winning the PGA Grand Slam.

Entering the second round he was a shot clear of Cabrera, an advantage he increased to five after the Argentine's staggering triple-bogey start.

But the manner in which Cabrera unwaveringly chipped away at the lead to send the match into a thrilling play-off finish was uncannily similar to Harrington's play-off victory at Carnoustie, over Sergio Garcia.

It was a case of role reversal with the Dubliner on this occassion the unfortunate prey, rather than the successful hunter.

"When you're leading, especially by a few shots you're definitely defensive in your play," said Harrington. "You're cautious about your shots and your club selection. It's always easier to chase and when you make some birdies you feel like you're playing well.

"Whereas a guy leading a tournament makes a few bogeys he thinks he's playing bad. It's a strange scenario.

"It was hard to go into a play-off. I certainly didn't feel like going into a play-off. I didn't see any advantage that I had."

Zach Johnson also staged an impressive comeback of his own, which seemed to almost go unnoticed by the 6,000 or so spectators.

The Masters champion confessed the adrenalin was particularly pumping when reduced his four-shot deficit to just one after his birdie at hole 16.

"I had a chance coming down the stretch and a couple of times here and a couple of times there it could have been different," said Johnson. "It was great.

"I think Mid Ocean Club did an outstanding job and the whole of Bermuda stepped up. The fans were great, the course was awesome, it's been a great stay."

"But the greens are difficult," he added. "They're difficult from three feet, let alone 20 feet. I did struggle with the overall lay of the land versus the slope of the green."

His sentiments regarding the challenging course were echoed by Jim Furyk who said he had never seen four professional golfers hit so many bad putts.

"We were not only missing them short and long, but right and left. The penalty lies in the greens. They're manicured better than I could ever imagine. Some of the best Bermuda greens I've ever putted on. The greens are massive. Just getting on the greens doesn't do you too much good.

"This greens here are definitely more tricky than in Hawaii (where the Grand Slam was previously staged)."

Furyk, fresh from 40 winks for the first time on the Island, was arguably the standout player during the front nine, shooting two birdies and seven pars.

But a severely overcooked bunker shot at hole 11 betrayed his excellent early work, with Furyk having to take a penalty, shooting a triple bogey.

"I went out there and actually played 17 very good holes," he said.

"I played very, very well and I made one bad swing, second shot on 11. I got into a funny spot in the bunker and somehow turned what should have been a par into a triple bogey eight.

"That was pretty much the story of my week and I lost by a couple of shots. I fought back pretty good, birdied four holes on the way in, but hole 11 definitely took my chances away."