COLUMBUS, Ohio — Padraig Harrington’s first two U.S. Senior Open titles weren’t determined till the ultimate gap.
His record-tying third-place end was drama-free as he reached the again 9 on Sunday.
Harrington shot a final-round 66 at Scioto Nation Membership to win by 4 strokes and grow to be the fourth golfer to defend his U.S. Senior Open title.
The 54-year-old Irishman additionally joins Miller-Barber as the one three-time winners within the event’s 46-year historical past.
“I really like setting data and being part of it’s a large deal. It simply exhibits you ways tough it’s,” Harrington stated after profitable his fourth senior main. “You see the blokes coming collectively and also you understand that is your solely likelihood to win this event. They instructed me and the opposite guys that 56-57 is the profitable proportion after which it goes downhill shortly.”
“However that is what I assumed and felt. You solely have a sure period of time to win a serious on the senior tour, not since you’re getting older, however as a result of new gamers are coming in.”
Harrington can be the one golfer to win back-to-back U.S. Senior Opens, becoming a member of Barber (1985), Gary Participant (1988) and Allen Doyle (2006).
Harrington completed at 12-under 268 with birdies on his first two holes, 4 birdies and just one bogey. Third-round chief Stewart Cink completed runner-up for the second 12 months in a row. Cink bogeyed two of his first three holes and struggled with accuracy for a lot of the day, taking pictures a 71 to complete at 8 below 272.
“It is an awesome feeling, however we did not have the drama on the finish like we normally do,” stated Harrington, who gained by one stroke in 2022 and 2025. “I knew I had an awesome lead, so I used to be in a position to play to the center of the inexperienced and hit some pictures. To let off all of the stress, I hit some large pictures once I obtained house.”
That is Harrington’s twelfth PGA Tour Champions victory, and his first for the reason that Senior British Open final July.
George McNeil, one other member of the Harrington Sink group, shot a 71 to complete at 6-under 274. Ian Poulter (67) was fourth at 5-under 275, adopted by Retief Goossen (67), Jamie Donaldson (68) and Paul Stankowski (69) at 4-under 276.
Cink hit simply 2 of seven fairways on the entrance 9, ending his possibilities of changing into the primary participant to win three senior majors in a single 12 months.
“It is all the time enjoyable to go all the way in which to the top when there’s a lot at stake. At this time we performed so badly that the championship was on the road, however we have been nonetheless preventing arduous for second place,” he stated. “It has been a very long time since I’ve had a day the place I felt prefer it was tough from begin to end. However right now we did it. The scorecard speaks for itself.”
Sink had a one-stroke lead after 54 holes, however Harrington took the lead with 5 swings within the first three holes. This was the second race in a row that the race began early regardless of the climate.
Harrington began by sinking a 15-foot putt on the par 4 to tie with Cink. He then hit his second shot to inside three ft of the cup on the second par-4 gap to take a two-stroke lead and simply make birdie, however Sink made bogey.
After Harrington made bogey on the par-5 sixth, Cink birdied the par-4 seventh to shut the lead by two factors.
Momentum shifted again to Harrington on the par-4 eighth. Cinque chosen his driver off the tee, but it surely landed scorching on the left facet of the green, bounced arduous a number of occasions, and rolled into the creek on the fitting facet of the green.
Sink ended up with a bogey, and Harrington sank a 30-foot birdie putt to double his benefit.
“It was positively a crusher. I wasn’t hitting quite a lot of good tee balls, so I lastly obtained my tee ball straight, and I hit an awesome ball, and I obtained a penalty shot, and Padraig made the putt,” stated Cink. “We stay within the current, so we do not all the time really feel that form of change in momentum, however wanting again, I am certain there most likely was.”
