PÁDRAIG Harrington survived a final-round cost by his Ryder Cup nemesis Steve Stricker to win the US Senior Open and his first senior Main by a shot at Saucon Valley Nation Membership in Pennsylvania.
he Dubliner (50) began the day 5 photographs away from Gene Sauers and Rob Labritz and eight forward of successful 2021 US Ryder Cup captain Stricker on 11-under.
Regardless of making two birdies and two bogeys to guide by six on the flip, Harrington noticed his lead lowered to only one when he bogeyed the tenth and eleventh and Stricker, enjoying three teams forward, birdied twelfth, 14th and seventeenth.
The American then hit his strategy to 5 ft on the final, however earlier than he made his putt to attract stage and set the goal at nine-under with a six-under 65, Harrington rattled in a 25-footer on the fifteenth to go clear once more.
He wanted three pars to win and after a fragile two-putt from 40 ft on the sixteenth, he ran a 45-footer six ft previous on the par-three seventeenth however made the return, then two-putted the 18th from 35 ft, rolling in a three-footer for a one-over 72 and his first win for the reason that 2016 Portugal Masters.
“It’s robust to guide from the entrance and it’s even harder when it’s Steve Stricker behind you,” Harrington mentioned.
“He’s form of received one up on me. Perhaps I owed him one right here right this moment however he actually had my quantity a couple of occasions.
“I would’ve fancied one other participant coming behind me however not Steve Stricker. He had one over on me so I’m pleased sufficient to get it achieved ultimately.”
After following Stricker and Jim Furyk as a 3rd participant in a row to win the US Senior Open on their debut, Harrington added: “It ’s very particular. The explanation I’m on the Champions Tour and the explanation I’m out right here is I wish to win. I wish to win the massive occasions. I wish to win the majors on the Champions Tour.
“You exit on the common tour and in the event you’re not successful the event and also you’re ending thirtieth or fortieth it’s a battle. However with the crowds cheering you on and rooting for you, and rooting in opposition to you in locations, that’s why we do it. ‘
“My caddie [Ronan Flood] saved reminding me of that as we have been going alongside. ‘Would you wish to be wherever else?’ As robust because the day is coming down the stretch with a one shot lead he saved reminding me, ‘would you wish to be wherever else?’ You’d’ve taken this in the beginning of the week.”
Impressed by the golf course, Harrington praised the USGA on the greens workers, including: “The USGA gave us an actual take a look at. It’s unbelievable to exit and play actual golf. You’re feeling such as you’re underneath strain on a regular basis on the market so it was positively a USGA occasion.
“It was a battling week and I knew that might swimsuit me. It form of put a bit extra strain on me at occasions however thanks to the USGA for organising a very robust take a look at.”
Within the KPMG Ladies’s PGA at Congressional, Stephanie Meadow clinched her first prime 10 in a Main for eight years when she closed with a two-over 74 to complete tied tenth behind wire-to-wire winner In Gee Chun.
The Jordanstown star (30) picked up $156,315 (€148,000) as she completed on level-par, 5 photographs behind the Korean, who added a 3rd main to her wins within the 2015 US Ladies’s Open and 2016 Evian Championship.
After opening with a surprising 64 to guide by 5 photographs, Chun noticed her lead lowered to simply three strokes with a spherical to go.
She turned in four-over-par to path Lexi Thompson by two strokes however got here residence in one-under because the American’s placing let her down and he or she bogeyed the sixteenth and seventeenth for a 73 that left her tied second with Mingee Lee, who shot 70, on four-under.
Within the Vacationers Championship in Connecticut, Rory McIlroy closed with a three-under 67 to complete tied nineteenth on nine-under, ten strokes behind Xander Schauffele, who birdied the 18 with a wedge to a few ft to win by two strokes at TPC River Highlands.
Schauffele began the day a shot forward of pal Patrick Cantlay, who light to tied thirteenth after a 76.
However whereas rookie Sahith Theegala took a one-shot lead down the 18th, he drove right into a fairway bunker and ran up a double-bogey six for a 67 to share second with JT Poston as Séamus Energy signed for a level-par 70 to tie for twenty fifth on eight-under.
