Padraig Harrington entered Sunday with a golden opportunity to be the third consecutive first-time participant to win the U.S. Senior Open, and after a touch-and-go final round, he sealed the deal.
Harrington, who teed off at 2:50 p.m. with a -11 on his scorecard on the final day of the tournament, finished at 10-under-par to claim victory at the 42nd annual Senior Open, which started on Thursday at Saucon Valley Country Club. It was the 50-year-old Irishman’s first time participating in the Senior Open. The two previous winners, Jim Furyk in 2021 and Steve Stricker in 2019 (2020′s event was canceled due to COVID-19), were also victorious in their Senior Open debuts.
Stricker finished at nine-under-par and Pennsylvania-native Furyk finished at four-over-par.
After the third round, Harrington had a sizable five-stroke lead, followed closest by 2016 champion Gene Sauers and Rob Labritz, both tied at six-under-par. But by the the middle of his round on Sunday, Harrington’s lead had shrunk, and Stricker had made his way toward the top, shooting six-under-par on the day to come within a stroke of Harrington.
While it got a little too close for comfort, Harrington was still able to hold onto his lead while facing down some long putts on the final three holes, eventually hoisting the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy.
This week marked the third time Saucon Valley Country Club has hosted the tournament. The Senior Open was previously played at the club in 1992 and 2000. The tournament was held on the club’s Old Course all three times.
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Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
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