Fast Start Leads To Harrington’s Third U.S. Senior Open Triumph

Thursday afternoon there was chatter in the U.S. Senior Open media area about whether or not to bring Padraig Harrington in for a full press conference or just grab quick quotes immediately after his round.

The verdict?

“Ehh we’ll grab quick quotes now, we’ll be seeing him for the rest of the week,” the staffer stated.

Sure enough, those words proved prophetic as Harrington ran away with his third U.S. Senior Open Sunday afternoon at Scioto Country Club, becoming the second three-time winner, joining Miller Barber.

Harrington also is the fourth golfer to repeat as champion.

“It feels great, but obviously there wasn’t the drama that I know we normally provide down the stretch,” he opened. “That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t feeling it. I was really trying to stay in it, stay focused. I knew I had a nice lead which let me play to the middle of the greens, let me hit the shots.

“I hit some big shots coming on the way home to take all the stress out of it. I had a great week putting, which, golf is easier when you putt well.

“That good start really got me going and put me in good position, probably the birdie on 6 being pivotal after the bogey on 5. That got me back in the comfort zone. I hit the shots I needed to hit on the way home, and very, very pleased not to have created too much drama today.”

Indeed, Harrington opened with birdies on his first two holes, while third-round leader Stewart Cink bogeyed the second and third, creating a three-shot swing early on that would not be surrendered.

Before the tournament began, Harrington was unsure if Scioto suited his game with the driver being taken away and admitted to feeling pressure being the defending champion that led to him being tentative for part of Thursday.

Instead, Harrington conquered Scioto and dictated play for all of Sunday.

“Obviously we say things in warmup to tournaments just to get our head in the right space,” reminded Harrington. “Maybe, I’m not the straightest driver in the world and maybe this course actually ended up suiting me, that I could actually play it quite a bit with my 3-wood and 5-wood and not have to hit driver.

“I’m substantially straighter with the other clubs, so today that proved that. I kept the ball in play nicely by not using my driver and obviously hit it in the middle of the greens, good iron play and good putting. I might have thought it didn’t suit me, but it might have at the end of the day.”

Cink was seeking to become the first-ever PGA Tour Champions golfer to win the season’s first three majors in succession, but couldn’t shake off his start.

Though he called his play poor, Cink did say he was fighting hard for second, which he accomplished in consecutive years, edging George McNeill, the third member of the final grouping.

Cink admitted he was not in the best frame of mind confidence-wise coming into the week because he had been off for a while and was displeased with his practice coming in.

“To come in here with some question marks and put myself in position to realistically win, I’m really proud of that, to be able to kind of fight through this week today wasn’t very good at all, but there were stretches Thursday and Friday that were just really bad. I mixed in some good with it, too,” said Cink. “I had a great round yesterday, one of the best of the year. I think it was a tournament that I think I’ve shown myself that I don’t have to be firing on every cylinder in turbo boost to be out here winning.

“I don’t feel like I had a lot and still managed my way around. That’s where your game plan and your process and just your overall preparation mentally, emotionally, all that stuff, those kinds of intangibles take over when you’re not in the slot, so to speak. I really wasn’t flushing it. It caught up with me a little bit today, but I’ll look back at this week and think about Saturday’s round… I’ll learn something from today. I’ll evaluate it and figure out if there was anything I could have done differently.”

For his part McNeill competed but the putts that were dropping during the first round were not doing the same during the weekend.

Haymes Snedeker was the first amateur to make the U.S. Senior Open cut since 2023 and as a result earned the low-amateur medal.

Snedeker’s 284 total strokes are the third-lowest of any amateur in the event’s 46-year history. His caddie, David French, is Scioto’s club champion.

“For somebody like me that just plays amateur golf, again, I don’t know how to put into words how this has made me feel this week with all the people that have reached out to me, childhood teachers, friends in the golf community, you name it,” Snedeker opened up. “Everybody has reached out. It’s just been incredible. I don’t want it to end. I was telling David when we got done on the last hole, man, I don’t want to walk off this green because then real life is waiting for you when you’re off the green, right?

Low amateur Haymes Snedeker shakes hands with USGA CEO Mike Whan during the trophy ceremony during the final round of the 2026 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, July 5, 2026. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)

Harrington likened being in the final group of a major to riding a roller coaster and the further you get away from being on it, the more enjoyment is.

He explained then that he understood this is why he does it and would not want to be anywhere else, but there would be questioning his decisions at times.

There were few loops and drops in Sunday’s rollercoaster but, save for a bogey on the fifth hole, the ending was very smooth, exactly how Harrington desired.

“I’m 54, and there’s new guys coming on, and it’s the first time that I’ve been knocked back a little bit since I’ve got to the Champions Tour when I see these new guys like, oh, these guys are good, as in I had an advantage,” Harrington concluded. “Now I’m seeing guys coming along, and I’m kind of realizing there is only a window to win these tournaments. They have told me, other players, that it’s kind of up to about 56, 57, then it starts going downhill pretty quickly.

“Certainly I was thinking that way and feeling that way, that you only have a set period to get your major wins on the senior tour because not that you’re getting older but new guys are coming in.”

THEY SAID IT

“It was great. I expected a tough course. You never know — you can do all the practice you want at home. I’m just really happy to be here. I turned 50, and I’m excited to have the chance to be able to play these and be part of this again and be part of kind of the golf circuit. I’m really looking forward to next year.” – Pat Perez (T8)

“I didn’t know what to expect. What I did know was everybody that plays out here, major winners, multiple major winners, prolific winners on the PGA Tour, European legends, it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew these guys had and have still got it, so I knew I had to play well. I did play well. But it was great fun for me. It was great to have a run on the front nine today and to really enjoy the first over-50 event.” – Ian Poulter (4)

“What was interesting this week, they did a mixture because of the style of greens. You did have some nice pins if you were in positions, and they had some really, really tough pins, as well. It really has the feel of a real major. That shocked me originally. I look forward to coming back every year. This is like could I play one like this every week? You have to be patient. You have to be — all the traits that I’ve built my own career on line up at a U.S. Open. I never won one for real, but I always loved playing them because your mental fortitude was so important during the week of a U.S. Open. Again, of all our senior events, this is the one that would stand out for asking those mental questions as much as the physical questions.” – Harrington on the U.S. Senior Open