Padraig Harrington is not such a leaderboard -viewer. So when Thomas Bjorn, in the last round of the Senior Open Championship on Sunday, played the 11th and 12th holes in the penultimate coupling behind Harrington, Birdied to get Harrington’s 13-under the lead, Harrington did not have the foundest.
“The only time I saw a leaderboard was at 18,” Harrington said after the round. ‘I asked Ronan [Flood, his caddie] What was my lead on 17 and never looked at a classification. Was fully focused on what I did. ‘
We can debate in another room about the advantages and disadvantages of peeking scores in the play, but Harrington had a plan and he held on to it.
He would be the 17th bogey, but it doesn’t matter – at that moment he still gave a comfortable lead and his first senior open title was in his claws. After a par at 18, Harrington finished three free from Bjorn and Justin Leonard to become one of only five players who have won both the Open Championship and Senior Open Championship.
Another nice sidebar to Harrington’s victor on Sunday in Sunningdale? Rory Mcilroy was there to witness it.
Or part of it, anyway.
McIlroy, who recently moved to a new house in nearby Wentworth, crashed through the old Sunningdale course to take part of the fourth round action. In dark sunglasses and with neatly cut, he strolled the building and posed for photos with fans. Harrington’s response to the reigning Masters champion?
“I didn’t see him there,” he said reporters. “Was he outside?”
When a reporter joked: “He was not in a beard but incognito,” Harrington said, “I had my head down all day. I never saw anyone. I had no idea.”
After his victory, Harrington, who was twice in second place in the previous OpenS and once 5th, spoke about the importance of finally the upper hand in this championship at the relatively young age of 53.
“You start to end in those positions, and suddenly it becomes a bit of a millstone around your neck,” he said. “You want to get this victory on the line early. You know, the Golden Age for winning on the Champions Tour is a bit to about 55, 56. So it wanted to leave for a few years or it would be harder and harder.”
McIlroy can relate to another level.
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