Padraig Harrington had a memorable finish to his third round at the Senior British Open. After that, he capped with a birdie on the last hole, finishing with an eye-popping 5-under 65. That stellar run puts Harrington as a first-round leader with a two-shot improvement on 1998 champion Justin Leonard. Both players now find themselves tied going into the last round of the tournament. Harrington’s 54-hole total score is an equally impressive 13-under 197. This accomplishment highlights his high level of play at the venerable Old Course at Sunningdale.
The Senior British Open has attracted significant attention not only for its competitive field but for the prestige associated with its winner. With three weeks in the United Kingdom honing his links golf prowess since the Scottish Open, Harrington displayed that rare magic touch. He took over the tournament with bravado and talent to spare. He stole the lead with stunning consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. He followed that with a hammer closing birdie, extending his advantage over Leonard to six strokes.
During the course of the round, four of those players, Harrington included, at one point had a piece of the lead. Leonard countered Harrington’s hot start with his own, catching fire for a second straight day with a 65 to stay squarely in contention. The two champions Harrington and Leonard, both previous British Open winners. Harrington’s victories at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale, Leonard’s win at Royal Troon in 1997. Now, they go head-to-head for yet another illustrious crown.
As the leaderboard continues to take shape, Thomas Bjorn is three strokes back of Harrington after firing a 67. This very strong performance place him on a strong footing to mount a challenge. Steven Alker started the day at 73. Today, he was putting forth a tremendous effort to get back into striking distance as we headed to the final round.
This year’s Senior British Open makes it even more enticing. Most importantly, the winner receives a trip to next year’s 154th playing of the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Either Harrington or Leonard could make history by becoming the fifth player to win both the Open and Senior British Open titles.
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