Harrington overcomes broken driver to lead US Senior Open
Padraig Harrington reacts after a putt on the fourth hole during the second round at the 2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course) in Bethlehem, Pa. on Friday, June 24, 2022. (Chris Keane/USGA)
Padraig Harrington overcame a broken driver during his warm up and what he called a rough patch mid-round on Friday to post a six-under-par 65 to lead the US Senior Open Championship by a shot from Steve Stricker at halfway on the Old Course at Saucon Valley Country Club.
Competing in his first US Senior Open, the three-time major champion opened with a rain-lashed 71 on Thursday before reeling off six birdies in a bogey-free round In Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, with three of the birdies coming in a five-hole stretch late in the round.
“I was happy with the level par [on Thursday], even though it could have been a lot lower,” said Harrington, who competed in six Ryder Cups for Team Europe, winning four, before captaining the losing side in 2021. “I knew with the better weather today, just stay patient. I holed a few putts. They didn’t drop yesterday.”
Harrington noted “a bit of drama” when he broke his driver in the middle of his pre-round warmup. “I had to replace the driver I played with yesterday, and this one flew a little higher, a bit more spin, so it was a little different,” said Harrington.
Though it didn’t cost him any strokes, Harrington felt like he was sidetracked by missing a short birdie try on No. 15.
“I missed a 3- or 4-footer and it kind of set me back,” said Harrington, who has three runner-up finishes in his last five starts but has yet to win on PGA Tour Champions. “I didn’t hit a good tee shot off 16 afterwards. Just felt at that moment I was trying a little bit too hard. … Just a couple of holes where I felt I was trying to do it rather than letting it happen. I definitely got back into it later on in the round.”
Stricker, of Madison, Wis., followed up an opening round of 3-under 68 with a 2-under 69 on Friday that was highlighted by a flurry of three birdies to close his round on Nos. 16-18.
“I had a couple of other opportunities on the back that I didn’t make,” said Stricker, who took a leave of absence from the tour for health reasons after the 2021 Ryder Cup, in which he captained the winning USA side.
“But I told my brother-in-law, Mario, who was caddieing for me, let’s try to get one or two coming in the last three holes. I just wanted to get back to even for the day and ended up birdieing the last three. It was a good way to finish the day.”
While Darren Clarke missed the five-over par cut by five shots after rounds of 74 and 78 the top 28 are covered by just seven strokes.
“We're halfway home; we have a jammed-up leader board," said Stricker, who is seeking his fifth senior major title and won the Regions Tradition last month by six strokes over Harrington.
"There's a lot of people up there. It's going to take some great golf this weekend to come out on top."
While he's been struggling with his knee, Harrington remains a force of nature in terms of his ball speed and revealed he hits the ball so hard he has now cracked three drivers.
"I just hit a lot of drivers, and they eventually crack," he explained. "I don't even use my tournament driver now when I'm at home practicing. Certainly wouldn't use it with a range ball or anything like that.
"But I do a lot of driver work, a lot of speed work. Especially with speed work, you're not hitting the middle of the club face, yeah.
"I think I'm the only one who's ever cracked one of those drivers, and I've done it three times now. I'm told the metal is the same metal they use in a Chinook helicopter blade, so I'm able to go through that."
Miguel Angel Jimenez, a two-time runner-up in the US Senior Open, improved on his opening round by 15 strokes when he shot the low round of the championship so far, a seven-under 64, to move into a tie for 22nd on one-over.
Defending champion Jim Furyk, who has struggled in 2021, bogeyed his final hole to make the cut on the number at five-over 147.
