Harrington roars back in Phoenix mix with sizzling 63 as Meadow kisses Tour Championship goodbye
Padraig Harrington during the 2022 Senior PGA Championship. Photo by Montana Pritchard/PGA of America
Pádraig Harrington fired a sensational eight-under par 63 to roar back into contention for back-to-back wins at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Arizona.
The Dubliner found himself six shots behind Ernie Els after a sluggish 69 on day one at Phoenix Country Club when his win in the TimberTech Championship last Sunday, coupled with his seven-shot win last year, added up to self-imposed pressure to perform.
But forced by necessity "to shoot a low one” last night, the Dubliner (52) went bogey-free to jump from 16th to tied third at halfway.
He's just one stroke behind New Zealand's Steven Alker and American Marco Dawson, tied for third with Senior Open champion Alex Cejka, Harrison Frazar and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee.
"When I tweeted that out (yesterday)— it's a 72-hole tournament—I also meant that I better get back in it quick because this is the reality of the Champions Tour," Harrington said.
"You can't fall too far behind; there's too many guys going to go forward.
"So yeah, it was important to come out and shoot a low one today."
As Els shot 70 to fall back into a tie for ninth on seven-under, Alker and Dawson fired seven-under 64s to hit the front.
But Harrington, who won the season-ending event by seven shots last year, revealed his heightened expectations made it more difficult to free up and play his flowing game.
"I think I went out there yesterday with a lot of expectations and was getting a little bit down on myself at times,” the three-time Major champion explained.
"And even today, my caddie said after I hit a good shot on one hole, he said, you know, you can smile.
"I think that kind of happens at times when you have those expectations when you're defending, when you feel like you're playing great, you can put yourself under a little bit too much pressure.
"Your best performances sometimes come when—I know it's a cliche—when you let it happen.”
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire shot a one-over 71 but made the one-under cut with a shot to spare in The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
The Co Cavan star is 45th on two-under, ten strokes behind Solheim Cup teammate Emily Christine Pedersen of Denmark.
But Stephanie Meadow's season came to an end when she missed the weekend action by three shots.
Ranked 69th in the Race to CME standings with only the top 60 making next week's CME Group Tour Championship, Meadow needed a top 15 finish to have any chance of making it to Tiburón Golf Club.
But after fighting back from two-over after six holes to get inside the cut line with two holes to play, she finished bogey, double-bogey and signed for a two-over 72 to miss the cut by three strokes.
Pedersen made eight birdies in a five-under 65 to lead by two shots from Japan's Minami Katsu, who shot 67, on 12-under-par.
On the PGA TOUR, Sweden's Alex Noren added a 66 to his opening 61 as he chases his maiden PGA Tour win in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The former Ryder Cup star led by two strokes from Ryan Moore, Ryan Brehm and Japan's Satoshi Kodaira on 15-under par when play was suspended due to darkness.
Noren's 36-hole aggregate of 127 was his lowest on the PGA TOUR and a record for the event and he’s hoping the wind blows at the weekend at Port Royal Golf Course.
"Otherwise, maybe there are too many, like low 60s and it's hard to defend a lead, especially with sort of a different mentality it is to lead to being 20th," Noren said after a day of 20 mph gusts.
"It's easier to shoot 61 when you're 20th somehow. It shouldn't be, but that's the mind playing tricks on you. So I want to see it a little tougher.
"A little bit tougher than today would be ideal.”
