Harrington overcomes distractions to lead Senior Open at Sunningdale
Padraig Harrington plays his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the 2025 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Picture: Logan Whitton/USGA
Padraig Harrington overcame falling acorns, a stray leaf and the inopportune arrival of a "bug" to card a bogey-free 65 and claim the halfway lead in the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale.
In an exercise of mind over matter, the recently crowned two-time US Senior Open champion managed to chisel out a score without having his best stuff and led by a shot from Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who shot 63, and defending champion KJ Choi, who shot 67 on eight under at halfway.
It was an impressive display of scoring by the Dubliner (53), who admitted he had the rub of the green on the famous Old Course.
"I rode my luck a lot today," Harrington said after a round that included brilliant recoveries from the heather at the 16th and the trees at the 17th. "Got my head in the game. Did a lot of good stuff mentally. Short game was sharp."
Despite a three-putt par at the long 14th, he used his length to two-putt for birdies at the first and the driveable ninth and 11th before following a birdie two at the long 15th with another from eight feet the last.
More impressively, he survived what he described as three "crazy" distractions.
"As I was teeing off on seven, I was nearly hit by an acorn coming out of the tree," Harrington said. "On that par-five (14th), a bug landed right down by my shoe as I took my backstroke, and I got completely distracted.
"Then on 17, it was actually a leaf. I didn't know what it was. Came in in front of my ball and nearly topped it. I had a weird day in many ways. They didn't cost me."
Despite scoring well, Harrington wants to play better over the weekend and add the Senior Open to his two wins in The Open Championship, having finished second twice and fifth last year.
"Look, I wouldn't want to play like that," he said on a day when Darren Clarke shot 69 to share 36th on one under but Paul McGinley missed the one-over cut by a shot after a 70.
"Well, I would like to score like that the next two days, but I wouldn't think I'm going to get away with it. Hopefully, it will improve a little bit over the next few days."
In the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, Leona Maguire has her work cut out to catch rookie Lottie Woad.
The English starlet shot a bogey-free, seven-under 65 to lead on her professional debut by two strokes from Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen and world number one Nelly Korda, who both shot 66, 12-under-par.
After winning the KPMG Women's Irish Open as an amateur — confirmed for the Palmer South Course at The K Club next August — by six shots, Woad finished third in the Amundi Evian Championship and turned professional.
She had eight single putts yesterday compared to just three for Maguire, who had 33 putts in a one-under 71 that left her tied for eighth, six shots off the pace.
At the 3M Open in Minnesota, Seamus Power carded a five under 66 to share 19th at halfway at TPC Twin Cities.
He is tied for 18th on nine under, just five shots behind Thorborn Olesen, who also shot 66 to lead by a shot on 14 under from Jake Knapp.
It might have been better for Power, who double bogeyed his last hole, the ninth, after taking four to get down from left of the green.
He made two birdies and an eagle at the 12th to go out in 32, and after going birdie-bogey at the second and third, he eagled the sixth and birdied the seventh before taking six at the ninth.
He was projected to move up to 121st in the FedEx Cup standings ahead of the final event of the regular season, next week’s Wyndham Championship.
