Harrington and Keane enjoy thrill of victory
Jonathan Keane celebrates after winning the South of Ireland Men's Amateur Open. Credit ©INPHO/Ben Brady
Pádraig Harrington was not as outwardly emotional as Lahinch’s Jonathan Keane but he was certainly as “thrilled” to win the ISPS HANDA Senior Open and become just the fifth man in history to hoist the Claret Jug and the the Senior Open trophy.
As Kilfenora schoolteacher Keane (25) became the first Lahinch man to win the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland title for 57 years in west Clare, Harrington (53) joined Gary Player, Bob Charles, Tom Watson and Darren Clarke in an exclusive club at Sunningdale’s Old Course.
Thirty years after he lost his second successive South of Ireland final at Lahinch, Harrington closed with a three-under 67 to win by three shots from Justin Leonard and Thomas Bjorn on 16 under par.
Pádraig Harrington. with the Senior Open trophy. Picture: Getty Images
“Right now I'm just thrilled to have won the tournament and gone out there and played well,” said two-time Open champion Harrington, who claimed his third senior major and became just the third man after Player and Bernhard Langer to win the Senior Open and the US Senior Open in the same season.
Conscious that his days of winning might be running short, he added: “I think that will seep in. I know you were talking about how I won The Open, to win the Senior Open, there's only five players, so you want to be in that category.
“I think they are the sort of things that you realise over the next couple of days, the significance of it. I'm thrilled, euphoric, that I've gotten it done
“There are some great names on the trophy. I was watching it coming out last night. I was looking up inside at the board that has all the winners.”It's a deep sense of satisfaction.
“I'm kind of on a high of winning, but then there will be that deep sense of satisfaction knowing that you've done both.
“And especially you come to this stage, there's only a certain window. You know, you can win later on as a senior but the window, they say, sort of up to about 55, 56, so you want to get it done.
Scenes. Jonathan Keane wins the South with a birdie at the last. pic.twitter.com/RAJFLLElRs
— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) July 27, 2025
“And having had a couple of second places, I didn't want to leave it too long. It would start becoming a problem if you don't win it too soon, and I'm glad I got mine.
More than 500 miles away in Co Clare, Keane claimed an emotional win at Lahinch, making a five footer for birdie on the 18th green ringed by hundreds of local supporters to beat Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty one up and become the first local Lahinch member since his watching boyhood coach JD Smyth in 1968 to capture the coveted ‘South’.
"I don't know what to say," Keane reflected after a day when he beat Edmondstown's Liam Abom 2&1 in the semi-finals and 2018 champion Rafferty played the first five holes in five-under en route to a 5&3 win over Grange’s Jake Whelan.
"Absolutely delighted. This has been my dream since ever I joined this golf club, and for it to come true, it's absolutely unbelievable. Just thrilled. Thrilled.”
Two up at the turn, Keane was just one up after 11 holes but after winning the 12th to go two up again, he lost the 15th and 16th.
Pegged back to all square, there was a chance the dream could evaporate but after making a nerveless eight footer for par at the 17th to remain all flat, he drilled a 240 yard five-iron to 50 feet at the 18th and two putted for birdie and victory as Rafferty failed to get up and down from short of the green.
He dropped his putter and put his hands over his eyes in disbelief as his father, Johnny, and mother, Mary, ran onto the 18th green to envelop him in an emotional embrace.
Chaired from the green by his supporters, he recalled afterwards how he was out of the game for nearly three years with a back injury.
But thanks to medical advice from two Lahinch Golf Club members, doctors Gerry O'Sullivan and Conor O’Brien, and seven months off strength and conditioning work with former champion Robbie Cannon, he came back stronger than ever in 2023 before going on to achieve his dream.
"I have to give credit to those three men there for helping me come back from that injury," he said as mentor Smyth gave him some final words of advice before he headed out to make the sweetest of victory speeches.
It was also a special day for England’s Lottie Woad, who closed with a four-under 68 to win the ISPS HANDA Scottish Women’s Open and her first LPGA Tour title on her professional debut.
First home winner since 1968. https://t.co/NgouxZfv8X pic.twitter.com/l6NvZgbwfc
— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) July 27, 2025
“Yeah, I think it's quite hard to do that, but very special to win in my first event,” said Woad, who romped to a six-shot win in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur last month.
She won by three shots on 21 under from Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim while Leona Maguire shot 71 to tie for 16th in six under heading into this week’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl.
In the 3M Open in Minnesota, Kirt Kitayama shot a six under 65 to win by a shot from Sam Stevens on 23 under at TPC Twin Cities.
Seamus Power tied for 28th on 13 under after a 70 and lies 130th in the FedEx Cup.
