COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Padraig Harrington walked by way of fairway Sunday on the 18th was whether or not to take a secure method and take an opportunity alongside Broadmoor curling, winding greenery, or be aggressive and never sustaining an opportunity.
He selected the second choice and knocked the shot to eight toes. The one huge choice within the subsequent jiffy was whether or not he ought to look forward to the man who hit the beat alone earlier than tapping to win the second US senior open title.
Harrington got here to the highest with a significant that seemed like a recreation play. At Senior Golf’s most well-known occasion, he has saved the method right into a easy two-putt par to seal the second title over the previous 4 years.
Harrington shot a 3-under 67 and completed at 11-under 209, edging Cink, who shot a 68 within the fourth spherical in the identical group.
“Typically, taking part in it safely will not be the correct choice,” mentioned Harrington, recalling recommendation Hale Irwin gave years in the past.
After seeing Harrington’s shot, he needed to be good, taking part in 30 yards in entrance of him on the sink-fairway. Nonetheless, his method landed on the cliff on the shelf and rotated backwards in direction of the middle of inexperienced. That was precisely the sort of end result that Harrington needed to keep away from the sooner moments. The ball on the sink could not relaxation till 35 toes away, and his determined birdie missed to the correct.
Each gamers throughout the tap-in vary of Parr closing the event, with Harrington being marked from about 3 inches, so there was a nasty pause and laughter, and the sink got here out and the Irish may faucet 18 on the finish.
“It examines your profession,” mentioned Harrington, who was a significant within the 2007 British Open and PGA after which in 2008 PGA. “It examines the previous in some ways. You relive the glory of the previous, hit photographs, waving to the group. Individuals are popping out as a result of they know you from the previous.”
Main champion once more!
Padraig Harrington gained the 2025 US Senior Open! pic.twitter.com/uby4d06cwq
– PGA Tour Champion (@ChampionStour) June 29, 2025
However this would possibly not be simple. This was the heartbreaker of Cink, 52, who appeared within the main championship on the 2009 British Open.
On a closing day that includes 5 basketball-like lead adjustments and three ties, Cink had a pair of seems inside six toes, with 16 and 17.
A 16-16 slid left, a 17-1 burned the sting and stayed on the correct. Cink hit extra inexperienced on 72 holes than anybody else (64), however downplayed the significance of it on this course, however seems to be right.
What actually issues is the putt. Cink wanted greater than two on the fourth day of the showdown than Harrington. That is the distinction between victory and loss.
“It is irritating as a result of I’ll hit a extremely good iron shot on the market and rise up there and power Harrington to make a barely extra heroic end than Perth,” Sink mentioned. “But it surely wasn’t. I do not know, it is broadmoor for you. I want I may put these two putts on prime.”
Harrington completed with seven straight pars and added this to the US senior open title he gained in 2022.
The one participant to attend Sunday’s present was Miguel Angel Gimenez. After opening with Bogey, Jimenez made eight birdies and pulled contained in the lead shot.
Nonetheless, he needed to yank the tee shot left on No. 18 and punch out and make a bogey. He nonetheless shot the event’s greatest spherical, 6 below 64, and completed with the third two shot.
“We’re human,” mentioned Jimenez, who gained the senior majors on the Kaurig Firm Championships final week. “I made a couple of errors.”
One other participant from Cink-Harrington Group – the participant was tee-off with three tee-offs to throb the climate – Mark Hensby.
Celebrating his 54th birthday, Hensby could not recall the magic and the share of the lead that led to 19 birdies within the first three days. He made solely twice on Sunday, capturing 73 over 3 and completed fourth with Thomas Bjorn with 5 below 5.
Harrington’s rigorous method at No. 18 solidified that greenery as the best factor he handled in per week.
The day earlier than a easy two-putt that concluded the event, Harrington tipped for a birdie from round 20 yards and when Sink missed out on a superb have a look at his birdie, Harrington was tied to the lead and arrange a four-game successful streak.
“It modified issues, I’ve no doubts about it,” Harrington mentioned. “I joined the final group and had a superb evening’s sleep. I used to be in a beautiful place to sleep final evening.”
I assumed Harrington’s Sunday evening could be even higher.
