Since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2022, Padraig Harrington has had quite the senior career—which should come as no surprise now that he is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
He burst onto the 50-and-older scene with a vengeance, winning the 2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania. He has added eight more titles since then, which now includes this week’s Simmons Bank Championship in Arkansas.
The Irishman made six birdies en route to a 5-under 67 on Sunday to claim his third title of the season. He won by two over Y.E. Yang, who famously defeated Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship in Minnesota.
Harrington’s victory also improved his ranking in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, which is similar to the FedEx Cup. The Dubliner is now fourth with only one event left this season: the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club in two weeks’ time.
“I haven’t done the maths, but I’m told I’m up to fourth. I’m not sure how much I’m behind,” Harrington said after the win.
“Hopefully, I’m close enough that a win would take care of it, not a win and second sort of thing. Look, you want to be in the Charles Schwab Cup with a chance, you want to be there the last week if you play well, and look, there’s nothing taken for granted out here. You’ve got to shoot — I say this: In these three rounds, it’s 17 under par this week, at least 15 most weeks, so you’ve got to hole the putts, and you’ve got to get the breaks. Okay, 72 holes, I prefer that, but you’ve still got to get the breaks and play well. It will be a long week and plenty more pressure, but that’s why we play this game.”
Unlike regular events on the PGA Tour Champions, which are three rounds of 18-hole stroke play, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship consists of 72 holes. Only the top 36 players after the Simmons Bank Championship qualify, and sadly, this year, International Presidents Cup Captain Mike Weir is the first man out of the field. Weir finished in a tie for 46th this week in Arkansas and dropped outside the top-36 threshold to 37th.
You have to make birdies on the PGA Tour Champions, and if you fail to do so, others will pass you by. Weir shot a 4-over 76 on Sunday, which sealed his fate.
“That’s always the case, though, on the Champions Tour. You go out there, and the first couple holes, maybe you’re treading water, and you look up at the leaderboard, and there’s somebody 5, 6 under par,” Harrington added.
“Yeah, you’ve just got to get with it. You know you’re going to have to make some birdies. It’s really tough if you shoot level par on the first day; it’s nearly the end of the week for you. You’ve got to make those birdies and get going quickly. I think that was the hardest I think when I started on the Champions Tour, I couldn’t believe the pace it goes at. You’ve really got to get going quickly, or else you’ll be left behind.”
But Harrington has not been left in the dust. Instead, he continues to show why he is the greatest Irish golfer to have ever played the game. And yet, funny enough, that was never his intent.
“My intention when I was a young guy was to play amateur golf. I only turned pro because I was beating the guys who were turning pro. But I’ve never looked back. I’ve run with that ball, and golf has been very good for me. It doesn’t get old, though, winning, I’ve got to say. You still feel anxious and nervous. This is the great thing about the Champions Tour. As you said, I’ve won 41 times [in my career], but I’m reliving my glories here. I’m reliving my past wins,” Harrington said.
“There was an unbelievable crowd here today; there was a great atmosphere. The last couple of holes with all the water, there was a lot of trepidation, a lot of excitement with it. Hitting those shots wasn’t just about winning this tournament, it was about reliving the past glories. I’m not saying validating past glories, but certainly reliving it. Hey, I did this once, and I was pretty good at it, and I’m not too bad at it now.”
He’s still pretty good indeed.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
