logo
Padraig Harrington outduels Stewart Cink over four days to win second U.S. Senior Open

Padraig Harrington outduels Stewart Cink over four days to win second U.S. Senior Open

NBC Sports10 hours ago

Watch final-round highlights of the 2025 U.S. Senior Open at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Padraig Harrington came out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play, closing his round Sunday with seven straight pars at the U.S. Senior Open to top Stewart Cink by one shot.
Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington shot 3-under 67 to finish at 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this match by hitting his approach to 8 feet on No. 18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one but sat 30 yards in front of him on the fairway.
Cink's approach landed on the precipice of a ledge, but spun backward and didn't come to rest until it was 35 feet away to set up a two-putt.
That made it advantage Harrington, who also two-putted to seal the win, though the last laugh went to the Broadmoor.
Minutes earlier, Cink had looks inside of 6 feet to tie on Nos. 16 and 17. The one on 16 slid to the left, the one on 17 burned the edge and stayed right. Cink, who hit more greens over 72 holes than anyone (64), but downplayed the importance of that on this course, turned out to be right.
It really is the putter that matters. Cink needed two more than Harrington on the fourth day of their showdown — the difference between winning and losing.
Harrington won his second U.S. Open title in four years, adding that to a trophy case that also includes the 2007 and '08 British Opens and the 2008 PGA.
The only player who threatened to get in the mix in this two-man show was Miguel Angel Jimenez. After opening with bogey, Jimenez made eight birdies to pull within a shot of the lead.
But he yanked his tee shot well left on No. 18, had to punch out and made bogey. He still shot the best round of the tournament, a 6-under 64, and finished in third, two shots back.
The other player in the Cink-Harrington group — players teed off in threesomes to beat the weather — was Mark Hensby.
Celebrating his 54th birthday, Hensby couldn't conjure any of the magic that led to 19 birdies over the first three days and a share of the lead. He only made two Sunday and shot 3-over 73 to tie for fourth at 5 under with Thomas Bjorn.
Harrington's signature shot was his last birdie of the day — a 12-footer on the par-4 11th that put him at 11 under. It was a straight-in look, one of the very few anyone gets on this golf course.
But really, it might have come less than 24 hours earlier when he chipped in from 20 yards off the green for a birdie that tied him with Cink heading into the final day, setting them up with the same tee time for the fourth straight time and setting up a match-play scene that came down to the final shot.
Padraig Harrington reflects on outlasting Stewart Cink to win the 2025 U.S. Senior Open, sharing how he was able to get all the "right breaks" over the weekend to win the tournament.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

SA's Aldrich Potgieter claims maiden PGA Tour title after dramatic playoff success
SA's Aldrich Potgieter claims maiden PGA Tour title after dramatic playoff success

News24

time32 minutes ago

  • News24

SA's Aldrich Potgieter claims maiden PGA Tour title after dramatic playoff success

South African Aldrich Potgieter sank a birdie putt from just inside 18 feet on the fifth playoff hole to win the Rocket Classic for his first PGA Tour title. The 20-year-old grabbed the victory in just his 20th PGA start, beating American Max Greyserman in the hour-long playoff drama after American Chris Kirk had been eliminated on the second extra hole. The playoff had returned to the par-three 15th at Detroit Golf Club for the second time in the playoff when Potgieter, who had missed winning putts on the two prior extra holes, sank the winning putt after Greyserman missed a 34-foot birdie putt. 'Finally got one to the hole and saw the ball roll end over end and just knew it was going to go in,' Potgieter said. 'I'm just happy to walk away as a winner.' FOR THE WIN! Aldrich Potgieter gets it done on the FIFTH playoff hole @RocketClassic. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025 Greyserman and Kirk each shot 67 and 54-hole leader Potgieter fired a 69 to finish deadlocked after 72 holes on 22-under 266. Potgieter made two bogeys in the first five holes but battled back with birdies on three of the last six holes and a clutch five-foot par putt at 18 to make the playoff. 'It was definitely a tough day,' Potgieter said. 'The start didn't go my way. I struggled to make putts, left a lot short.' All three birdied the first playoff hole, the par-four 18th, and at the first extra playing of the 15th, all three missed their birdie putts but Kirk missed his par effort from just inside four feet to drop out. 'Just really disappointed right now,' six-time PGA winner Kirk said. 'I'm really happy with how I played. Just misread that last putt.' Potgieter and Greyserman both parred the par-four 16th and birdied the par-five 14th to set up the close, which made Potgieter the youngest South African to win on the PGA Tour. The youngest South African PGA TOUR winner 🏆 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter is a champion @RocketClassic! — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025 'Big thanks to my family and friends, coaches and everyone who has been involved to get me to this point,' Potgieter said, noting his family's sacrifice for his career. 'We had to give up a lot, moving to Australia, moving back. Emigrating is definitely not the easiest thing. Coming alone at the start of my career to the States and giving it a grind - having my dad here has helped so much.' Win No. 1 🏆 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2025 Greyserman, twice a PGA runner-up last year, will have to wait longer for a breakthrough triumph. 'Unfortunately I didn't get the job done,' he said. 'I thought I hit a lot of good shots down the stretch. Very pleased with how I handled myself down the stretch. 'Putts just didn't drop but I hit a lot of good putts. This one is going to sting for a little bit but I'll have to get back to work.' Potgieter's best prior PGA finish was a Mexico Open playoff loss to American Brian Campbell in February. Americans Michael Thorbjornsen and Jake Knapp shared fourth on 267. Leading final-round scores on Sunday in the PGA Tour Rocket Classic in Detroit, Michigan (USA unless noted, par-72, x-denotes won playoff with birdie on fifth extra hole): 266 - x-Aldrich Potgieter (RSA) 62-70-65-69, Chris Kirk 65-65-69-67, Max Greyserman 63-70-66-67 267 - Michael Thorbjornsen 65-67-68-67, Jake Knapp 72-61-66-68 268 - Nico Echavarria (COL) 66-67-69-66, Jackson Suber 66-65-69-68 269 - Kevin Roy 62-71-69-67, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) 67-67-68-67, Collin Morikawa 69-64-68-68, Thriston Lawrence (RSA) 67-66-67-69, Andrew Putnam 64-66-69-70 270 - Min Woo Lee (AUS) 63-73-68-66, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 67-66-70-67, Chandler Phillips 70-68-65-67, Ben Griffin 66-67-69-68, Harry Hall (ENG) 66-67-68-69, Mark Hubbard 63-69-67-71

20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, youngest player on Tour, sinks long birdie putt on 5th playoff hole to secure his first PGA Tour win at Rocket Classic
20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, youngest player on Tour, sinks long birdie putt on 5th playoff hole to secure his first PGA Tour win at Rocket Classic

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, youngest player on Tour, sinks long birdie putt on 5th playoff hole to secure his first PGA Tour win at Rocket Classic

Aldrich Potgieter, the youngest player on the PGA Tour, picked up his first Tour victory Sunday at 20 years old in dramatic fashion and secured a life-changing payday in the process. After 72 holes at the Rocket Classic, Potgieter remained tied with Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk atop the leaderboard at 22 under par. They didn't settle a winner until five more holes were played. Advertisement The threesome each played the par-4 18th to par on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff. Kirk bowed out with a bogey the par-3 15th as Greyserman and Potgieter parred. Greyserman and Potgieter then parred the par-4 16th before posting matching birdies on the par-5 14th. Then they returned to the 158-yard 15th, the shortest hole on the North Course course at the Detroit Golf Club. Potgieter hit a 9-iron on the green, roughly 18 feet from the hole. Greyserman also hit 9-iron onto the green that stopped about 10 feet behind Potgieter's ball. Greyserman putted first, and his ball rolled just past the left side of the hole. Potgieter took advantage of watching Greyserman's putt and the opportunity. His putt was pure from contact and rolled straight into the center of the hole. "I finally got one to the hole," Potgieter told CBS of a day in which he left multiple putts short. "I just saw the ball roll over end over end and I just knew that it was gonna go in." Advertisement Potgieter entered Sunday with a two-stroke lead over the field while playing in the final group with Greyserman. Both Greyserman and Kirk caught up with final rounds of 5-under 67. Potgieter shot a 69, but ultimately prevailed in the playoff holes. The putt secured Potgieter's first PGA victory and a $1.728 million payday that was more than double Greyserman's $854,200 payout for finishing in a second-place tie. The payout added a significant boost to Potgieter's career PGA Tour earnings, which stood at $1.98 million prior to his victory on Sunday. The win marked the third top-10 finish for Potgieter and bested his previous best result of a second-place finish at the Mexico Open in February that paid him $763,000. Potgieter appears to be a rising star in the sport after turning professional at age 18 in 2023. He became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year at age 19 when he claimed victory at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. This year, he leads the Tour in average driving distance at 326.6 yards, ahead of No. 2 Rory McIlroy's 320 yards. Advertisement The victory this week also put him in some rare company. A South Africa native, Potgieter is just the fifth player not from the United States to secure his first PGA Tour victory before turning 21 in the last 100 years. Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Joaquin Niemann and Tom Kim are the others.

Potgieter wins Rocket Classic on 5th playoff hole, outlasting Greyserman and Kirk
Potgieter wins Rocket Classic on 5th playoff hole, outlasting Greyserman and Kirk

CBS News

time5 hours ago

  • CBS News

Potgieter wins Rocket Classic on 5th playoff hole, outlasting Greyserman and Kirk

Aldrich Potgieter ended the protracted Rocket Classic, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole to outlast Max Greyserman for his first PGA Tour title on Sunday. "I finally got one to the hole," Potgieter said after missed opportunities on the green by three players led to the longest playoff of the season on the tour. He celebrated by embracing his caddie and shaking hands with Greyserman and his caddie before giving his father, Heinrich, a hug. The 20-year-old Potgieter is the youngest player on the tour and its biggest hitter, averaging 326-plus yards off the tee. He became the ninth player to win for the first time this season. Potgieter was born in South Africa, moved to Australia when he was 8, and returned to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. "We had to give up a lot, moving to Australia, moving back," he said. "Emigrating is definitely not the easiest thing. Coming alone at the start of my career to the States and giving it a grind, and having my dad here has helped so much." Potgieter won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. Chris Kirk was eliminated after missing a 4-foot putt on the second playoff hole, after pushing a 9-foot putt past the cup on the first extra hole with a chance to win. Greyserman and Potgieter each had opportunities to win and end it on the 72nd hole at Detroit Golf Club, but couldn't convert on birdie opportunities to break a tie at 22 under with Kirk. "This one's going to sting for a little bit," Greyserman said. Potgieter, two strokes ahead entering the round, closed with a 3-under 69, and Greyserman and Kirk each shot 67. Greyserman missed a 12-foot putt, and Potgieter came up short on an uphill, 42-foot putt. That set up Kirk with an opportunity to win it, but he couldn't take advantage. After Greyserman two-putted from 39 feet for par and Potgieter did the same from 20 feet, Kirk had a chance to win it with a 9-foot putt, only to push it to the right of the cup to extend the playoff. The trio then went to the par-3, 158-yard 15th, and Greyserman was the only one who was accurate off the tee and didn't take advantage. The trend continued on the par-4 16th, where both Greyserman and Potgieter missed 16-foot putts with a chance to win. At the par-5 14th, Greyserman hit his drive 361 yards — his longest of the week — and was just 2 yards behind Potgieter's blast. Potgieter hit his approach from 195 yards to 19 feet, and he pulled his putt. Greyserman two-putted from 29 feet for birdie. Back at No. 15 for a second time in the playoff, Greyserman two-putted from 34 feet, and then Potgieter finally ended it. "Just wasn't my time," said Greyserman, who finished second for the fourth time after coming up short for his first PGA Tour victory. Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Jake Knapp (68) finished a stroke out of the playoff. Collin Morikawa, meanwhile, is still waiting to end his drought. He shot a 68 to finish 19 under and in an eighth-place tie. The two-time major winner, who was the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5 in the world, has not won the PGA Tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who rose to No. 7 in the world after winning the Travelers Championship last week, closed with 67 to tie for 41st at 12 under.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store