McIlroy misses the cut before US Open, Champ leads
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open.
McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies.
"Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.
"Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."
At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
"Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee."
Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
"It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday."
The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed.
"I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said.
Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title.
"I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes."
Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65).
Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).
None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut.
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The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Hensby hangs tough with power pairing in US Senior Open
Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three.
The Advertiser
18 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Knapp breaks record, Aussie Endycott in the PGA mix
Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action. Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action. Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action. Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history. Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. But that still wasn't enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club. Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back. Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69). Knapp was in a large pack of players, including Australian Harrison Endycott (66), Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round. Endycott followed his opening 67 with a bogey-free six-under 66. The 29-year-old Sydneysider made three birdies on each nine, including going back-to-back on 13 and 14. The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. "I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit," he said. Knapp, ranked No.99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 - one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 - at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more," Knapp said. "I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole." The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments. "It's not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," he said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again. And when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf." Min Woo Lee, the first to break the course record with a 63 on Thursday, made 73 on Friday to tumble down the field to tied 36th. He made the six-under cut by two, but Aaron Baddeley (71,73), Cam Davis (74, 70) and Karl Vilips (71,74) will all miss the weekend action.
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Perth Now
Hensby hangs tough with power pairing in US Senior Open
Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the US Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff - sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at six-under 134, along with the late-charging Mark Hensby. Cink shot 31 on the front nine, their second nine, to match Harrington's score on the back. Both players - the only two who average more than 300 yards driving on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions - called it a comfortable pairing, especially on a hilly course at altitude where gauging distance is anything but routine. "If anything, he'd be a little bit longer than me," Harrington said. "But I suppose I know his game enough that I can see what's happening, as well. He is definitely a partner I would choose to play with." Hensby shot his second straight round of three-under 67, finishing the day with his 14th and 15th birdies of the tournament. That included a 20-footer on No.8 that would have been from closer had his tee shot not hit Doug Barron's ball on the green. Hensby was nine-under par on the front nine and three over on the back after two days. "Making a lot of birdies, so that's a good thing around here," the Australian said. Three behind are Thomas Bjorn (69), followed by YE Yang (68) and Billy Andrade (69) at two under. At one under, Darren Clarke, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jimenez rounded out the list of nine players heading into the weekend under par. Cink hit all 18 greens in regulation, making it 35 of 36 for the week. He called that stat overrated, especially at a course where the real test starts on the notoriously difficult-to-read greens that cant away from a monument lurking above the course on Cheyenne Mountain. "You don't want to be chipping downhill on this course, it's not a secret," said the 52-year-old Cink, the 2009 British Open champion who is playing in his first US Senior Open. Cink two-putted from 45 feet on No.9 for his fifth birdie on the front and a score of 66 - the best of the tournament so far. After Harrington shot 31 on the more difficult back nine, then kept the lead at five with a birdie on the par-5 third, he was thinking there might be an opportunity to open a big lead heading into the weekend. A pair of three-putts - one on the seventh and the other on the par-3 fourth green that has been slowed down to temper the severe slope - resulted in bogeys. But it ended well for the three-time major champion, whose wins came at the 2007 British Open and the '08 British and PGA Championship. Short-sided in a greenside bunker on No.9, Harrington made a 20-footer along the same line Cink had just putted for a birdie to head into the clubhouse in a tie. "I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don't think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice," said Harrington, who won the US Senior Open in 2022. "They're the breaks you get when things are going well." Australian Scott Hend (69) is tied 10th at even par, while Steven Alker and Stuart Appleby are a shot further back. Among those missing the cut were 12-time senior major champion Bernhard Langer, who shot 77, and Angel Cabrera, a two-time major winner this year, who shot 75. Both missed the number by three.
