
Harrington 18-holes away from joining elite group as he leads Senior Open
The three-time major winner carded a second successive 65 to leave him at the top of the leaderboard on 13-under par, two strokes clear of American Justin Leonard.
Harrington has been battling with his game all week and revealed on Friday that he had to overcome a string of bizarre distractions while riding his luck in the second round.
He still managed to card a bogey-free 65 on Friday and followed that up with the same number today with just one blemish on his scorecard for the day.
'I still wasn't comfortable,' said Harrington, who has scrambled well all week.
'I thought I was getting better, but I don't think I rode my luck as much today. I wasn't out of position, but I certainly didn't play much better than yesterday. Maybe a little bit more cautious today.'
Despite not feeling comfortable with his swing, Harrington is trying to focus solely on his scoring.
"I don't feel very good about how I'm hitting the ball, so trying to get away from that and not worry so much about that because clearly I'm scoring well,' he said.
'You're better off shooting 13-under par and not feeling so good about it than thinking you're swinging it great and being level par.
'So I just need to go out and play and try golf tomorrow. Hit the right shot at the right time and not necessarily try and play swing.'
Should Harrington win tomorrow, he will join an elite group by becoming just the fifth player ever to win the Open and Senior Open after Gary Player, Bob Charles,Tom Watson and Darren Clarke
'I'm not going to think about that,' he said. 'Those are the sort of things that are getting ahead of yourself, and I'll wait till tomorrow to try and digest that.'

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The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
MAFS' Adrienne Naylor breaks silence on cracking America on TV show The Challenge after painful injury
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The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Eugenie Bouchard breaks down in tears as former Wimbledon runner-up officially retires after losing final match
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Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Woad golf's latest sensation but caution advisable
History suggests caution is advisable when assessing female golf phenoms. Michelle Wie won just a single major. Charley Hull has reached the age of 29 while scaling golfing heights, but it is fair to say wild excitement about her career when a teenage amateur has not been borne out by subsequent results. For a multitude of reasons, promise can outweigh reality. If it were at all her style – and it is not – Lottie Woad could claim to have already justified the hype. Winning last year's Augusta National Women's Amateur was a statement of intent. Recent weeks have been rocket fuelled for the 21-year-old; Woad won the Irish Open and challenged for the Evian Championship while still an amateur. One professional start, at the Scottish Open, saw Woad lift the trophy on Sunday. She is the name on everyone's lips as the Women's Open lands at the glorious links of Royal Porthcawl today. 'She's playing great golf,' said Lydia Ko, the defending champion, of Woad. 'I've seen her swing. 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I am just trying to continue to ride that. There's always pressure. I don't think there's any more than there was, like from my perspective, before any of the last few weeks. I was still wanting to contend and that's still the aim.' Like Scottie Scheffler, who is dominating the male game, Woad will not talk in headlines. Like the American, Woad's swing can be unorthodox. She has something in common with another icon of this sport; Woad is managed by the same agency as Tiger Woods. Woad serves as the latest example of how the American college circuit prepares golfers for life as a professional. The Surrey athlete excelled at Florida State University amid a rise to the summit of the amateur world ranking. 'She's been in a lot of those kind of tougher moments,' Ko added. 'Obviously it's different than being an amateur and playing collegiate golf to as a pro, but I think she's been there and done really well in those pressure conditions no matter what kind of environment she's been in. So I think there's a little bit more experience under her belt than what people probably give her credit for. 'When I've seen the coverage or how she composes herself, she doesn't seem like she rushes into things or gets like overly emotional. I'm sure that's going to help her with that transition as well.' Ko's analysis is valid. Woad's greatest strength is appearing totally unflustered when placed in tricky golfing scenarios. Her display of front-running at Dundonald Links on Sunday made a mockery of supposed rookie status. In Ireland, she won by half a dozen shots. 'Absolutely amazing,' said the world No 1, Nelly Korda, in adding to the chorus of commendation for Woad. 'I was very impressed with her composure, her process [in Scotland]. When it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment, sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves but she stuck to it, she stuck to her process every single time. I think one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment. 'You can see that she's put a ton of hours in. Her putting is very solid, her game's solid, she hits it pretty far off the tee. She grew up in this kind of weather too, so I feel like she's kind of comfortable.' It would seem a shock if Woad is not in Porthcawl contention. The R&A has increased the prize fund for this major, by $250,000 to $9.75m, with the winner collecting $1.4m. The male equivalent had its purse frozen for 2025. The scale of growth in the Women's Open is shown by the fact golfers were competing for $3.25m as recently as 2018. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the 2027 edition of the tournament will take place at Royal St George's, which has staged the men's Open 15 times. A rare stop for elite golf in Wales has seen players assess the local culture. 'When I drove from Scotland after I missed the cut last week, I saw all the road signs,' said Grace Kim. 'It went from like English to, not in a rude way, like gibberish.' Ouch. Out in the afternoon today is Ireland's Anna Foster, who qualified for Royal Portcawl in final qualifying at Pyle & Kenfig on Monday, and hopes to enjoy her latest experience of the event more than her first: "I played in the AIG Women's Open in 2023 at Walton Heath and it was quite an overwhelming experience as an amateur but now I feel I have more confidence in myself.' The other Irish contenders, Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh, are both out this morning. Guardian