[PHOTO: Luke Walker]
Padraig Harrington’s career needs no burnishing, given that he’s already in the World Golf Hall of Fame, yet he continues to augment it in a major way, this time by winning the Senior Open Championship overnight (Australian time).
The victory was his second senior major this year, coming a month after he won the US Senior Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Harrington shot 67-65-65-67 for a 16-under 264 total at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England, and won by three strokes from Justin Leonard and Thomas Bjorn. Scott Hend in fourth and Cam Percy in a tie for fifth were the leading Australians as five Aussies finished in the top 12 (Steve Allan and Greg Chalmers T-8, Richard Green T-12).
RELATED: Padraig Harrington joyfully and gratefully wins his second US Senior Open
“One of the things that myself and my caddie talk about a lot as you get older you reflect on your wins and where you win,” Harrington said at the trophy presentation. “Winning here at Sunningdale is very special. It’s really nice to win at the great venues of golf.”
Harrington has built his Hall of Fame resume on his performances on the game’s biggest stages. He won three major championships – two Opens and a PGA Championship – in a 13-month span in 2007 and 2008, and sat as high as third in the world ranking in the midst of Tiger Woods’ dominance.
This latest victory, his 11th on the PGA Tour Champions, was his third senior major championship, adding to a record that also includes a US Senior Open victory in 2022. In addition to his two senior majors in 2025, he also tied for second in the Senior PGA Championship.
What a moment for @Padraig_H.
The Irishman captures his second senior major title of 2025 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/ljxGkMqR6G
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 27, 2025
Moreover, he became only the fifth player in history to have won both the Open and Senior Open, joining Bob Charles, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Darren Clarke.
“I’m thrilled to have won, but very satisfied that I’ve won a Senior Open with my two Opens,” he said. “The fact that only five people have ever done it is quite special. I’m quite proud that I’ve managed to survive this long in the game. Longevity, at this stage, I think we look for a lot of things about our legacy in the game. The fact that I’m only the fifth person to have done that double, that’s pretty special.”
Harrington took a two-stroke lead into the final round, notwithstanding the fact that he was not comfortable with his swing. “I don’t feel very good about how I’m hitting the ball,” he said after the third round. “So trying to get away from that and not worry so much about that because clearly I’m scoring well. Better off shooting 13-under-par and not feeling so good about it than thinking you’re swinging it great and being level-par.”
He remained dissatisfied with his swing on the practice tee ahead of the final round.
RELATED: Padraig Harrington – Bomb it like a kid again
“I really had a bad warm-up, like really bad, again,” he said. “And I just think when you go out like that, you are prepared to get the job done with wherever the ball goes. You’re going to hit the shot. Your expectations go down. I managed myself very well. I tried to swing the smoothest, slowest I could all day. Just tried to really swing within myself. Just try to tone it down and as I said just get around it.
“I happened to play quite well as it turned out. I didn’t over think it when I was on the golf course. I hit some beautiful iron shots to start off. So yeah, it worked very nicely but I was prepared for a fight, to be honest, and I was surprised I probably played as well as I did. But there was a little bit of turmoil in my own head at times.”
It isn’t supposed to be easy, of course, but en route to completing the Open–Senior Open double, he made it look easy, an historic 18-hole victory lap.
