Padraig Harrington is in a really strong position after two rounds of the US Senior Open.
Harrington is tied for the lead with Stewart Cink and Mark Hensby on six-under par after day two at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado.
The 53-year-old Irishman, who won the US Senior Open back in 2022, is still waiting for his first win on the seniors circuit this season.
His game seems to be in tip-top condition now though, as he chases down his second senior major championship.
However, despite his fine round of 67 on day two, Harrington shared a heated exchange with Roger Maltbie after he played his final hole.
The two-time Open champion is well-known for his meticulous approach to the game – something that seemed to escape him on his final hole of the day at Broadmoor Golf Club.
Padraig Harrington on why he felt the need to rush at the Senior US Open
Harrington birdied the par-five ninth hole – his final hole of the day.
However, he admitted to rushing from his second shot on the ninth hole all the way through to the 20-foot putt that he holed for a four.
Harrington explained: “Birdieing the last hole, I holed a 20-footer, probably rushed my second shot with the thunder. I really was keen to get the second shot played because if you get called in and you’ve got a full shot to go, you have to go and do a full warmup, and that would be costly for the week if you have to go back to the range for a half hour or an hour to warm up, it’s going to wear on your body for the week.
“Happy to get that shot played and then happy to get finished in total.
“I think it was a big deal to get finished when it came in. I don’t think the rain stoppage is going to be for long. It looks like they’re holding in place, so they’re going to go pretty quickly. But for us, if we had to cool down and come back out, it wouldn’t have been great for the week.“
What Harrington said means he has an advantage at the Senior US Open
Harrington explained recently the big difference between playing on the main tour and the senior circuit.
“Very much on the Champions Tour because it’s 54 holes. 72 holes is obviously a bit better, but I think they’re showing in most PGA TOUR golf now, you’ve got to be up near the lead,” Harrington said.
“You don’t have to be leading but you have to be near the lead going into that weekend. There’s too much…years ago I think players would stall up a lot more. Now the field does go forward, so you’ve got to be part of it.”
Even if Harrington is not leading after round three at the US Senior Open, he will have another round to mount a charge on Sunday.
He’s perfectly placed in Colorado to win his first senior major championship in three years.
Hopefully adverse weather doesn’t force him to rush any of his shots during the third round on Saturday.
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