ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Padraig Harrington took care of business in blemish-free fashion Sunday in the 2022 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.
The PGA Tour Champions newcomer, 50, made five birdies in a round of 67 at En-Joie Golf Course to finish 16-under for a three-shot victory over Thongchai Jaidee (66) and 36-hole leader Mike Weir (71).
The sky above En-Joie scowled most of the afternoon, but upon completion of a garden-variety two-putt at the last, Irish eyes twinkled as the 50-year-old from Dublin rang up his second victory of the season to go with the U.S. Senior Open.
Sunday brought Harrington a sixth top-3 finish in his most recent eight PGA Tour Champions starts.
With playing competitor Weir stuck mostly in neutral, Harrington made three front-side birdies and another couple at 11 and 12.
Harrington’s three-stroke margin of victory is the largest on the PGA Tour Champions since Steven Alker won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship by three in May. Harrington becomes the fourth multiple winner on tour this season, joining three-time champions Steven Alker, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jerry Kelly.
Jaidee shot 66. It was his seventh top-10 of the season for the 52-year-old from Thailand and winner of the mid-June American Family Insurance Championship. In fact, Sunday brought the fifth top-8 in his most recent seven starts. He played the front side in 4 under and his lone deviation from par on the back came via a pitch-in for eagle 2 at the 16th.
“I played great today. I start very well, started make birdie on first hole, second hole we have three-putt. I think the key for me, I putting well and the golf course is very good shape,” he said. “I love the golf course, the greens are fantastic. I not miss anything, good up-and-down a couple holes, that’s why the key make me a lot confident.”
Jim Furyk shared fourth with Vijay Singh on the strength of a closing 68, marking a sound return from an extended stint away from competition triggered by COVID-19.
“You know, I’m still not _ I still don’t have a ton of energy,” he said. “I actually rode this week, first time I’ve ever done it, but I feel pretty good. Happy with the way I played. I think it’s my best finish of the season so far, so to kind of have that much time off and then come back and play that well is a lot of fun.
“There’s still some things I want to work on in my game, but excited to play well here at Dick’s and I love the course at Warwick Hills next week at Ally, so excited to kind of get there and hopefully carry some of this momentum into next week.”
Furyk’s most recent start before the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open came in the late-June U.S. Senior Open (T-25).
Bernhard Langer, 2014 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open champion and soon to turn 65, took a share of sixth following a bogey-free round of 68 that featured an eagle 3 at the 12th.
John Daly, playing a course on which he won in 1992 (B.C. Open, forerunner to the senior event) played his final 36 in 7-under and finished T-24, his third best finish this season.
Defending champion Cameron Beckman finished T68 (2-over 218).
