Stunningly spectacular may or may not do justice to what Padraig Harrington pulled off Sunday afternoon at En-Joie Golf Course − but we’ll go with that.
A relative afterthought in terms of contention even a couple holes into his back nine, the reigning Dick’s Sporting Goods Open champion went on an incomprehensible streak thereafter to shoot 9-under 63 for an 18-under aggregate and single-stroke win over Joe Durant.
The first back-to-back champion in this PGA Tour Champions event, Harrington clubbed En-Joie’s back side to the sweetest tune of 7-under 28 − five birdies, one eagle. Par at the 18th was sufficient to grab a $315,000 cut of the cake for a second straight summer in Endicott, marking his first win this season following a four-victory rookie year in 2022.
Joe Durant, 18-hole leader by three and Sunday’s pace-setter for much of the back nine, went 64-69-66 as runner-up, a shot better than Ernie Els, whose closing bogey left him a 68 and 16-under total.
Final-threesome members Brett Quigley and Miguel Angel Jimenez finished T5 and eighth, respectively.
After making his initial back-nine birdie at the par-5 12th, Harrington stood 12-under and five back of leader Joe Durant. Nice little story and all − “Defending champion makes fine bid,” or whatever − but uh-uh.
The meat of the golf course, particularly under all that accompanies Sunday contention, in truth begins at the par-4 13th. Aside from the go-and-get 16th, there are not breathers.
However …
Harrington made birdie-3 at the 13th, birdie-2 at the 14th and, to grab some major attention, birdie-3 at the 15th. And on that kind of roll, why not go ahead and make 2 at that par-4 16th, and chase that with a second successive 2 at the par-3 17th to go 9-under for the day and snatch the lead?
“You know, I played really nicely for the first 12 holes,” he said. “Three three-putts. You know, you can’t three-putt when you’re chasing like that. And then on 11 I got in trouble and made a great…
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