Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Eamon Doggett

Padraig Harrington defends Champions Tour title in sensational style

Padraig Harrington came home in 28 strokes to sensationally defend the DICK's Sporting Goods Open in New York.

The Dubliner's final round of 63 saw him finish on 18-under-par for the tournament and one shot ahead of American Joe Durant.

It is Harrington's fifth victory on the Champions Tour and continues a rich vein of form for the 52-year-old.

READ MORE: Leona Maguire being cheered on by her pop star friend Niall Horan

On a day of low scoring, two bogeys on the front nine looked to have left the three-time major champion playing for places, with Durant and Ernie Els trading birdies at the top of the leaderboard.

But Harrington caught fire on the back nine as he birdied the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th holes before finding the green on the short par four 15th.

He would roll in the eagle putt to go six-under-par for five holes before birdieing the par three 17th hole to take the outright lead.

A par on the last hole saw him sign for a 63 and left Durant and Els needing to birdie the 18th to catch Harrington, but neither could achieve the feat.

In the process Harrington pocketed a winners' prize of $315,000 (€288,886) before the defence of his US Senior Open title at Stevens Point in Wisconsin next week.

Darren Clarke also went low in the final round as a 65 saw him climb up to a tie for fifth place.

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.