‘Played Really Nicely’: Hours After His Latest Win, 3X Major Winner Opens Up About His Insane Performance

It is always golf extraordinaire when a returning champion defends his title and wins big over other legends on the course. Such was the triumph of Padraig Harrington at Dick’s Sporting Goods Open 2023 in New York. The Professional Irish Golfer made history once again while battling veteran golfers The Mechanic, Big Easy, and others.

Harrington, the good chaser

On Sunday, the US Senior Open 2022 winner didn’t start off well though. Harrington, who loves to chase rather than lead, faced some difficulties on the first few holes. But that did not discourage the 52-year-old golfer. When he is chasing the score, he knows how much effort he needs to take the lead.

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With a little lag in the initial stages, Harrington finally picked up with a par on 11. Once he was in form, it was a breeze for the three-time major champion to go above and beyond with astounding shots. He made 3 three-putts that helped him lift his game back into the contest.

Irish Golfer shared the winner’s extreme joy over winning this title again. “I played really nicely for the first 12 holes. Three three-putts. You know, you can’t three-putt when you’re chasing like that,” the winner said.

He hit the birdie jackpot on holes 12, 13, 14, and again on 15. Padraig followed his consecutive birdies with an eagle shot on 16.

He continued his chase with yet another birdie on 17. “When I started making them, yeah, then I started thinking about it when I got, I suppose, three or four of them. But it was a bonus obviously to make eagle.”

By the time he arrived at the 18th hole, he was 18 under. Ultimately, he won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open 2023 of the PGA Tour Champions beating Joe Durant by one stroke.

Harrington staying calm in troubled waters

Harrington stumbled quite a bit during the day. With a 31-yard bunker shot, he felt like everything was going against him. That’s why he was glad to have his family around for moral support.

“Yeah, it’s nice when you’ve got people around, and certainly during the week — I got a slow start this week, it’s hard after last week — just having family around, they make sure you don’t get down on yourself,” he said.

Holing an 8-footer when in troubled waters sort of helped the returning champion get back on his feet and lifted his spirits.

The rest of the game was surprisingly in his favor. His family watching the final round and cheering for him helped Harrington see the brighter side of his shots, and the win came with a truly awesome performance.

Do you think Padraig Harrington will go on to defend his US Senior Open title as well? How would you rate his overall performance in the final round of Dick’s Sporting Goods Open? Share your thoughts and comments with us below.

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