The 2023 Senior PGA Championship is underway at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas, and it has been a highly thrilling event so far. The tournament now heads into its final day with some of the biggest names in the competition vying for the coveted title.
In fact, the race for the title became even more exciting on Saturday after the tournament leader goofed up his shot at ensuring a comfortable lead due to an unusual reason. So, what went wrong? Let’s find out!
A toilet break results in an unfortunate setback for a PGA Tour veteran
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Just days after a T50 finish at Oak Hill, golfing legend Padraig Harrington kicked things off at the Senior PGA Championship with an impressive 8-under 64 on Thursday. He then followed it up with a 68 for 12-under par on the second day of the tournament.
On Saturday, the Irishman was seemingly in a great position at the 16th fairway to set the 54-hole scoring record. After all, it would have given Harrington a comfortable edge over the top contenders, Steve Stricker and Stewart Clink. But then, the 51-year-old’s bathroom break ended up having great implications for the player!
During the break, he struggled with the door and then rushed back to the course to take his next shot. But the golfer hit the ball into an area with native grasses, leading to a double bogey. The slip-up was extremely unfortunate, considering Harrington had been bogey-free all week until that point.
“So when you get over 50, it sometimes takes a long time to have a pee,” shared the golfer after the third round. “And that’s my excuse. That’s got to be original, I would assume.” Despite the blunder, the Dublin national birdied the par-five 18th in the end for a 68 and a one-shot lead over Steve Stricker.
“Some days you hit a bad shot and you get a break and you make birdies,” the golfer further confessed after an up-and-down third day. “Other days you play nice and solid and steady, and then it just kind of gets in on you.” As the tournament heads into its final round, fans can expect to witness an exciting match-up between Harrington and Stricker, the opposing Ryder Cup captains from 2021.
What is the winner’s payout at the 2023 Senior PGA Championship?
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The 2023 Senior PGA Championship is being held at the renowned Field Ranch East Course in Frisco, Texas. At the end of the third round on Saturday, the likes of Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker, and Stewart Clink are in contention for the title. Last year’s winner, Steven Alker, sits in 7th place on the leaderboard. On the other hand, big-name players like Ernie Els and Bernhard Langer have visibly struggled over the past three days. Earlier this week, an injury-laden John Daly also withdrew from the tournament.
The prize purse for the event has been set at an incredible $3,500,000. The winning golfer will be taking home a massive $630,000 in earnings! Meanwhile, the runner-up will walk away with a whopping $380,000. As it is an event under the PGA Tour Champions, there are no OWGR points at stake. But the major win in itslef is enough to promise fans an intense final round!
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What do you think of Padraig Harrington’s unusual blunder at the 2023 Senior PGA Championship? Tell us in the comments!