Pádraig Harrington secured senior major number three and a first Senior Open title after a strong final round of 67 helped him to a three-shot win at Sunningdale in Berkshire.
Harrington finished with an impressive final score of 16 under, three shots clear of playing partner Justin Leonard, and fellow European Thomas Bjorn at 13 under.
The 53-year-old also reigned victorious at the US Senior Open back in June and brings his winning tally on the Champions Tour to 11.
With the win, Pádraig Harrington becomes the fifth player to add the Senior Open to an Open Championship, after Darren Clarke, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Bob Charles. He's also the third Irish winner of the event, following on from Clarke and Christy O'Connor Jnr.
Harrington entered Sunday’s action with a two-shot advantage at the top and extended it quickly. The two-time Open champion hit a stunning approach shot into the first green to set up an eagle start to his round.
.@padraig_h extends his lead to four strokes heading into the back nine 📈#SeniorOpen pic.twitter.com/iMPluNktGV
— Legends Tour (@euLegendsTour) July 27, 2025
The Dubliner would let birdie opportunities slide by on the second, third and fourth holes but his length off the tee and supreme ball striking exhibition made him hard to hunt down.
A birdie on six was shortly followed with a frustrating bogey at the par three 8th, but this was somewhat alleviated by playing partner Justin Leonard also dropping a shot.
Harrington responded with a routine two-putt birdie on the drivable par four ninth, matched again by Leonard.
The American, who impressively made the cut at Royal Portrush last week, would reduce the deficit to three with a birdie on 11, later joined by former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn; but Harrington remained the man to catch.
Bjorn briefly cut the gap to two with his fourth birdie of the round on the par five 14th, which Harrington responded to in style with a tap-in birdie of his own, after an exquisite chip set up a tap-in for four.
Some @padraig_h magic on the 14th hole 🪄#SeniorOpen
— Legends Tour (@euLegendsTour) July 27, 2025
pic.twitter.com/zQjlE27ngb
From there, it never really looked beyond doubt. Errant approach shots into the penultimate 17th lead to bogeys for both Harrington and Leonard, maintaining the Dubliner's three-shot cushion with one hole to play.
There was to be no stress up the last as Harrington followed a booming drive with a pin high approach shot, setting up a closing par to secure the win, void of any late dramatics.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the round, Harrington was his usual, engaging self; aware that the magnitude was yet to truly kick in.
"Right now, I am just thrilled to have won the tournament," he said.
"Having won The Open and going on to win the Senior Open, one of five players, you want to be in that category. I think they're the things you realise over the coming days, the significance of it.
"Right now, I am just thrilled and a bit euphoric about getting it done.
"As I said, as you get older you realise the legacy of what you have done. You want to win at a great golf course like Sunningdale, you want to do things that stand out. Having won an Open and coming now and winning the Senior Open, it does give some validation. It’s certainly satisfying."
He went on to add that a poor morning warm-up may have tempered his own expectations heading into the final round.
"I really had a bad warm-up this morning. I just think when you go out like that, you’re prepared to get the job done; wherever the ball goes, you hit the shot. Your expectations go down.
"I managed myself very well. I tried to swing the smoothest, slowest I could all day. I tried to really swing within myself," he said.
"I happened to play quite well as it turns out, I just did not overthink it when I was on the golf course. Hit some beautiful iron shots to start off with. It worked very nicely but I was prepared for a fight. I was surprised I played as well as I did.
"I’m sure from the outside it looked very comfortable, but there was a little bit of turmoil in my own head at times."
Scott Hend, Ernie Els and Cameron Percy all made impressive final day charges to finish inside the top five while Darren Clarke, who won this event back in 2022, finished on two-over-par and in a tie for 52nd place.
