Padraig Harrington matched Miller Barber's long-standing U.S. Senior Open record with his third victory in the championship, successfully defending the title at Scioto Country Club.

The Irishman pulled away from Stewart Cink in the final round, closing with a 4-under 66 to finish at 12-under for the tournament and win by four strokes. The victory gave Harrington his third U.S. Senior Open crown, tying Barber's record that had stood since 1985.

“It's different, I've got to say. It feels great, but obviously there wasn't the drama that I know we normally provide down the stretch. That doesn't mean that I wasn't feeling it. I was really trying to stay in it, stay focused,” said Harrington in an interview with the USGA.

Harrington joined the late Miller Barber as the only three-time winners in the tournament's 46-year history. Both are tied now at the top with the most U.S. Senior Open wins.

The 54-year-old won the title in 2022 and 2025, and on Sunday, he sealed his third. He also became just the fourth golfer to defend his U.S. Senior Open title after Barber, Gary Player, and Allen Doyle.

“But I did hit some big shots coming on the way home to take all the stress out of it. I had a great week putting, which wow, golf is easier when you putt well,” he added, as reported by the USGA.

Harrington was trailing Cink by a shot heading into the final round. As Cink registered a 1-over 71 in the final round, Harrington shot a 4-under 66 to secure the title by four strokes.

Harrington finished at 12-under 268 and was the only player to register a sub-70 score in every round.

Cink, on the other hand, felt disappointed with his performance.

Stewart Cink on the 2nd-place finish

Cink looked dominant at Scioto Country Club and was battling for his third straight major title.

The 53-year-old carded a spectacular bogey-free 64 in the third round and had a one-stroke lead heading into the final round. However, Sunday turned out to be difficult for the American.

“Today, as it turned out, I played poor enough where there was really not a championship on the line, but I was still battling hard for second. I wanted to play well and set myself up for the rest of the year. Golf got hard for me today,” said Cink, as reported by the USGA.

Cink shot three bogeys in the final round and registered a 1-over 71. Overall, the American finished at 8-under-par, four strokes behind Harrington.

Cink missed the opportunity to become the first player to win the first three senior majors in a year. 

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav