Stewart Cink shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 on Saturday at Scioto Country Club to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Pádraig Harrington into Sunday's final round of the U.S. Senior Open.

It sets up a rematch of the duel that decided the title a year ago. Asked what it means to be paired with Harrington again with a major on the line, Cink didn't pretend the history isn't there. But he was also careful not to turn it into a storyline bigger than the tournament itself.

"It probably naturally does add a little bit because we did this last year. We've done it a number of times other than last year, and before the PGA TOUR Champions, as well, back in the early days. I think we did this in the Ryder Cup," Cink said during his post-round interviews shared by the USGA's official X account.

The two crossed paths in Ryder Cup play in the early 2000s, when Cink and Jim Furyk beat Harrington and Paul McGinley at The Belfry in 2002. They met again at Oakland Hills in 2004, when Cink and Davis Love III beat Harrington and Colin Montgomerie.

Last year, they met once again in the U.S. Senior Open final pairing, when Harrington won his second U.S. Senior Open title by one shot.

"To play Harrington, he's such a great player, and I've admired his game for so long, I think we both kind of bring good out of each other," Cink added in the same interview.

"I know I've heard him say that (to) the press. I know he probably thinks I don't read his press, but I've read it before. He said that. I agree; I like playing with him. And he's the ultimate competitor. He's never going to take a shot off, and I don't expect him to tomorrow, either."

Cink isn't calling it a two-horse race

Cink embraced the storyline of a rematch with Harrington. But at the same time, he rejected the idea that Sunday comes down to just the two of them.

"Yeah, it does tend to give a little bit of a special flair about sort of a head-to-head thing," Cink said in the same interview.

"But the scoring — George is only one shot back of Padraig, and then it goes one more shot back [to Jimenez]. It's not a two-horse race at all. That would be naïve to think we could play like that. But to play Harrington, he's such a great player, and I've admired his game for so long. I think we both kind of bring good out of each other."

George McNeill shot 69 on Saturday after leading by two shots entering the round. He sits at 7-under 203 and is still in the final group.

Jiménez, who shot 67, is at 6-under 204. Darren Clarke matched Cink's 64 to move into the top five, and Paul Stankowski joined him at 3-under 207.

Cink, meanwhile, is one round away from becoming the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1991 to sweep the season's first three senior majors, while Harrington is chasing a third U.S. Senior Open title and the tournament's first successful title defense since Allen Doyle in 2006.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav