At US Senior Open, Harrington hangs on, wins head-to-head showdown with Cink
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Padraig Harrington came out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play, closing his round Sunday with seven straight pars at the U.S. Senior Open to top Stewart Cink by one shot. HT Image
Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington shot 3-under 67 to finish at 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this match by hitting his approach to 8 feet on No. 18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one but sat 30 yards in front of him on the fairway.
Cink's approach landed on the precipice of a ledge, but spun backward and didn't come to rest until it was 35 feet away to set up a two-putt.
That made it advantage Harrington, who also two-putted to seal the win, though the last laugh went to the Broadmoor.
Minutes earlier, Cink had looks inside of 6 feet to tie on Nos. 16 and 17. The one on 16 slid to the left, the one on 17 burned the edge and stayed right. Cink, who hit more greens over 72 holes than anyone , but downplayed the importance of that on this course, turned out to be right.
It really is the putter that matters. Cink needed two more than Harrington on the fourth day of their showdown — the difference between winning and losing.
Harrington won his second U.S. Open title in four years, adding that to a trophy case that also includes the 2007 and '08 British Opens and the 2008 PGA.
The only player who threatened to get in the mix in this two-man show was Miguel Angel Jimenez. After opening with bogey, Jimenez made eight bridies to pull within a shot of the lead.
But he yanked his tee shot well left on No. 18, had to punch out and made bogey. He still shot the best round of the tournament, a 6-under 64, and finished in third, two shots back.
The other player in the Cink-Harrington group — players teed off in threesomes to beat the weather — was Mark Hensby.
Celebrating his 54th birthday, Hensby couldn't conjure any of the magic that led to 19 birdies over the first three days and a share of the lead. He only made two Sunday and shot 3-over 73 to tie for fourth at 5 under with Thomas Bjorn.
Harrington's signature shot was his last birdie of the day — a 12-footer on the par-4 11th that put him at 11 under. It was a straight-in look, one of the very few anyone gets on this golf course.
But really, it might have come less than 24 hours earlier when he chipped in from 20 yards off the green for a birdie that tied him with Cink heading into the final day, setting them up with the same tee time for the fourth straight time and setting up a match-play scene that came down to the final shot.
/hub/golf
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
'Wimbledon Could Be The Best Chance': Aging Djokovic Eyeing Historic 25th Career Slam
Last Updated: Novak Djokovic, aiming for his 25th Grand Slam at Wimbledon, seeks to match Roger Federer's record of eight titles as well. So close yet so far. The end seems to be nearing for the legendary Novak Djokovic, and the Serb realises the same, as he remains in hot pursuit of his 25th career Grand Slam title — a feat achieved by none before. But, the World No. 6 realises that his window is dwindling, and there's never a time better than the present — at Wimbledon — to seal the deal and etch history. 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic is on a quest for his record-breaking 25th major title at Wimbledon, where he has already triumphed seven times, most recently in 2022. Only Swiss legend Roger Federer has more men's singles titles at SW19, with eight, and Djokovic aims to match his long-term rival's record. However, he hasn't added a Grand Slam title since the 2023 U.S. Open, with young guns Alcaraz and Sinner claiming three each since. Wimbledon may now offer Djokovic his best shot at ending their reign and becoming the oldest Grand Slam champion in the professional era. 'I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform at the highest level," he said. 'I'll try to have a very good tournament and go as far as I can." 'In a sense, you're always hunting because you're always going for the titles, and in my privileged position, the records and more history," he told reporters. 'I do feel that I'm always in that position of going for something with the attitude of trying to win rather than trying to defend." Djokovic begins his campaign Tuesday against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, needing three more wins to become just the second man to hit 100 Wimbledon match victories. First Published: June 30, 2025, 15:39 IST
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Two-time champion Petra Kvitova makes a final appearance at Wimbledon before she retires
This year's visit to Wimbledon is special for Petra Kvitova. It marks her return to competition at the All England Club — the site of her two greatest triumphs as a professional tennis player — after missing the event last year while on maternity leave. And it also marks her farewell to the grass-court Grand Slam tournament she won in 2011 and 2014: Kvitova, a 35-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic, announced 1 1/2 weeks ago that she plans to leave the tour after the U.S. Open, which ends in September. 'It's crazy to see that she's retiring, because I remember playing her when I just started,' said Aryna Sabalenka, 27, the three-time major champion who is seeded No. 1 at the All England Club. 'I'm kind of sad. I was thinking when I saw the news: Come on. Give it try. Why? Why would you retire? Keep going.'' Kvitova, who received a wild-card invitation from the tournament, was scheduled to play in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday against No. 10 seed Emma Navarro of the United States. 'It'll be amazing, for sure. It's my favorite tournament. It always has been and it always will be. So it'll be very nice to be back,' Kvitova said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'It's always brought me so many memories. Some really good memories, of course. But also bad memories, because losing with the pressure there is hard. Even with the two best results of my career, I do feel like sometimes the losses were very, very painful. But at the end of the day, winning two titles is what counts the most.' Kvitova's first two appearances at the tournament she refers to as 'Wimby' did not go perfectly. She lost her opening matches in both 2008 and 2009. But the following year, she made it all the way the semifinals. And then, in 2011, Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Three years later, Kvitova earned her second trophy, defeating Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 in the title match. 'It took me a while,' Kvitova said, 'to get used to the grass.' Kvitova, who's been ranked as high as No. 2 but is currently outside the top 500 because of her absence and a 1-6 record since her February comeback, also associates two other key memories with Wimbledon. Jiri Vanek, her coach since 2016, proposed to Kvitova at Centre Court and they're now married. Their first child, a son named Petr, was born during the middle weekend of the 2024 fortnight. Kvitova described her 17 months away from the tour as feeling akin to just a short break. 'It actually feels like I never quit. It feels like I've been here every year,' she said before returning to Grand Slam action at the French Open in May. 'My mindset is still in a good place, so it feels good to be here. And my game is getting better.' Motherhood does present its challenges, as for any working mom. The biggest difficulty, Kvitova said, has been being away from her family when they don't accompany her when she is playing. 'Traveling together is not easy sometimes, either. The worst part is the logistics that come with it. Having so much stuff. Being in the hotel room it can be a little tough, especially when they're small. He is starting to crawl and everything, so it's a mess everywhere,' she said. 'But it also is fun. He's a very good boy, so that makes it all a little bit easier.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
2-time champion Petra Kvitova makes a final appearance at Wimbledon before she retires
LONDON — This year's visit to Wimbledon is special for Petra Kvitova. HT Image It marks her return to competition at the All England Club — the site of her two greatest triumphs as a professional tennis player — after missing the event last year while on maternity leave. And it also marks her farewell to the grass-court Grand Slam tournament she won in 2011 and 2014: Kvitova, a 35-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic, announced 1 1/2 weeks ago that she plans to leave the tour after the U.S. Open, which ends in September. 'It's crazy to see that she's retiring, because I remember playing her when I just started,' said Aryna Sabalenka, 27, the three-time major champion who is seeded No. 1 at the All England Club. 'I'm kind of sad. I was thinking when I saw the news: 'Come on. Give it try. Why? Why would you retire? Keep going.'' Kvitova, who received a wild-card invitation from the tournament, was scheduled to play in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday against No. 10 seed Emma Navarro of the United States. 'It'll be amazing, for sure. It's my favorite tournament. It always has been and it always will be. So it'll be very nice to be back,' Kvitova said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'It's always brought me so many memories. Some really good memories, of course. But also bad memories, because losing with the pressure there is hard. Even with the two best results of my career, I do feel like sometimes the losses were very, very painful. But at the end of the day, winning two titles is what counts the most.' Kvitova's first two appearances at the tournament she refers to as 'Wimby' did not go perfectly. She lost her opening matches in both 2008 and 2009. But the following year, she made it all the way the semifinals. And then, in 2011, Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Three years later, Kvitova earned her second trophy, defeating Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 in the title match. 'It took me a while,' Kvitova said, 'to get used to the grass.' Kvitova, who's been ranked as high as No. 2 but is currently outside the top 500 because of her absence and a 1-6 record since her February comeback, also associates two other key memories with Wimbledon. Jiri Vanek, her coach since 2016, proposed to Kvitova at Centre Court and they're now married. Their first child, a son named Petr, was born during the middle weekend of the 2024 fortnight. Kvitova described her 17 months away from the tour as feeling akin to just a short break. 'It actually feels like I never quit. It feels like I've been here every year,' she said before returning to Grand Slam action at the French Open in May. 'My mindset is still in a good place, so it feels good to be here. And my game is getting better.' Motherhood does present its challenges, as for any working mom. The biggest difficulty, Kvitova said, has been being away from her family when they don't accompany her when she is playing. 'Traveling together is not easy sometimes, either. The worst part is the logistics that come with it. Having so much stuff. Being in the hotel room it can be a little tough, especially when they're small. He is starting to crawl and everything, so it's a mess everywhere,' she said. 'But it also is fun. He's a very good boy, so that makes it all a little bit easier.' Howard Fendrich has been the 's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: /author/howard-fendrich. More tennis: /hub/tennis This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
