Two Open champions, one leaderboard, and plenty of stories between them. Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink rolled back the years Friday at the U.S. Senior Open, proving their major-winning class still travels fine at altitude.
Harrington, who lifted the Claret Jug twice, looked ready to run away with it after a blistering 31 on the back nine. But Cink, the 2009 Open champ, wasn’t having it—stringing together birdies and hitting every green to claw into a tie at 6-under.
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Throw in Mark Hensby’s steady charge and you’ve got a three-way tie heading into the weekend.
Cink’s Clinical Round
Cink’s 66 was the round of the week. He hit all 18 greens—35 of 36 so far—though he shrugged it off.
“You don’t want to be chipping downhill on this course,” he said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
Harrington’s Fast Start, Bumpy Finish
Harrington thought he might pull away after stretching his lead to five shots, but a pair of three-putts knocked him back.
“I was hoping I’d make more of it,” he admitted. Still, he finished strong, draining a 20-footer from the bunker on nine after reading Cink’s line.
“They’re the breaks you get when things are going well,” he said.
Legends Miss the Weekend
Bernhard Langer and Angel Cabrera missed the cut, while David Toms sneaked in on the number.
But make no mistake: the story is the two Open champions, still bombing it 300 yards and eyeing another trophy.
“I love watching him play,” Cink said of Harrington. “We have mutual respect. I’d love it if we could go the distance here.”
Judging by Friday’s fireworks, they just might.
