Pádraig Harrington, an Irish golfer, set off on a robust opening round with a four-under-par 66 at the US Senior Open held at Newport Country Club, Rhode Island. He trails by three shots from Japan’s Hiroyuki Fugita and Australia’s Richard Green, who are currently leading.
Harrington, who secured victory in this tournament in 2022, initiated from the 10th and bagged two birdies in his initial nine, added one more at the first, secured one from the bunker on the second – his 11th of the round, and further one on the fourth hole. However, he lost a shot on the fifth. He was in joint third position upon submitting his card, closely following the leader. He has also enjoyed a victory in the recent Champions Tour.
Also with a four-under-par amongst late-starters is 51-year-old Lee Westwood, who is participating in his premier senior Major. The LIV golfer aims to replicate the success of Richard Bland, the recent winner of the Senior PGA Championship.
Later starters also include the likes of Darren Clarke and Jody Fanagan, an amateur golfer who has had the privilege to play alongside Harrington and defeat Tiger Woods in the 1995 Walker Cup. Fanagan stated that he is out to have fun in this tournament, with his son Harry as his caddy and is thrilled about this unexpected opportunity.
In contrast, on the DP World Tour, Tom McKibbin commenced with a mediocre performance, scoring par at the Italian Open, lagging seven shots behind leaders Gunner Wiebe, Sebastian Friedrichsen and Andrea Pavan.