Harrington Leads Senior British Open by Two Strokes

BERKSHIRE, England (AP) — Padraig Harrington birdied the final hole Saturday, shooting a 5-under 65 to take a two-shot lead over Justin Leonard at the Senior British Open. The event is held at Sunningdale Golf Course, where Harrington aimed for his second senior major title this year.

Harrington started strong, seizing the lead with birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. His closing birdie propelled him to a total of 13-under 197. He has been competing in the United Kingdom for the last three weeks, having started with the Scottish Open. Notably, he won the U.S. Senior Open in Colorado just last month.

Leonard, the only PGA Tour Champions player to make the cut last week at the British Open in Royal Portrush, also posted a 65 for the second consecutive round, putting him at 11-under. He is eyeing his second victory of the season after winning the Chubb Classic in February.

Thomas Bjorn from Denmark followed closely with a score of 67, placing him three shots behind Harrington. Both Harrington and Leonard are previous champions of the British Open, with Leonard winning in 1997 at Royal Troon and Harrington winning in 2007 and 2008.

If either player wins, they will become the fifth golfer to achieve titles in both the British Open and Senior British Open, a feat that has not been accomplished since Darren Clarke in 2022.

In other action, Steven Alker, a two-time Charles Schwab Cup winner, rebounded from a rough opening round. After scoring a 73 initially, he shot a 66 on Saturday, placing him among four players at 8-under 202, five shots off the lead.

The winner of the Senior British Open will earn a spot in next year’s 154th British Open at Royal Birkdale.