Pádraig Harrington shot a three-under-par 67 on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the US Senior Open at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs.
Harrington and Australian Mark Hensby are ahead by one stroke over seven players tied at 68, with three rounds to go at the fourth of five senior Major championships.
Harrington, who won this championship in 2022 early in his senior career, birdied four of his first eight holes on Thursday before playing the back nine in one-over-par.
“I was four under through eight and probably could have been a little bit more,” Harrington said. “I three-putted 9. The back nine is hard, but I was still really feeling my way around that nine.
“I only played it once before. I was a little bit tentative in the lead. I suppose it’s a little harder when you’re leading and not knowing the course 100 per cent like you would like to.”
Harrington led the field in driving distance on Thursday and hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
Darren Clarke is tied 33rd on one over, while Chris Devlin is five over
The seven players who turned in rounds of two-under 68 were Bob Estes, Ken Tanigawa, Stewart Cink, Matt Gogel, Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn.
Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez – coming off a win at last week’s Major, the Kaulig Companies Championship – opened with a one-under 69 and is tied for 10th. Angel Cabrera of Argentina, who won the first two senior Majors of the season, shot a three-over 73.
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire is in a tie for second at the Dow Championship in Michigan on the LPGA Tour. Playing with American Jennifer Kupcho in a team event, they are one shot behind Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland and Cassie Porter of Australia.
Kupcho and Maguire got past an early bogey and put four birdies on their card.
“Foursomes, it’s always a game of patience,” Maguire said. “Nice to hole quite a long [putt] on 16. Had a nice one on 3 to bounce back after the bogey on 2 to kind of get the round going.”
