PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON IS in a four-way tie for the lead at the PGA Tour Champions’ SAS Championship.
The Dubliner opened with a four-under round of 68 at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina, to sit atop the leaderboard with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and American duo Chad Campbell and Stewart Cink.
Harrington shot five birdies — on the fourth, fifth, 12th. 14th and 17th — and dropped just one shot with a bogey on the 15th.
Darren Clarke, meanwhile, is down the leaderboard after his opening round of 76.
The Dungannon man endured a difficult start with double bogeys on the second and fifth, and bogeys sandwiched between them. He picked up shots on the seventh, 14th and 17th but another bogey followed on hole 16.
The SAS Championship is the final event before the Champions’ three-event play-off to determine the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup.
Elsewhere, Xander Schauffele closed in on his first win of the year after grabbing a share of the lead heading into the final day of the US PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan.
The American carded a third-round four-under-par 67 at a rain-soaked Yokohama Country Club to move level with Max Greyserman on 12-under, three shots clear of their nearest challengers.
Schauffele won the British Open and the PGA Championship in 2024 but has yet to lift a trophy this year and has only finished in the top 10 three times.
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The 31-year-old, part of the losing US Ryder Cup team two weeks ago, said confidence was “a tricky thing”.
“It takes a while to grow and then it goes away quickly,” he said.
“I’m just trying to put one walk after the other and slowly grow that confidence. So far we’ve been doing that.”
Schauffele hit six birdies and two bogeys to close the gap on fellow American Greyserman, who led by four shots at the start of the day.
Constant rain presented the players with a different challenge after strong wind on the opening day was followed by mild conditions for the second round.
“The weather has been tricky, so I’m proud of the fight to stay in it today,” said Schauffele.
“Round one felt like survival, round two felt like the course was pretty gettable and today felt like a bit of survival with pockets of a little bit less rain.”
Greyserman saw his lead slip away with a double bogey on the seventh hole and he finished with an even-par 71.
The 30-year-old went into the final day of last year’s tournament in Japan in contention for the title before finishing runner-up to Colombia’s Nico Echavarria.
Greyserman said he would take the positives from last year’s experience as he looks to win his first career title.
“I played a good round last year on Sunday and I got beat, I don’t think I gave up the tournament by any means,” he said.
“I thought I handled everything well and competed well and executed well, so that’s the plan for tomorrow.”
Defending champion Echavarria was in a group three shots behind the leading pair, along with South Koreans An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo, South African Garrick Higgo and American Michael Thorbjornsen.
Schauffele’s Ryder Cup team-mate Collin Morikawa was 10 shots off the pace on two-under while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was four-under after a late double bogey.
Elsewhere, Leona Maguire is down the leaderboard at Buick LPGA Shanghai in China.
The Cavan golfer is in a share of 50th, 14 shots off the lead held by Japan’s Minami Katsu.
Maguire’s third-round 69 was an improvement on back to back 72s. Starting on the back nine, she shot five birdies and two birdies. She picked up shots on the 11th, 14th, 16th and 17th, before dropping on the third and eighth, and signing off with another birdie on her last hole.
Katsu’s sizzling 61 on day two has ultimately kept her in pole position, two shots clear of the rest of the field on 17-under, after a third-round 68.
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Harrington shares early lead at SAS Championship as Schauffele bids to break drought in Japan
LAST UPDATE | 11 Oct 2025
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON IS in a four-way tie for the lead at the PGA Tour Champions’ SAS Championship.
The Dubliner opened with a four-under round of 68 at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina, to sit atop the leaderboard with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and American duo Chad Campbell and Stewart Cink.
Harrington shot five birdies — on the fourth, fifth, 12th. 14th and 17th — and dropped just one shot with a bogey on the 15th.
Darren Clarke, meanwhile, is down the leaderboard after his opening round of 76.
The Dungannon man endured a difficult start with double bogeys on the second and fifth, and bogeys sandwiched between them. He picked up shots on the seventh, 14th and 17th but another bogey followed on hole 16.
The SAS Championship is the final event before the Champions’ three-event play-off to determine the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup.
Elsewhere, Xander Schauffele closed in on his first win of the year after grabbing a share of the lead heading into the final day of the US PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan.
The American carded a third-round four-under-par 67 at a rain-soaked Yokohama Country Club to move level with Max Greyserman on 12-under, three shots clear of their nearest challengers.
Schauffele won the British Open and the PGA Championship in 2024 but has yet to lift a trophy this year and has only finished in the top 10 three times.
The 31-year-old, part of the losing US Ryder Cup team two weeks ago, said confidence was “a tricky thing”.
“It takes a while to grow and then it goes away quickly,” he said.
“I’m just trying to put one walk after the other and slowly grow that confidence. So far we’ve been doing that.”
Schauffele hit six birdies and two bogeys to close the gap on fellow American Greyserman, who led by four shots at the start of the day.
Constant rain presented the players with a different challenge after strong wind on the opening day was followed by mild conditions for the second round.
“The weather has been tricky, so I’m proud of the fight to stay in it today,” said Schauffele.
“Round one felt like survival, round two felt like the course was pretty gettable and today felt like a bit of survival with pockets of a little bit less rain.”
Greyserman saw his lead slip away with a double bogey on the seventh hole and he finished with an even-par 71.
The 30-year-old went into the final day of last year’s tournament in Japan in contention for the title before finishing runner-up to Colombia’s Nico Echavarria.
Greyserman said he would take the positives from last year’s experience as he looks to win his first career title.
“I played a good round last year on Sunday and I got beat, I don’t think I gave up the tournament by any means,” he said.
“I thought I handled everything well and competed well and executed well, so that’s the plan for tomorrow.”
Defending champion Echavarria was in a group three shots behind the leading pair, along with South Koreans An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo, South African Garrick Higgo and American Michael Thorbjornsen.
Schauffele’s Ryder Cup team-mate Collin Morikawa was 10 shots off the pace on two-under while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was four-under after a late double bogey.
Elsewhere, Leona Maguire is down the leaderboard at Buick LPGA Shanghai in China.
The Cavan golfer is in a share of 50th, 14 shots off the lead held by Japan’s Minami Katsu.
Maguire’s third-round 69 was an improvement on back to back 72s. Starting on the back nine, she shot five birdies and two birdies. She picked up shots on the 11th, 14th, 16th and 17th, before dropping on the third and eighth, and signing off with another birdie on her last hole.
Katsu’s sizzling 61 on day two has ultimately kept her in pole position, two shots clear of the rest of the field on 17-under, after a third-round 68.
– © AFP 2025
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