PADRAIG HARRINGTON WAS PIPPED to the Senior Open Championship title in a play-off at Royal Porthcawl Golf Course, beaten on the second-hole of sudden death by Germany’s Alex Cejka. 

Both players finished tied at five-over for the tournament and then went to a play-off on the par-five 18th. Both birdied the first hole of the play-off and so returned to the tee box for another duel, after which Cejka won out. Harrington overcooked his iron shot from the edge of the fairway and, in a tricky lie, miscued his chip shot, leaving it short of the green. Harrington couldn’t make birdie from off the green and so that left Cejka with two putts to win. His tentative eagle putt was rendered immaterial by a nerveless tap in for birdie and the title. 

It means Harrington has finished second at the Senior Open twice in a row, earning a play-off today courtesy of a closing round of 75 in brutally windy conditions. Harrington’s 75 was one of the better scores of the day: nobody shot under par, with YE Yang’s 71 the best score of the day. 

Harrington trailed Cejka by a shot at the start of the day, and recovered from going four-over through his first four holes to birdie six and 12. Harrington bogeyed 14 and 16, but his approach to 18 have him a look at eagle and thus the title outright. That putt drifted narrowly by the hole, but Harrington tapped in for birdie to force the play-off. 

Though ultimately outlasted on an attritional day, Harrington played this week as the only man to make the cut at last week’s Open Championship. He will now curtail his involvement on the Champions Tour to play some events on the DP World Tour, adding the Czech Open and the European Masters to a schedule already featuring the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. 

Elsewhere, Darren Clarke shot an eight-over 79 to finish T33.