Harrington smashes PGA TOUR Champions and personal scoring record en route to Charles Schwab Cup Championship win
Padraig Harrington watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round at the 2022 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course) in Bethlehem, Pa. on Sunday, June 26, 2022. (Chris Keane/USGA)
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON shot the lowest 72-hole aggregate of his professional career —and broke Tom Lehman’s PGA TOUR Champions 72-hole scoring record — when he closed with a six-under 65 to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by seven shots from Alex Cejka on 27-under 257 in Arizona.
The Dubliner (51) had to settle for second in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race as New Zealander Steven Alker finished third behind Harrington to claim the $1 million bonus at Phoenix Country Club.
But Harrington still had the satisfaction of winning his fourth title of the PGA TOUR Champions season by the lowest score of his career.
His total of 27-under par total of 257 also matched Jack Nicklaus's PGA TOUR Champions 72-hole record with respect to par and shaved a shot of Lehman's decade-old record aggregate of 258.
While he was 26-under in finishing second to John Daly on 262 in the 2001 BMW International in Munich, Harrington shot 23-under 261 to win the Portuguese Masters for the most recent of his DP World Tour wins in 2016.
Harrington made such a long thank-you speech, the emcee tried unsuccessfully to wrest the microphone from his hand.
But asked about his duel with Alker, he paid tribute to the New Zealander after their enthralling battle for the season-long title.
“Well that just proves he's a worthy champion,” Harrington said. “Everyone threw everything at Steve for the latter half of the year.
“Look, he had a great start to the year but the way he finished the year — he won a playoff event and he kept delivering. He really truly is the deserved winner of the Charles Schwab Cup."
He went into the final round with a five-shot lead over Alker and after birdies at the first, third and fifth, he was still five clear of the New Zealander and Germany's Alex Cejka at the turn after he made a 15-footer for par at the ninth have been forced to chip out of the trees.
SUN CITY, SOUTH AFRICA - NOVEMBER 13: Tommy Fleetwood of England poses with the Nedbank Golf Challenge trophy after winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the 18th hole during Day Four of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Gary Player CC on November 13, 2022 in Sun City, South Africa. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
The Dubliner (51) missed a six-footer for a birdie at the 10th but made a five-footer for his fourth birdie of the day at the 12th to go six clear of Cejka on 25-under.
Alker needed a top-five finish to clinch the Charles Schwab Cup and while he made back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 13th, he steadied the ship with a birdie at the 15th and went in to card a three—under 68 to finish third on 19-under.
Harrington was in his element and beaming from ear to ear after making a 45-footer from the fringe for a two at the 15th, and followed that by brushing in an 18-footer at the 16th to go 27-under.
He hit his second in the grandstand at the par-five 18th but couldn’t make a 10-footer for another birdie that would have seen him snatch Nicklaus’ scoring record.
The three-time major winner pocketed $440,000 for his fourth win of the PGA TOUR Champions season, taking his official earnings on the over 50s circuit to $3,564,424.
Alker claimed the $1 million bonus for claiming the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race, but Harrington got another $500,000 for finishing second as Cejka shot 65 to finish second to Harrington in the final event on 20-under.
Added to earnings on the main tours this season of €371,127, Harrington has racked up over €4.3 million this term with the next month's PNC Championship still to come.
His win at Phoenix Country Club was his fourth of the season following victories in the US Senior Open in June, the DICK'S Sporting Goods in August and the Ascension Charity Classic in August.
Harrington also had another four runner-up finishes, including The Senior Open Championship at Gleneagles, where he lost out to Darren Clarke by a shot.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD ended his three-year victory drought and emerged as a challenger to Rory McIlroy for the DP World Tour Rankings when he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge by a shot at the Gary Player Country Club.
The Englishman (31) was the defending champion in Sun City, where the event was held for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was three shots behind Dane Ramus Hojgaard and Belgium's Thomas Detry heading out, but after holing a bunker shot for eagle at the 14th to take the lead, he parred his way home to win by one stroke from New Zealand's Ryan Fox, who would have leapfrogged McIlroy at the top of the Rankings with a victory but bogeyed the 18th to finish second after a 68.
BELLEAIR, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 13: Nelly Korda of the United States plays her shot from the second tee during the final round of the Pelican Women's Championship at Pelican Golf Club on November 13, 2022 in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Fleetwood, who closed with a five-under 67, is now fourth in the Rankings behind McIlroy, Fox and US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick heading into this week's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
In Texas, Tony Finau claimed his fifth PGA TOUR win when he closed with a one-under 69 to win the Cadence Bank Houston Open by four shots from Tyson Alexander on 16-under par.
In the Pelican Women's Championship, Leona Maguire closed with a two-under 68 to finish tied 10th on seven-under, seven shots behind Nelly Korda, who shot 64 to win by a shot from Lexi Thompson on 14-under.
Stephanie Meadow needed a top-four finish to qualify for this week's CME Group Tour Championship but closed with a four-over 74 to finish tied 37th on one-under in Florida.