Pádraig Harrington had a nice way of easing the pain of a spectator he hit with a wayward drive in the final round of the US Seniors PGA Championship ... he forked out $300 so that the injured man could take his wife out to dinner!
Although the traditional compensation from a player for hitting someone with an errant golf ball is a signed glove, the Dubliner explained: “It never really seems adequate to give a guy a glove. He’s a grown man, like what does he want with a glove with my signature? So I thought, ‘Please take your wife out for dinner on me’ was the sort of thing. I hope I gave him enough.”
In the championship, Harrington came up just short of adding another title after losing out to Steve Stricker – his opposing Ryder Cup captain at Whistling Straits in 2021 – in a sudden-death playoff.
Harrington has a well-earned rest for a fortnight before returning stateside for a busy stretch that takes in the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club as well as his defence of both the Dick’s Sporting Goods in New York and the US Seniors Open in Wisconsin.
Liam Nolan strengthens Walker Cup claims
Liam Nolan’s win in the Brabazon Trophy (the English amateur open championship) at Sunningdale (New) will strengthen his claim for a place on the Britain and Ireland team for the Walker Cup match against the United States at St Andrews later this year.
The 23-year-old Galway man defeated English teenage star Zach Little at the third hole of a sudden-death play-off to become the first Irish winner of the famed trophy since Cormac Sharvin in 2015. Among the past winners are former Masters champions Charl Schwartzel and Sandy Lyle.
Nolan has a one-week golfing holiday in Spain this week to celebrate the biggest win of his amateur career before getting back to a bust summer schedule of championships, with the aim of making that B&I team for the match on the Old Course on September 2nd-3rd.
“The name and the history of Sunningdale Golf Club makes it one of the coolest places to win a golf tournament. There have been a lot of really good winners here in the past and to put my name on this trophy is amazing,” said Nolan.
Dublin teenager Seán Keeling, from Roganstown Golf Club, held the 54-hole lead but struggled through 12 holes of the final round before recovering with two late birdies to claim a tied-fourth finish. Keeling is on course to represent Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup match in Rome in late-September.
By the Numbers
3-2-2
There are three Irish players in the field for The Memorial tournament in Muirfield Village, Ohio: Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Séamus Power are all back in action after taking a week out following the US PGA.
Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow are in the field for this week’s LPGA Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey.
On the DP World Tour, Tom McKibbin and John Murphy are competing in the Porsche European Open in Hamburg.
Word of Mouth
“That’s the goal, to get on to the LPGA Tour. Hopefully, I can join (Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow), play my way on to the tour” – Lauren Walsh, from Castlewarden Golf Club, who got the winning point for Wake Forest in their historic NCAA Division One final. Walsh, a two-time Curtis Cup player, has completed her studies at the US university and will turn professional next month, already with one invitation to play in an LPGA Tour event lined up. Walsh intends to play in the LPGA Tour Q-School in September in her bid to earn a full card for the 2024 season.
On this day ... May 30th, 1982
Raymond Floyd had never done particularly well at Muirfield Village, a course he once described as “the most difficult in the world” and where year-on-year he had left the Memorial tournament at the place that Jack built a beaten man.
All that changed with his victory, one which had seemed highly improbable at the halfway stage when he trailed 36-holes leader Roger Maltbie by nine strokes. However, a stormy third round made life difficult for most players and Floyd’s 67 to Maltbie’s 75 changed everything.
In the final round, Floyd shot a 71 for a total of 281 which gave him a two strokes winning margin over Maltbie, Gil Morgan, Peter Jacobsen and Wayne Levi. Floyd’s first win of the season earned him a pay-day of $63,000.
Floyd, the 1976 Masters champion, collected his 16th career win on the PGA Tour in what he described as “a very emotional experience. To have such a bad record here and making myself change my attitude, that was my biggest reward,” he said.
Twitter Twaddle
T-9 at Colonial this week. One of the best courses of the year. 2 weeks off for the first time in a while, and while I’m sad to be missing The Memorial, I’m gunna go watch my sister get married instead and that’s way cooler than #golf. See y’all in LA for the US Open – Max Homa putting family first.
Congrats @hv3_golf! Extremely proud of you!! You deserve it and I can’t wait to beat you next time! – Bubba Watson tipping the cap to Harold Varner III on his LIV Golf win in Washington DC.
You killed it @IzziStricker ! Thanks for being by my side. A week I’ll never forget – Steve Stricker calling out his daughter (and caddie) Izzi’s contribution to his Seniors PGA win at PGA Frisco in Texas.
In the Bag
Emiliano Grillo
Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial
Driver – Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (9 degrees)
3-wood – Callaway Rogue (13.5 degrees)
5-wood – Callaway Paradym (18 degrees)
Irons – Callaway Apex TCB (4-9)
Wedges – Callaway Mack daddy 3 Milled (46 degrees), Callaway Mack Daddy Forged (50, 54 and 60 degrees)
Putter – Odyssey White Hot OG Stroke Lab #5
Ball – Callaway Chrome Soft X
Know the Rules
Q
Your second shot comes to rest on the green. When putting, you hit the ball too hard and it rolls off the green into a bunker. You deem your ball unplayable and take relief by placing another ball on the putting green where you putted from and hole the next putt. What is your score for the hole?
A
Five – two shots on to the green; one putt that rolls off the green; one penalty stroke for taking unplayable relief under option 19.2a (stroke and distance relief); one putt that is holed.
