Golf

Padraig Harrington denied playoff when putt lips out on final hole of SAS Championship

Jerry Kelly of the USA hangs on to win PGA Tour Champions event in North Carolina

Padraig Harrington and his caddie line up a putt during the final round of the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club. Photograph: Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
Padraig Harrington and his caddie line up a putt during the final round of the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club. Photograph: Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
Mon Oct 14 2024 - 12:59

America’s Jerry Kelly shot a 5-under-par 67 and held on to win the SAS Championship by one stroke on Sunday at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina.

Kelly made his only bogey of the day at the par-4 18th hole to settle for 13-under 203, and Padraig Harrington moved to 13 under at around the same time with a birdie at the par-5 17th. But Harrington also proceeded to bogey the 18th after missing both the fairway and the green on his first two shots.

Harrington's par attempt to force a playoff hit the edge of the cup and lipped out.

It marked Kelly's 12th win on the PGA Tour Champions and his first since August 2022.

READ MORE

"It's a long time coming," Kelly said on the Golf Channel broadcast. "You wonder if you're even going to do it again when the injuries start piling up."

Kelly began the day tied for second, three shots off the pace of Harrington, who has won eight times since joining the tour in 2022. Kelly birdied 1, 3 and 5 to make his move up the leaderboard.

Kelly passed Harrington on the leaderboard with another trio of birdies at 10, 12 and 13, while the Irishman had just two birdies and a bogey through 12 holes. Harrington missed birdie chances at the 13th through 16th holes before finally getting one to go at the penultimate hole.

Sunday marked the end of the PGA Tour Champions regular season, and the top 72 players in the points standings qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs. That included Woody Austin, who despite posting a 3-over 75 on Sunday finished T17 at 4 under par. He moved from number 73 to 71 in points.

“That’s what I tried to do coming in this week,” Austin said of making the playoffs. “To have to hit it that good just to finish in the top-20 (of the tournament), that’s ridiculous. I’m glad that I get to at least play one more tournament.”