Padraig Harrington carded a 65, five strokes under par, to edge out Thomas Bjorn by a single stroke after a tightly contested second round of the ISPS Handa Senior Open at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England, on Friday. Bjorn's strong performance kept him within striking distance of the lead.
Harrington moved up the leaderboard to 8-under 132, a single stroke ahead of Bjorn from Denmark and K.J. Choi of South Korea, the current titleholder. Bjorn's impressive 7-under 63 propelled him into the running, while Choi carded a 67.
Harrington carded five birdies, achieving them at both the opening and closing holes at Sunningdale, and avoided any bogeys on his card. The Irish golfer, who already boasts two senior major victories – the U.S. Senior Opens of 2022 and 2025 – is now gaining ground in his pursuit of a third.
I really pushed my luck today, but I was focused," Harrington stated. "My mental game was strong, and my short game was on point.
Harrington's argument was supported by his claim that he faced "three crazy things" that threw him off his game: an acorn dropping as he swung under a tree, an insect landing on him mid-swing, and a leaf obstructing his ball's path.
"I wouldn't want to rely on that kind of performance – although, I wouldn't mind racking up those kinds of points for the next couple of games. Still, I don't expect to get that lucky," Harrington commented.
Bjorn began his tournament with a 70, matching par, but came out strong on Friday, carding four birdies in the first five holes. Following another birdie on the 9th, he scored an eagle on the relatively short par-4 11th.
Regarding the 11th hole, Bjorn commented, "I smashed a fantastic drive, but I barely nicked a tree branch that was hanging over the fairway, and the ball dropped straight down. It was one of those moments where you just have to say, 'Okay, thanks a lot.'"
Bjorn confessed to being "very angry" at his own performance after a lackluster opening round that concluded with a double bogey.
Bjorn commented, "I came into today feeling confident after a strong performance yesterday, especially with my ball-striking." He continued, "...My goal was to start strong, and I executed a fantastic shot on the 2nd hole, which isn't an automatic birdie. From that point on, I continued to hit solid shots."
Choi's position on the leaderboard could have been better, but back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes caused him to drop several places.
Choi stated, "I'm feeling both anxious and thrilled. Each year, the players get better and stronger. So for me, every game is a fresh experience, a new beginning, requiring patience and lots of prayer. This helps me keep my emotions somewhat balanced, avoiding extreme highs and lows."
Cameron Percy of Australia (65), Justin Leonard (65), South African Ernie Els (67), and Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez (67) are all sharing fourth place, sitting at 6 under par.
1. After leading the first round with a score of 63, New Zealander Steven Alker's second-round 73 pushed him back to 4 under par. 2. Steven Alker of New Zealand, who started strong with a 63, slipped to 4 under after shooting a 73 in the second round. 3. Alker, the first-round frontrunner from New Zealand, ended up at 4 under after a 73 in the second round, following his initial 63.
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