Seniors Showing Off

Harrington another example of success after 50

There is a strong case that the best days of what is now known as PGA Tour Champions were decades ago, when some all-timers were reprising their winning ways in battles against each other, with the occasional Larry Laoretti or Tom Wargo lifting a trophy every now and then for good measure.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Gary Player played senior golf—and by the way, there was nothing wrong with “Senior PGA Tour,” the circuit’s original name—and gave the new circuit credibility after the possibility seen in the 1970s when Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Roberto De Vicenzo and others put on a show in the annual Legends of Golf. Fifty and older competition might not have been the real thing, the best against the best in their primes, but it was a thing. The legends found joy in winning, and plenty of fans were overjoyed to see the familiar faces (and swings) accumulating more titles while demonstrating excellence wasn’t the exclusive province of limber-backs without crow’s feet.

The confluence of factors that made the senior tour what it was during those heady times was fleeting. Measuring what has come later against the perfect storm of icons performing on a platform that hadn’t existed is foolish.

Other senior stars have emerged, notably the two most enduring winners, Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer. Irwin won so many times—45 in his career, 16 more than Trevino—that his was thought to be untouchable, up there in the record stratosphere with Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive wins in 1945. That is, until Langer, driven and fit, proved otherwise. He is at 47 victories, and no one should think he is done until he says so, even though he turns 68 later this summer.

The soloists need a chorus—any tour does, for interest, over the long haul—but PGA Tour Champions is still at its best when the biggest names are at their best. Such was the case over the weekend at the 45^th U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, where three-time major champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland won the most prestigious and lucrative title in 50-and-over golf, claiming the Francis Ouimet Memorial Trophy for the second time. He also won it in 2022.

To prevail this time, Harrington had to turn back Stewart Cink. The lead was changing as often as a traffic signal on Sunday, but when Cink missed birdie attempts inside 10 feet on the 16^th and 17^th holes, Harrington had green on No. 18, his par giving him a final-round 67 and 11-under total to defeat Cink by one, with Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain two behind. Jimenez started and finished his closing round with bogeys, but eight birdies between them led to a 64 as made a late threat to his age-defying season in which he has won four times at 61, the most in a season by someone who has turned 60. The old belief that a senior was largely done by his mid-50s was ignored by Irwin and shattered by Langer. Jimenez, known for stretching his muscles and savoring vino roja, is following suit in 2025.

The top three and the rest of the field performed on a good venue, Broadmoor’s East course, in front of nice galleries. Those two realities are important in giving any event a vibe of importance but even more crucial for a senior stage, which, despite all it offers, is still a block or two from Broadway.

Although the rough was significant last week—Jimenez’s Sunday charge was blunted by an errant tee shot on No. 18 that forced him to lay up short of a pond from 205 yards—the greens were the heart of the challenge. The Broadmoor’s putting surfaces are slick, tilting conundrums, with the effect of nearby mountains and valleys adding perplexities to reading the breaks. “It was just a lot of fun out there trying to figure this place out,” was Cink’s assessment even after finishing runner-up. “If you are anything less than 100 percent committed, it will spit you out.”

The Broadmoor is not the place for insecurity over a putt, but that was the case for Harrington during the third round. “I’ve suffered the dreadful yips over the years, so I know how to get through them,” Harrington said Sunday afternoon. “But they come back every so often, and yesterday was a bad day.”

Harrington had a key moment early in the final round, sinking a birdie putt on the second hole. “That was a key putt for me,” he said. “Not just because I holed it, but I hit it with a lot more freedom. Yesterday I really struggled on the greens. I hit a lot of iffy putts. That was nice and pure.”

Nice and pure. Far and sure. Those kind of strokes and shots are still within reach for these accomplished seniors, older and admirable if not quite the headliners of years ago. In some cases waistlines are bigger, but there’s not much fat on their scorecards.