The 45th U.S. Senior Open features a couple of familiar names tied atop the leaderboard as well as some familiar afternoon summer weather at the Broadmoor.
Padraig Harrington, who opened his second round Friday with three birdies on his first four holes, went on to post a 3-under 67. Meanwhile, Stewart Cink shot 4-under 66. Those two are tied for the lead at 6 under overall in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
For Harrington, it’s his second straight 67. He was the 18-hole leader alongside Mark Hensby, but Hensby isn’t scheduled to tee off for his second round till 1:43 p.m. local time (4:34 p.m. ET) on Friday.
Harrington is the 2022 U.S. Senior Open champ. Cink is competing in this event for the first time. They were in the same threesome the first two days alongside Justin Leonard. Harrington even got a read from Cink on the par-5 ninth hole, where Harrington drained a long putt.
“The one on 9, I got a lovely read off Stewart. I don’t think I would have given it as much break, so that was nice,” he said. “We’re seeing that a lot lately, aren’t we, people getting reads? That was advantageous. They’re the breaks you get when things are going well.”
Soon after they finished, the U.S. Golf Association suspended play due to dangerous weather in the area. Fans were told to exit the grandstands and take shelter immediately.
Being in the early wave and beating the weather delay is a bonus, according to Harrington.
“This is the advantage of having a late-early tee time. It gives you an extra, I probably got close to 24 hours before my next round, so it’s time to rest and get your head in place because it’s going to be a long weekend from now for sure,” he said. “When you’re at the top of the leaderboard all week, it’s always a stressful week.”
The Broadmoor is hosting the Senior Open for a second time. Earlier in the week, the USGA awarded the venue two future Opens.
A year ago, the Senior Open went to a Monday finish due to dangerous weather during the final round in Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island.
Defending tournament champion Richard Bland is not in the field, as his commitment to LIV Golf has him in Dallas this week.
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