The battle for the 2025 US Senior Open title is fierce. After the first 36 holes, three players are tied for the lead and will enter the weekend with a three-shot advantage over their nearest competitors.
Major champions Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink are two of those tied for the top spot at 6-under, a group that also includes Australian Mark Hensby.
Harrington has carded two consecutive 67s, making four birdies and a bogey in the first round and six birdies and three bogeys in the second.
“The start I got this morning, I was hoping to go a little lower and maybe try and get away from the field,” said Harrington, according to the USGA news service.
“As I said yesterday, most of Thursday and Friday is jockeying for position, keeping yourself in the tournament, trying not to lose the tournament.”
“But after the start I had today, I could have got some daylight between myself and the field and got out there. I just have to go and do it all again the next two days.”
Harrington is seeking his second senior major title. He previously won the 2022 US Senior Open.
Meanwhile, Cink carded four birdies and two bogeys in the opening round for a 68, but improved the next day with five birdies and one bogey (66).
“I just kept doing the same things I was doing and keeping the ball mostly in play, and if I was out of play, I was just in the rough,” said Cink about improving from one round to the other.
“I never was in a lot of trouble. Then a couple putts went in, hit one close, two-putted [both] par 5s, and you look back and an hour and a half later you’ve got five birdies in the last seven holes or something.”
“It was not like I dug deep and found anything I just kept doing the same thing and patience was rewarded.”
All set for the weekend in the Springs
pic.twitter.com/aK1cok6GAG
— USGA (@USGA) June 28, 2025
Stewart Cink has never won a senior major title. His best results in this type of event are finishing third in the 2023 Senior PGA Championship and tying for third in the 2024 Regions Tradition.
Hensby matched Harrington’s performance with back-to-back 67s in the first two rounds. He carded nine birdies and six bogeys on the first day and six birdies and three bogeys on the second.
The Australian is also seeking his first senior major title. He finished third in the 2022 U.S. Senior Open.
The second round also marked the cut of the US Senior Open, which was set at 5-over par. Several top PGA Tour Champions players said goodbye early to the event, including major champions and senior major champions Angel Cabrera and Bernhard Langer.
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