If you’re going to get hit by a major champ’s golf shot, you could do much worse than Padraig Harrington.

The future World Golf Hall of Fame inductee was quite generous — despite being in the hunt for a second senior major title — after an errant tee shot struck a patron on Fields Ranch East’s par-4 16th. Battling back and forth with fellow golf great Steve Stricker for the Senior PGA Championship, Harrington’s shot sailed left of the fairway hitting a fan on the top of the head. By the time Harrington made it over to him, the injured man had a compress on his head and was about to be taken away in a cart.

Harrington went to sign a golf glove for the man, as one does, but decided this wasn’t enough for his troubles. It was time to take the wallet out.

A kind gesture by Padraig Harrington after striking a fan with his drive on the 16th. ?

?: #SrPGAChamp on @NBC and @peacock pic.twitter.com/KHMUioFqEA

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 28, 2023

“Thank you very much. You got it going in the right direction,” Harrington said. And then the man replied: “I was trying to get you back closer to the fairway there … Good luck, the rest of the way.”

Such a cordial exchange and a head injury deserves much more than a glove, at least according to Harrington.

“I bought him a dinner,” Harrington said after the event. “He nutted my ball back to the fairway. So, yeah, like, you give him a glove, but it never really seems adequate to give a guy a glove. He’s a grown man, like what’s he want with a glove with my signature?

“So I thought — he said his wife was inside — but, please take your wife out for dinner on me was the sort of thing. I don’t know, I hope I gave him enough for dinner.”

Despite the goodwill and positive vibes, the Irishman couldn’t hold on to the victory ultimately losing to Stricker in a playoff. $380,000 in second-place prize money will more than make up for that $300 loss though.

The post WATCH: Padraig Harrington drills spectator with tee shot, gives him wad of $50s to make up for it appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It’s been a rough stretch for John Daly on the golf course in 2023, Father Time perhaps finally catching up with the 57-year-old two-time major winner. In five PGA Tour Champions starts prior to this week’s Senior PGA Championship, his best showing was a T-38, his best round a 69 and his overall stroke average topping out at 74.06. His two starts in PGA Tour events in the 2022-23 season haven’t been much better, missed cuts in Bermuda and New Orleans.

Injury would seemingly explain some of the poor play. During the off-season, Daly had knee replacement on his left knee, and certainly recovering from that kind of procedure that takes time. Daly withdrew from the PGA Championship last week at Oak Hill, citing an undisclosed malady, despite the fact the PGA of America would have been allowed him to use a golf cart citing ADA rules because of his health issues.

“I’m really disappointed to miss the PGA Championship,” Daly said in a quote released by the PGA of America. “This major means the world to me and will always have a special place in my heart. I wish the best to those competing,”

Daly did try to give it a go at this week’s Senior PGA Championship, being held on the Fields Ranch East course at the PGA of America’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas. But after 13 holes of Thursday’s first round he decided to withdraw as well, sitting five-over with two double-bogeys on his scorecard. That night, Daly took to Twitter with a post that offered an unusual rant — and photo — that at the same time seemed very much in character for Daly.

So hard to play tee boxes that are down grade. Golf course is great but I wish they would make their tee boxes level! We are not young anymore!! Some guys are ADA and we can not follow through on down hill tee boxes!! I’m sorry @PGA you are going the wrong way in golf but I… pic.twitter.com/Uajbg2HRA4

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) May 26, 2023

We’re not entirely on the same page with Long John regarding the tee boxes. What exactly does “down grade” tee boxes even mean? Watching some of the coverage, it would appear most of the tees are pretty level. And with Padraig Harrington having shot 64-68 in the opening two rounds to grab a three-shot lead, well, seems pretty regulation to us.

Meanwhile, there’s te knee. Wow … just wow. Again, he had replacement surgery on it only last December, but that does look painful … and a little frightening, too. Maybe “down grade tees” really are a thing?!?

At any rate, we hope you feel better and the knee stops hurting so you can get back out there and play some more. Golf is more fun when John Daly is posting low scores rather than posting photos of body parts.

The post John Daly tweets John Daly things, ranting about tee boxes and showing his terrifyingly swollen knee appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The inaugural championship played at the new PGA of America headquarters in Frisco, Texas, was at a minimum a dramatic success, a duel between opposing Ryder Cup captains that ultimately reinforced the fact that these days Stricker owns the PGA Tour Champions.

Stricker, 56, won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship with a par on the first playoff hole at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, his second straight major championship victory and third win in nine senior starts this season. A bonus was that he won with his daughter Izzi, 17, caddying for him for the first time, as a birthday present.

“It was a battle,” Stricker said. “The course showed some teeth at times today. Some difficult pins. Some easy pins. But it was a little crustier on the greens. The wind was tricky at times. Yeah, but it feels great. It feels great not only to do it [but to] have Izzi on the bag was even more special. We had a great time this week and that was the goal, just to come here and have a good time with her, and to throw a win on top of it is even icing on the cake.”

Padraig Harrington, who captained the European Ryder Cup team in a loss to Stricker’s American team at Whistling Straits in 2021, was attempting to win the Senior PGA wire-to-wire and took a one-stroke lead into the final round. He surrendered his lead to Stricker on the 11th hole, but pulled even with a birdie at the par-5 18th hole to send it to overtime.

On the playoff hole, Harrington sliced his drive into a penalty area, attempted to slash his ball out with his second shot and left in the penalty area, took a drop, then hit a 5-wood fourth shot from 272 yards to 12 feet of the hole. Stricker, meanwhile, played a 3-wood off the tee, a lay-up second shot, a poor wedge to the green and took two putts for par.

Moments later, Harrington missed his par putt, allowing Stricker to win his 14th senior event, six of them majors. His final round of three-under 69 gave him a 72-hole score of 18-under 270, while Harrington closed with a two-under 70.

“I’ll be disappointed with the tee shot and the second shot,” Harrington said of the playoff hole. “But if I hole the [par] putt we could say it [his 5-wood fourth] was one of the best shots I ever hit. The fact that I didn’t hole the putt, we’ll forget about it. Golf is cruel.”

It certainly can be, and Stricker was prepared to endure his own share of cruelty. “He [Harrington] had a legitimate look at it. And it was kind of the same putt that Stewart Cink had in regulation that he made for eagle,” Stricker said. “So, yeah, I told Izzi, I’m like: ‘Well, we got to expect him to make this and we’re going to go again.’ But, yeah, tough putt, just trying to die it down there and luckily we came out on top.”

The post Steve Stricker wins second straight senior major, this time with teenage daughter Izzi as caddie appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege
The magical mystery tour continued for Steven Alker on Sunday, when the man who came from nowhere added a major championship to his inexplicably remarkable PGA Tour Champions run.

Alker, 50, came from four shots down at the start of the final round, shot an eight-under 63 at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship by three, his third win in his last five starts and his fourth in 19 starts as a senior.

The mystery is how this journeyman, a native New Zealander who had never found a home in professional golf, turned 50, played his way onto the senior tour and immediately became a dominant player. Paul Goydos wants to know, too, asking where he’s been the past 50 years.

“Just perseverance,” a euphoric Alker said. “That’s all I can say. Just perseverance with a capital P.”

Magical is the only way to describe his ascension that reached a pinnacle with this victory and the $630,000 first-prize cash. He has finished in the top 10 in 16 of his 19 starts, nine of them top-three finishes. Moreover, in his last five starts, he has finished first, tied for second, first, tied for third and first.

“Lot of things,” Alker said, attempting to explain his meteoric rise. “Support, and the game coming around, people helping me just to get me in shape, caddie, everybody. It’s been a great run. I’m just enjoying playing out here. It’s been so much fun.

“I can’t put my finger on one thing exactly. I look back and I go, geez, did I really have the game or did I have the attitude? I think right now, I’ve matured and it’s a second wind. That’s the biggest thing, I’ve had these 18 months, two years, 50s coming up, so let’s stay in shape. Let’s keep playing. We have a second career. Let’s go for it. Let’s go.”

The past had been a perennial grind for Alker. He made 86 PGA Tour starts without a top 10 and missed the cut in 47 of them. He made 80 European Tour starts and missed the cut in 42, with only a single top 10. He had 304 starts on what now is called the Korn Ferry Tour, though he played it when it was the Nike Tour, the Buy.com Tour, the Nationwide Tour and the Web.com Tour. He did win four times, but missed the cut in nearly half those starts.

The history in the wake of his senior debut is ancient and now largely forgotten, though Stephen Ames remembers.

“I watched Steven play on the European Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, and all of the sudden out here, wow,” the runner-up Ames said. “It’s fantastic, great to see. Any person that’s an un-name player coming out, getting a name for himself the way he’s been doing, it is phenomenal.”

Alkers completed 72 holes in 16-under par 268. He birdied the 15th and 16th holes to go two ahead, a lead that increased to three when Ames bogeyed the 17th. Ames, who shared the 36-hole lead and was the 54-hole leader, shot 70 in the final round and finished second. The seemingly ageless Bernhard Langer, 64, who briefly shared the lead with both Alker and Ames on the back nine, made three consecutive bogeys, then a double bogey on 18 to shoot 71 and fall to third place.

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The post The mastery (and mystery) of Steven Alker continues with his victory in the Senior PGA Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Two weeks ago Steve Stricker won the Regions Tradition, his fourth senior major title and eighth on the PGA Tour Champions. But he won’t be able to add to that total this week at the Senior PGA Championship.

It all seemed to be going right for Steve Stricker. Having recovered from what he labelled a mystery illness that hospitalised him twice, caused him to lose 25 pounds and forced him to step away from competitive golf for more than 200 days starting last October, the former US Ryder Cup captain had returned to action in April, posting three top-10 finishes in three starts, including a victory the Regions Tradition.

But on Tuesday, Stricker’s comeback was halted when he announced he was withdrawing from this week’s Senior PGA Championship, the season’s second senior men’s major, after testing positive last Friday for COVID-19.

Super bummed that I tested positive for Covid on Friday and have to withdraw from @seniorpgachamp this week! Just a small setback and will look forward to getting back after it when I feel strong again! Good luck to the players, especially my brother in law @MarioTiziani

— Steve Stricker (@stevestricker) May 24, 2022

Stricker’s six-shot win less than two weeks ago marked his fourth senior major title and eighth on the PGA Tour Champions to go with 12 PGA Tour wins. The Senior PGA Championship, however, was one marquee senior event that 55-year-old Wisconsin native had yet to truly contend in, finishing T-41 at Oak Hill in 2019 and T-11 at Southern Hills in 2021.

As Stricker referenced in his social media post, he still has a rooting interest in this week’s event. Mario Tiziani is in the field at Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan Tiziani is brother to Stricker’s wife (and sometimes caddie) Nikki as well as Stricker’s agent.

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The post Steve Stricker withdraws from Senior PGA Championship due to COVID-19 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Two down, three to go?

To think that Alex Cejka would be in line to win the calendar-year Grand Slam on the PGA Tour Champions in 2021 was all sorts of preposterous at the start of May. For starters, the 50-year-old Czech-German hadn’t played in only two Champions event, one in February and one in late April. He had limited status on the tour having won just once during his time on the PGA Tour (and four times on the European Tour). In order to compete in the year’s first senior major, the Regions Tradition in early May, he needed Jay Haas to withdraw from the field and allow him to jump off the alternate list.

Yet Cejka took advantage of the opportunity, shooting a final-round 67 at Greystone G. & C.C. to force a playoff with Steve Stricker then won with birdie on the first hole to take the title in just his third career senior start.

If that victory was from out of nowhere, the encore was only a little more shocking. On Sunday at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Cejka started the final round one shot back of Stricker only to shoot a closing 67 at Southern Hills Country Club, run away from the field and win by four shots over Tim Petrovic.

“The last couple of weeks have been incredible,” said Cejka, who finished at eight-under 272. “I can’t even describe it in words how I feel right now.”

While all’s well that ends well, it was an up-and-down round on Sunday for Cejka. He started birdie-bogey-bogey but made two more birdies to turn at one under on the round. Then birdies on the 11th and 12th stretched out a lead to as many as four shots as Stricker made six bogeys and a double in his first 13 holes to plummet down the leader board.

Cejka made a bogey on the par-5 13th hole, but offset it with a birdie on the par-4 17th to keep Petrovic, who closed his own Sunday 67, from making things too interesting.

In five PGA Tour Champions starts, Cejka has the two wins and a T-2 at the Chubb Classic. On Sunday, he became the first Champions tour rookie to win two majors since Jack Nicklaus in 1990 and the first player ever on the circuit to win in his first two major starts.

“I’m the same guy, I’m trying to play the same golf. I just seem to get luckier breaks, make more putts, drive it better since I turned 50,” he said.

Cejka goes for major No. 3 the last week of June at Firestone C.C. in Akron, Ohio, in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. Two weeks later is the U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club, with the Senior British Open then played at the end of July at Sunningdale GC’s Old Course.

Dylan Buell
Cejka poses with the trophy after winning the Senior PGA Championship.

The post Alex Cejka started May with limited status on the PGA Tour Champions. Now he’s a two-time senior major winner appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It was a showdown worthy of two men who already have spots in the World Golf Hall of Fame. For much of Sunday afternoon, Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh matched each other shot for shot at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C., separating themselves from the rest of field at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Over the final few overcast holes, there was just one question to answer: Who had enough left to win?

As has usually been the case since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2007, the 59-year-old Langer proved too tough to take down. A 15-foot birdie on the par-4 16th hole gave him a one-stroke advantage after Langer and Singh had equaled each other’s scores on the previous nine holes. Then on the par-3 17th, Singh made a three-putt bogey from 35 feet (missing the par putt from six feet) that made his birdie on the 18th hole academic.

Related: Gary Player insists that they’ve got the career senior major count all wrong

With a par-par finish, Langer closed out a four-under 68 to win by one stroke with his 18-under 270 total.

In the end, Langer didn’t just beat Singh on Sunday. He also beat Jack Nicklaus, as Langer claimed his ninth career senior major, surpassing the record of eight titles Nicklaus held alone until seven days ago, when Langer won the Regions Tradition title.

“We play to win tournaments, especially majors,” Langer said. “And now have surpassed Jack Nicklaus in majors on this tour is pretty unique. To win back-to-back majors is really hard to do. I was really tired. I was aching. … I’m blessed.”

ICYMI: (and we hope you didn't) Here's the Championship-clinching moment for Bernhard Langer #SrPGA pic.twitter.com/inwRitu77T

— KitchenAid Senior PGA Champ (@seniorpgachamp) May 29, 2017

The victory was Langer’s 32nd on the senior circuit but his first at the oldest major in senior golf. In turn, the German became the first golfer to win all five tournaments designated as majors on the PGA Tour Champions.

“He played awesome,” Langer said of his opponent. “I played pretty much as good as I can. If he made a few putts he would have had me. … He has some weapons I don’t have.”

Indeed, playing in just his 15th PGA Tour Champions start, Singh, 54, resembled the golfer who had won a record 22 PGA Tour titles in his 40s. Singh’s distance off the tee allowed him to attack Trump National’s par 5s, where he’d made birdies 12 out of 16 times.

But Singh’s power game was offset by a balky putter as he would miss makeable eagle and birdie attempts on several holes Sunday, including the five-footer for par on the 17th.

Conversely, Langer’s putting game shined as he made crucial birdie putts on the ninth, 13th and 16th holes to keep the pressure on Singh in their mano-a-mano duel. By week’s end, Langer led the field in driving accuracy (51 of 56, 91.6 percent) and greens in regulation (61 of 72, 84.72 percent). In the final round, Langer hit 17 of 18 greens.

“If I would have putted nicely, this thing probably would have been over a long time ago,” Singh said. “But Bernhard played really solid, he never missed a shot, and he was always on the green and he putted nicely as well, so he deserved to win. The way I played, he should win.”

Like Langer, Singh had much to play for on Sunday. Since winning the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship on the PGA Tour, it had been nearly eight years and 215 events from his last individual victory (he shared the crown with Carlos Franco at last month’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf event). He’ll be back at it next week, playing in the Memorial Tournament.

Meanwhile, it’s hard to speculate just how many majors Langer can win before he’s done on the PGA Tour Champions. With back-to-back majors now under his belt (the second time he’s done that in his career) and this the fourth time he’s won more than one major in a calendar year (joining 2010, 2014 and 2016), it would appear he’s not likely to slow down in the near future. His next shot comes at the end of June when the U.S. Senior Open is held at Salem (Mass.) Country Club.

There’s at least one player who thinks Langer isn’t close to being done.

Congratulations Bern! What a great win! I have always said that records are made to be broken, and congratulations… https://t.co/Rszfx2AIMy

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) May 28, 2017

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