ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Pick a corner of the globe and Padraig Harrington has likely found success playing there. He’s a three-time major champion and a World Golf Hall of Fame member.
Outside of his native Ireland, where he’s won the Irish PGA Championship six times, no place on Earth can rival what he’s accomplished in Endicott.
New York’s Southern Tier has made a good case to be his home away from home. Of his 45 career victories, no other tournament has offered him greater success than the Dick’s Open at En-Joie Golf Club.
He won the tournament in 2022, 2023, 2024 and is 18 holes away from winning it again this weekend.
Perhaps the only reason he’s not going for five straight victories is that he missed last year’s edition because of a scheduling conflict.
He sits with a two-round score of 12-under par and a one shot lead. However, 20 golfers are within four shots of his lead, creating what should be a thrilling final round Sunday.
“I’m just trying to get my head around going out with the lead tomorow and what emotions I’m going to feel,” Harrington said. “Today, I would’ve liked to get a couple more in the bag, give myself some comfort. Obviously 12-under, the problem with 12-under is there’s probably a bucnh of guys who can shoot 6-, 7-, 8-under par who are going to have a chance tomorrow.”
His closest challengers are Round 1 leader Dickey Pride and Thongchai Jaidee, each at 11-under.
“Tomorrow I’m going to have to come out and play well,” Harrington said. “Prepare myself for diferent scenarios, what can happen and deal with it when it happens.”
In Saturday’s second round, Harrington posted four birdies on the front 9, but gave a shot back with a bogie on the par-4 11th. He followed with a par on the par-5 12th, which played as the fourth easiest hole on the course this weekend, yielding 63 birdies and an eagle.
He responded like a champion with birdies on holes 13 and 16 to overtake a crowded group atop the leaderboard.
Pride ran into his own issues with a double bogie on the par-3 14th hole that knocked him out of the lead. But he also responded with a birdie on 16.
Jaidee, meanwhile, lit up the front 9 going 6-under, including eagling the par-5 fifth hole. However, he also experienced problems on the back 9 with bogies on 11 and 14. A birdie on the 18th, though, put him in good position going into Sunday.
For Harrington, the biggest obstacle between him and a fourth Dick’s Open victory might be his mental approach.
“Clearly you’d always pick having a good day on the greens, and youd always pick having a good day mentally,” he said when asked about the keys to finishing with a win. “Those are the two priorities tomorrow. I can’t quite control a good day on the greens but the other one, being in to my shots and focusing, not second-guessing things, being committed to what i’m doing, thats always the goal any round you ever play but even moreso on a Sunday when youre under a little bit of stress.”
Harrington admitted it’s sometimes harder to play with a lead, especially when so much talent is chasing you.
“If you’re off the pace, you can start well and get a few birdies, then all of a sudden you have momentum. When you’re leading a tournament, you very rarely have momentum on a Sunday because you’re always a little bit cautious,” he said. “Today, seemed slow at times, then I got a couple birdies. Then it seemed slow at times, then I got a couple birdies. The day turned into a respectable round of golf, even though at times I’ve got to tell myself there’s always a temptation, there are so many birdies out there and people are making birdies. You can see guys are 6-, 7-, 8-under par on the leaderboard that are further down the course. You can feel a little bit disappointed with your game if you’re only 2-under or 3-under.
“So you just have to stay patient and let those birdies happen.”
Two shots behind at 10-under are Matt Gogel, Scott Hend and Richard Green. Matthew Googin, Bo Van Pelt, Paul Stankowski, J.J. Henry, Freddie Jacobsen and Tommy Gainey are at 9-under.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Harrington remains a force to be reckoned with at Dick’s Open
Reporting by Anthony Maluso, Special to the Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Anthony Maluso, Special to the Press & Sun Bulletin | USA TODAY Network
