Pádraig Harrington rolled in six birdies in a four-under 68 to sit just two shots off the lead after the opening round of the Senior PGA Championship at Concession Golf Club.
Harrington shares eighth place as he looks to catch Bernhard Langer, Brian Gay, Steve Allan and Miguel Angel Jimenez who share the lead after six-under rounds of 66.
Langer had a double bogey and still broke his age by two shots.The 68-year-old, who already holds the record with 12 senior majors, played his final six holes in 5-under par, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 17th hole as he shot his age or better for the 43rd time.
“It’s fun to shoot my age,” Langer said. “So whenever I shoot my age or better, usually I’ve played some good golf. That’s one of the goals these days, especially when you play a difficult golf course, and these greens here are very difficult.”
The 62-year-old Jiménez had an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole and went out in 31 before cooling on the back nine. Allan played bogey-free, picking up birdies on all but one of the par 5s. Gay birdied three of his final four holes.
Henrik Stenson also made his senior debut – he turned 50 on April 5 – and opened with a 72.
He is not eligible for regular PGA Tour Champions events until one year after his last LIV appearance.
Langer’s round was a foot away from being even better. But his 6-iron to the 11th green narrowly missed, leaving him a downhill lie in a bunker to a short pin. Trying to open the blade, he sent it screaming across the green toward a cart path. He chipped to 12 feet and missed the putt.
But he made up for it on the 17th, hitting a 3-iron hybrid and then holing a 60-foot eagle putt.
“If I would putt like that the rest of my career, I would be extremely happy,” Langer said.
Meanwhile, Darren Clarke needs something special to get himself into contention after he opened with a two-over 74.
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