Pádraig Harrington’s bid for a second PGA TOUR Champions title of the season came up just short as the 2027 Ryder Cup Vice-Captain closed with a one-under-par 71 to finish third at 15-under at the inaugural Portugal Invitational at The Els Club Vilamoura.
The event, hosted by four-time major champion Ernie Els on a course he redesigned, is the first officially sanctioned PGA Tour Champions event to be staged in Portugal.
Starting the final round in a share of the lead alongside Stewart Cink and Rory Sabbatini, Harrington stayed in contention throughout Sunday but was unable to match the pace set by Zach Johnson. A wet ball from the tee on the 16th nulled any chance Harrington had to catch Johnson.
The Dubliner mixed five birdies with three bogeys in a steady closing round as Johnson surged from one shot back overnight with a superb final-round 65 to claim the title at 19-under, two strokes clear of Stewart Cink, with Harrington another two shots adrift in solo third.
Despite missing out on the win, it represents another excellent week for the three-time major champion, who has now added another podium finish to a season that already includes victory at the U.S. Senior Open.
Harrington has been one of the standout performers on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2026 and his result in Portugal further strengthens his position near the top of the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
On a humid day at the Algarve, Zach Johnson opened with three consecutive birdies and added two more at the seventh and ninth to go out in 31 and take charge of the tournament. Johnson would add two more birdie on the back nine at the 11th and 18th to post a bogey free seven-under-par 65.
“I got off to the dream start and I really felt like the putt going in on seven was key. I had a couple of putts that lipped in that could have lipped out, and that was the difference,” said Johnson.
Stewart Cink placed two strokes back from Johnson at 17-under. Cink suffered an early bogey at the second but ploughed on to make five birdies in his four-under-par final round.
With Johnson, Cink, and Harrington securing the three top spots, it is the first time this season that the top three of the Charles Schwab Cup rankings finished in the top three of an event.
Johnson’s win in Portugal is his fourth of the season and his second in three weeks after winning the Kaulig Companies Championship in July.
“Our host Ernie is all class and what he has done with this facility is so impressive. It’s great for us pros but also playable for beginners – and the Algarve generally is easy to love and hard to leave,” added Johnson.
Darren Clarke matched his second round score with another 68 on Sunday to end his weekends work at nine-under. Clarke made five-birdie and a bogey to finish T13.
Tim O’Neal secured fourth place at 13-under, closely followed by Miguel Angel Jiménez and Mikael Lundberg who shared T5 at 12-under.
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