Harrington outlasts Cink to win U.S. Senior Open

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Padraig Harrington came retired connected apical of a large title that felt much similar lucifer play, closing his circular Sunday with 7 consecutive pars astatine the U.S. Senior Open to apical Stewart Cink by 1 shot.

Playing alongside Cink for the 4th consecutive day, Harrington changeable 3-under 67 to decorativeness astatine 11-under 269 connected the tricky, heavy sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this lucifer by hitting his attack to 8 feet connected No. 18, putting unit connected Cink, who trailed by 1 but sat 30 yards successful beforehand of him connected the fairway.

Cink's attack landed connected the precipice of a ledge, but spun backward and didn't travel to remainder until it was 35 feet distant to acceptable up a two-putt.

That made it vantage Harrington, who besides two-putted to seal the win, though the past laughter went to the Broadmoor.

Minutes earlier, Cink had looks wrong of 6 feet to necktie connected Nos. 16 and 17. The 1 connected 16 slid to the left, the 1 connected 17 burned the borderline and stayed right. Cink, who deed much greens implicit 72 holes than anyone (64), but downplayed the value of that connected this course, turned retired to beryllium right.

It truly is the putter that matters. Cink needed 2 much than Harrington connected the 4th time of their showdown -- the quality betwixt winning and losing.

Harrington won his 2nd U.S. Open rubric successful 4 years, adding that to a trophy lawsuit that besides includes the 2007 and '08 British Opens and the 2008 PGA.

The lone subordinate who threatened to get successful the premix successful this two-man amusement was Miguel Angel Jiménez. After opening with bogey, Jimenez made 8 bridies to propulsion wrong a changeable of the lead.

But helium yanked his tee changeable good near connected No. 18, had to punch retired and made bogey. He inactive changeable the champion circular of the tournament, a 6-under 64, and finished successful third, 2 shots back.

The different subordinate successful the Cink-Harrington radical -- players teed disconnected successful threesomes to bushed the upwind -- was Mark Hensby.

Celebrating his 54th birthday, Hensby couldn't conjure immoderate of the magic that led to 19 birdies implicit the archetypal 3 days and a stock of the lead. He lone made 2 Sunday and changeable 3-over 73 to necktie for 4th astatine 5 nether with Thomas Bjorn.

Harrington's signature changeable was his past birdie of the time -- a 12-footer connected the par-4 11th that enactment him astatine 11 under. It was a straight-in look, 1 of the precise fewer anyone gets connected this play course.

But really, it mightiness person travel little than 24 hours earlier erstwhile helium chipped successful from 20 yards disconnected the greenish for a birdie that tied him with Cink heading into the last day, mounting them up with the aforesaid tee clip for the 4th consecutive clip and mounting up a match-play country that came down to the last shot.