FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Madison’s Steve Stricker beat Padraig Harrington on the first hole of a playoff in the Senior PGA Championship on Sunday, giving Stricker a sweep of the first two senior majors of the season.
Harrington forced the playoff with a short birdie putt on the par-5 18th, but put his drive in the replay of the hole in deep grass on the right side of the fairway.
After a failed attempt to hack the ball out, the 51-year-old Irishman dropped 285 yards away and put a fairway wood within 15 feet. Stricker missed a second consecutive putt to win on 18, but Harrington couldn’t make the par putt to extend the playoff.
Stricker and Harrington, who was trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the Senior PGA since Rocco Mediate in 2016, finished 18 under. Stricker shot 3-under 69 and Harrington 70.
Stricker’s sixth senior major title came two weeks after the 56-year-old American won the Regions Tradition for the second consecutive year.
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Steve Stricker wins Senior PGA in playoff over Padrig Harrington