Searing-hot Padraig Harrington continues his roll with victory at Dick's Open

Padraig Harrington took care of business in blemish-free fashion Sunday in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

The PGA Tour Champions newcomer, 50, made five birdies in a round of 67 at En-Joie Golf Course to finish 16-under for a three-shot victory over Thongchai Jaidee (66) and 36-hole leader Mike Weir (71).

The sky above En-Joie scowled most of the afternoon, but upon completion of a garden-variety two-putt at the last Irish eyes twinkled as the 50-year-old from Dublin rang up his second victory of the season to go with the U.S. Senior Open.

Sunday brought Harrington a sixth top-3 finish in his most recent eight PGA Tour Champions starts.

With playing competitor Weir stuck mostly in neutral, Harrington made three front-side birdies and another couple at 11 and 12.

Harrington’s three-stroke margin of victory is the largest on the PGA Tour Champions since Steven Alker won the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship by three strokes in May. Harrington becomes the fourth multiple winner on tour this season, joining three-time champions Steven Alker, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jerry Kelly.

Turns out, En-Joie’s putting surfaces were to the champion’s liking from the get-go.

Round 1: Dick's Open Round 1: Darren Clarke, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh tied up top

Round 2: Mike Weir sets the pace heading to final round of Dick's Sporting Goods Open

“I really like the greens, greens were awesome,” he said. “I committed to giving my putts a run all week, which I did and I holed my fair share. Played nicely. The golf course suited me.

“Yeah, I knew I had to avoid some of the water holes, the par-3s, good to play well and as it turned out, I played them really well barring I had one errant shot that had more to do with distraction rather than a bad swing. I hit it close on the par-3s and probably broke the back of the course by playing those holes well.”

Jaidee shot 66. It was the seventh top-10 of the season for Jaidee, 52-year-old from Thailand and winner of the mid-June American Family Insurance Championship. In fact, Sunday brought the fifth top-8 in his most recent seven startsHe played the front side in 4-under and his lone deviation from par on the back came via a pitch-in for eagle-2 at the 16th.

“I played great today. I start very well, started make birdie on first hole, second hole we have three-putt. I think the key for me, I putting well and the golf course is very good shape,” he said. “I love the golf course, the greens are fantastic. I not miss anything, good up-and-down a couple holes, that's why the key make me a lot confident.”

Jim Furyk shared fourth with Vijay Singh on the strength of a closing 68, marking a sound return from an extended stint away from competition triggered by COVID-19.

“You know, I'm still not − I still don't have a ton of energy,” he said. “I actually rode this week, first time I've ever done it, but I feel pretty good. Happy with the way I played. I think it's my best finish of the season so far, so to kind of have that much time off and then come back and play that well is a lot of fun.

“There's still some things I want to work on in my game, but excited to play well here at Dick's and I love the course at Warwick Hills next week at Ally, so excited to kind of get there and hopefully carry some of this momentum into next week.”

Furyk’s most recent start before the Dick’s Open came in the late-June U.S. Senior Open (T25).

Bernhard Langer, 2014 Dick’s Open champion and soon to turn 65, took a share of sixth following a bogey-free round of 68 that featured an eagle-3 at the 12^th.

John Daly, playing a course on which he won in 1992 − the B.C. Open, forerunner to the senior event − played his final 36 in 7-under and finished T24, his third-best of the season and following a T23 last week when he went 73-68-67.

Defending champion Cameron Beckman finished T68 (2-over 218).

But back to the winner.

A win is a win is a win, of course. But the week in Endicott was made considerably more special for Harrington.

“My kids − my wife has been to plenty of wins, but my kids have been at some wins but they were only toddlers so they wouldn't know what was going on. This is the first time I've won where they're grown up and can understand it more and experience it more. In that sense it was a little bit emotional. You know, I'm happy that they could share the experience and enjoy it.”

Dick's Sporting Goods Open Round 3 Scores

Padraig Harrington 66-67-67 – 200

Thongchai Jaidee 70-67-66 – 203

Mike Weir 67-65-71 – 203

Jim Furyk 65-71-68 – 204

Vijay Singh 65-70-69 – 204

Ken Tanigawa 69-69-68 – 206

Darren Clarke 65-72-69 – 206

Bernhard Langer 71-67-68 – 206

Gene Sauers 69-67-70 – 206

Brandt Jobe 67-74-66 – 207

Miguel Angel Jiménez 72-69-66 – 207

Alex Cejka 68-70-69 – 207

Shane Bertsch 68-69-70 – 207

Tom Pernice Jr. 68-68-71 – 207

Duffy Waldorf 66-75-67 – 208

Scott Parel 70-70-68 – 208

Steve Flesch 69-70-69 – 208

Rocco Mediate 70-69-69 – 208

Ken Duke 70-69-69 – 208

Stuart Appleby 68-70-70 – 208

Paul Broadhurst 68-69-71 – 208

Scott McCarron 68-69-71 – 208

Ernie Els 67-68-73 – 208

Colin Montgomerie 72-71-66 – 209

Tim Petrovic 73-67-69 – 209

John Daly 72-67-70 – 209

Doug Barron 69-68-72 – 209

Billy Mayfair 72-69-69 – 210

Bob Estes 74-65-71 – 210

Michael Allen 70-69-71 – 210

Jeff Maggert 71-74-66 – 211

John Senden 74-70-67 – 211

Dicky Pride 71-72-68 – 211

Ricardo Gonzalez 71-71-69 – 211

Marco Dawson 69-71-71 – 211

David Toms 70-69-72 – 211

Steven Alker 71-74-67 – 212

Paul Goydos 69-73-70 – 212

David McKenzie 70-70-72 – 212

Joe Durant 69-70-73 – 212

Brett Quigley 70-69-73 – 212

Matt Gogel 70-68-74 – 212

Jay Haas 71-74-68 – 213

Jeff Sluman 73-72-68 – 213

David Duval 72-70-71 – 213

Y.E. Yang 67-73-73 – 213

Andrew Johnson 68-70-75 – 213

Kevin Sutherland 75-69-70 – 214

Mike Goodes 72-70-72 – 214

Joey Sindelar 72-70-72 – 214

Rob Labritz 69-69-76 – 214

Scott Dunlap 72-72-71 – 215

David Branshaw 74-70-71 – 215

Fred Funk 70-71-74 – 215

Russ Cochran 71-70-74 – 215

Corey Pavin 69-69-77 – 215

David Frost 72-76-68 – 216

Billy Andrade 70-72-74 – 216

Mario Tiziani 69-73-74 – 216

Kent Jones 71-71-74 – 216

Tom Byrum 72-72-73 – 217

Woody Austin 71-73-73 – 217

Robert Allenby 72-72-73 – 217

Chris DiMarco 71-72-74 – 217

Lee Janzen 76-67-74 – 217

Wes Short, Jr. 75-67-75 – 217

Glen Day 70-71-76 – 217

Tim Bogue 75-72-71 – 218

Roger Rowland 74-72-72 – 218

Cameron Beckman 73-70-75 – 218

Rod Pampling 71-75-73 – 219

Robert Karlsson 74-71-74 – 219

Jesper Parnevik 72-75-73 – 220

Olin Browne 74-72-74 – 220

Tom Gillis 74-71-76 – 221

Tim Herron 73-77-72 – 222

John Huston 72-75-76 – 223

Michael Muehr 75-74-75 – 224

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Dick's Open PGA Champions Tour: Padraig Harrington continues roll