Padraig Harrington’s bid for his twelfth PGA TOUR Champions victory concluded in disappointment at the Cologuard Classic in Arizona. The Irishman lost a sudden-death play-off to New Zealander Steven Alker after bogeying the final hole of regulation play.
The 54-year-old Dubliner began the final round at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson tied for the lead with Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
His anticipated challenge from the chasing pack materialized in the form of defending champion Alker, who delivered a superb six-under 65 to establish a formidable target of 15-under par.
As they navigated the back nine, the contest was exceptionally tight. Harrington’s front-nine 33 (three-under) kept him in contention, forcing him to respond to Alker’s flawless 65.
Harrington momentarily relinquished his lead with a bogey on the 10th hole, while Alker capitalized by birdying the 11th, moving to 14-under ahead of him.
The Irishman quickly responded with a birdie on the 11th to draw level. Although Alker surged ahead again with a birdie on the 16th, Harrington countered by birdying the challenging 13th, once more tying for the lead.
He then sank a 10-foot putt for a birdie on the 17th, taking a crucial one-shot advantage into the final hole.
However, a missed green on the 18th resulted in a bogey, completing his round with a four-under 67 and forcing him into a play-off against the defending champion, Alker, who had previously claimed the season-long Charles Schwab Cup in both 2022 and 2024.
Alker, also 54, remarkable for having been nine shots behind after the first round before his stellar 62 on Saturday, secured the $330,000 winner’s cheque by making a five-foot birdie putt on the par-four 18th in sudden-death.
Harrington earned $193,600 for his efforts, elevating his total PGA TOUR Champions career earnings to $9.3 million across 67 starts.
This impressive sum reflects an average payout of $138,000 per start for the three-time Major champion, who notably won the Senior Open and his second US Senior Open just last season.
