Alex Cejka emerged as the Senior Open Champion at Royal Porthcawl in Wales on a windy day with damp conditions.
Padraig Harrington falls to Alex Cejka in thrilling Senior Open playoff
Harrington and Cejka battled each other all day through the harsh elements, but the German emerged victorious on the second playoff hole.
Cejka, who hails from Germany, and Padraig Harrington of Ireland battled all day, as the two players needed a pair of playoff holes to decide the victor.
But the German made the least amount of mistakes, especially on the second playoff hole.
On the par-5 18th, which served as the playoff hole on both occasions, Harrington and Cejka blistered their drives down the left side of the fairway as they had the wind at their backs.
Harrington played first and muscled a 7-iron over the green. His ball landed in a whispy lie. Cejka, meanwhile, knocked his shot onto the green. He proceeded to two-putt for birdie.
Harrington gave him a strong run, but fatigue came at the wrong moment. His third shot from beyond the green barely went five yards, a mental error that ultimately cost him the Senior Open for the second straight year.
The Dubliner put forth a valiant effort, as he carded a final round 4-over 75.
Harrington needed a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Cejka and force a playoff.
He delivered.
The Irishman’s second shot on the par-5 18th was the shot of the day as it set him up for an eagle opportunity. Had that putt dropped, Harrington would have won. He instead settled for a birdie, but his approach shot on the 72nd hole was otherworldly.
Cejka limped to the finish line as he made two bogeys over his final three holes to card a 5-over 76.
For the second consecutive day, nobody finished with an under-par round at Royal Porthcawl. The best round of the day came from Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a 2-over 73.
On the 72nd hole, Cejka stepped up the tee box holding a one-stroke lead over Harrington. He hit his tee shot into the nasty rough left of the fairway, which was unforgivable, to say the least. The 53-year-old could not even get his second shot to the fairway. Despite that mishap, he still made a par and subsequently outlasted Harrington in the playoff.
The three-time senior major winner is no stranger to the big stage. In 2009, he led the Players through 54-holes but shot 7-over 79 on the final day to lose to Henrik Stenson.
Cejka tied for ninth in the U.S. Senior Open and finished in a tie for 12th at the Senior PGA Championship. He won his two other senior majors in his rookie season in 2021. Cejka won the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship that year.
But the German’s performance Sunday was by far his most impressive, as he held off one of Harrington, one of the best links golfers in the world, in the most brutal of conditions.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and on Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
