Senior British Open 2023: Final Leaderboard Scores, Prize Money Payouts and More
July 30, 2023
It took two playoff holes, but Alex Cejka won the Senior Open at the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Bridgend, Wales on Sunday, besting Pádraig Harrington.
DP World Tour @DPWorldTourThe moment Alex Cejka claimed his 3⃣rd Senior Major Championship title 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeniorOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeniorOpen</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rolex?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rolex</a><a href="https://t.co/HnmRE2LRBM">pic.twitter.com/HnmRE2LRBM</a>
The pair finished tied at 5 over for the tournament after 72 holes, with Harrington's birdie on the 18th forcing extra play. But while Cejka birdied the second playoff hole, Harrington killed his chances with a poor chip attempt:
PGA TOUR Champions @ChampionsTourA brutal lie and tough way to finish.<a href="https://twitter.com/padraig_h?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@padraig_h</a> leaves his chip short on the second playoff hole at The Open Championship presented by Rolex. <a href="https://t.co/SRAoD3U7GJ">pic.twitter.com/SRAoD3U7GJ</a>
Harrington was this close to winning the tournament on the first playoff hole:
Cejka came into the day atop the leaderboard, leading Harrington by just one stroke, and the two locked horns in the final grouping throughout Sunday's play. The German was seven strokes ahead of Harrington after the first round, but Harrington shot a 68 on Friday and a 71 on Saturday—and Cejka went 71 and 74, respectively—to set up the final showdown.
Sunday's conditions made for a tough round, with only two players—Y.E Yang and Rob Labritz—shooting par for the round. Nobody managed to shoot below par on either Saturday or Sunday.
"This is the sort of day you would love going out with your mates at home, when you didn't have a card in your hand but you would have fun with your mates, because silly things happen in wind like this," Harrington told BBC Sport Wales after Saturday's round. "... I think the golf course is particularly difficult in wind."
Sunday wasn't any easier for Harrington or the rest of the field.
It was Cejka's third major title at the senior level, while Harrington finished second at the Senior Open for the second straight year. Last season, the Irishman finished just one stroke behind Darren Clarke.
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