Padraig Harrington opened the Senior PGA Championship with a 68 on Thursday at Concession Golf Club in Florida, leaving him two strokes off the lead after the first round.
The three-time major champion started on the back nine and birdied two of his opening three holes before a bogey at the 13th hole slowed him down. He answered with birdies at 15, 17 and 18 to turn in 4-under-par, then mixed one birdie and one bogey with seven pars on his second nine to finish at 4-under for the day.
Steve Allen, Bernhard Langer, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Brian Gay shared the lead after shooting 66, setting the pace in a tournament with a $3 million prize fund. Harrington has twice finished in a tie for second at the Senior PGA Championship, and the first-round position again leaves him chasing the lead rather than holding it.
That pursuit carries extra weight for Harrington, who has won three senior majors and added two titles in 2025, the U.S. Open and The Open. He was scheduled to begin his second round on Friday evening, with another chance to close the gap before the field settles into the weekend.