Padraig Harrington claims eighth PGA Tour Champions win after strong finish in New York

Tied for the lead with Stephen Ames and Ken Tanigawa overnight, the Dubliner (52) made an eagle and three birdies in a four-under outward nine to take the lead at En-Joie Golf Club.

He was tied briefly when he sucked a wedge off the green into water and bogeyed the 10th but he was back in front when he birdied the 15th and followed a key up-and-down at the 17th with a closing par to win by a shot from Canadian Mike Weir on 15-under and claim $315,000 (€295,000).

“I suppose I’m good value for money really,” Harrington joked after winning in his first start since being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. “When I was coming down that stretch, you’re not really sure what you’re going to get.

“I’m either going to hit it stone dead or I’m gonna have to get it up and down out of some weird place. It’s entertaining. I wish it wasn’t as entertaining.”

On the PGA Tour, Shane Lowry tied for ninth in the Travelers Championship on 17-under after a closing 67 and headed home for a three-week break and the build up to The Open.

It was also a good week for Séamus Power, who took a big step towards qualifying for the FedEx Cup play-offs for the fourth year in a row when he made eight birdies in a seven-under 63 to tie for 20th on 13-under.

The West Waterford man was projected to move up to 62nd in the standings with the top 70 set to qualify for the first play-off event in August.

On the DP World Tour, Tom McKibbin clinched his fifth top-10 of the season when he closed with a six-under 65 to finish sixth in the KLM Open on nine-under.

He finished just two shots outside a play-off that saw Italy’s Guido ­Migliozzi beat Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult and England’s Joe Dean with a birdie at the second extra hole.

Migliozzi birdied two of the last three holes to shoot 70 and match Dean and Kinhult, who shot 68s to set the clubhouse target.

Dean joined Migliozzi in claiming a place in The Open at Royal Troon by virtue of his higher world ranking.

But McKibbin, who jumped five spots to 20th in the Race to Dubai, can still make it to Troon and avoid Final Qualifying by winning one of two spots at the Italian Open this week.

He can also make it by being among the top five, not otherwise exempt, inside the top 20 in the Race to Dubai after the BMW International Open on July 7.

At the Blot Open de Bretagne in Brittany, Kilkenny’s Mark Power clinched the first top-20 finish of his Challenge Tour career, closing with a two-under 68 to tie for 17th on six-under.

The former Walker Cup star (24) finished 14 strokes behind England’s John Parry, who beat Sweden’s Per Langfors with a par at the first extra hole to clinch his third Challenge Tour win and his second this season to move up to second in the Road to Mallorca standings.

Parry (37) entered the final round with a three-shot lead, but after posting a two-under 68, he ended up tied on 18-under with Langfors, who posted a five-under 65 at Golf Bluegreen de Pleneuf Val André.

Ruaidhri McGee shot 71 and Alex Maguire a 70 to tie for 20th on five-under with Dermot McElroy 33rd on two-under after a 70.

In amateur golf, ten Irish players will tee it up in the first qualifying round of the Women’s Amateur Championship at Portmarnock today.

Sara Byrne, Olivia Costello, Beth Coulter, Áine Donegan, Emma Fleming, Marina Joyce Moreno, Kate Lanigan, Katie Poots, Jessica Ross and Annabel Wilson will be bidding for a victory that rewards the winner with starts in the AIG Women’s Open, the US Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and by tradition, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​