U.S. Senior Open: 10 best takeaways from Sunday at Saucon Valley

It should have been a drama-free Sunday here at the 42nd U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club.

But then it wasn't. And Padraig Harrington expected just that.

Harrington, up by five strokes on Gene Sauers and the unknown Rob Labritz (and eight shots on Steve Stricker), at the start of the final round nearly unraveled before knocking home a 3-foot putt on 18 to hold off Stricker by just one shot to win the title in his first U.S. Senior Open appearance.

Harrington's late-round "hold on", as he went birdie, par, par, par over the final four holes to shoot 1-over 72 for a 10-under-par total, is our best moment of the day and the Irishman was brutally honest when talking about his final 18 holes.

Paddy, take it from here

"Having a five-shot lead is great, but golf is not like that," Harrington said. "It always comes down to the last couple of holes and definitely makes for a tension-filled day.

"I had a five-shot lead and with that you play very defensive. I didn't enjoy having to hit that 3-foot putt to win the tournament, but that's what you have to do.

"As Arnold Palmer said, if you're going to hit one good shot, make it your last one."

Stricker, the 2019 U.S. Senior Open champ, hit plenty of good shots as he birdied five of his last 10 holes on the way to a field-best round of 65 which was two shots better than anybody else did Sunday.

"We could hear the roar on 18 and figured Steve had birdied to get to nine under," Harrington said. "We knew then what we had to do (over the final two holes)."

Nobody had more fun ...

Than Rob Labritz, and it wasn't even close.

No, the 51-year old New York club professional didn't win, but he did finish in a tie for fourth place in his first U.S. Senior Open in what is his first year on the Senior Tour.

But the real fun he had was carrying his infant daughter around the course, talking to anybody who would listen and smiling like he had won the Powerball.

And, in a way, he did.

So-so finishes for Fab Five

Five former U.S. Senior Open champions played on the weekend with mixed results.

Colin Montgomerie (the champ in 2014) finished in a tie for 28th while Jim Furyk (2021) ended up in a tie for 25th.

David Toms (2018) ended up in a tie for 11th and Gene Sauers (2016), who was in the final pairing of the day with Harrington, tied for fourth. Stricker (2019) obviously had the best finish as he was second.

Check it out:See the top contenders, and who we think will win, the 42nd U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club.

Jay Haas and the Fountain of Youth

What a showing by Jay Haas, who, at 68, is old enough to be the much older brother of everybody else in the field here.

Haas entered Sunday's final round in a tie for fifth at 3-under par and finished in a tie for seventh at 2-under par after a final-round 72.

That's truly remarkable considering he was the Champions Tour Rookie of the Year in 2005, two years before Harrington won the first of his three majors on the PGA Tour.

More downs than ups for Furyk

There was a lot of hype surrounding Jim Furyk as he came here not only as the defending champ, but also a Pennsylvania native who graduated from Manheim Township High School (about 90 minutes from here).

So, what did he do?

Not much early as he struggled in the first two rounds and just made the cut on the number at 5-over par. However, a Saturday 5-under 66 got him back to even par and perhaps ready to make a little charge up the leaderboard in the final round.

Alas, that wasn't to be as he struggled Sunday, carding a 4-over 75 and finishing in a tie for 25th.

Well, it was a nice thought

Remember we talked on Saturday about how cool it was that the 10th hole was a drivable par 4 playing at 284 yards and every player in the field was going for the green off the tee? And that it would be great if there was a similar set up Sunday?

Well, it would have been, but the USGA moved the tee back on 10 nearly 50 yards to 330, rendering the hole another driver off the tee, wedge in yawner.

Speaking of nice thoughts

Not that anybody asked, but it would have been cool if the 15th could have been the finishing hole.

I know, I know, routing and all that stuff makes it really hard to do such things, but the 15th, with its water in front off the tee and down the right side, and an approach shot where you have to hit to a severely elevated green that looks like its sitting on top of a mountain, is really pretty stuff.

Where'd they go?

You really don't notice how deep the bunkers here on the Old Course are until somebody hits into one.

In they go and then they disappear.

And, it's not like these are little guys trying to hack their ball out. These golfers, well, at least 95 percent of them, are big and tall until they step into the quick sand that looks so pretty on television but so brutal to be in.

Now that's livin'

All those stories you hear about how Miguel Angel Jimenez knows the best places to wine and dine when he's on the road are most likely true.

Well, at least here they are, as he's had a standing daily reservation at nearby, and tremendous, Top Cut Steakhouse at the Promenade in Center Valley which is a pretty nice place to pick up a fork.

Not sure which cuts of steak he had, but they didn't hurt him on the course as he picked up a top-10 finish after a 2-under 69 on Sunday.

Take a look::What were the best moments from the third round of the U.S. Senior Open on Saturday at Saucon Valley? See them here.

We couldn't forget

Larry Laoretti, the champion here in 1992 when picturesque Saucon Valley Country Club first hosted the U.S. Senior Open., remains a legendary figure.

He beat a field that included Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer and, not quite as importantly, but still significant, helped to make cigar smoking a thing on the golf course as he smoked them even during his swing.

Laoretti, whose only PGA or Senior PGA Tour win came here, turns 83 two weeks from Monday. Happy early birthday, Larry.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: The top moments from Sunday's final round at the U.S. Senior Open