\u201cRest,\u201d said Harrington, who carded a 1-under 69.<\/p>\n
The reigning U.S. Senior Open champ, who defeated Stewart Cink at The Broadmoor a year ago<\/a>, was asked what his approach would be for the remaining 54 holes in Columbus, Ohio, where temperatures are expected to hover over 90 degrees throughout the tournament.<\/p>\n First round co-leader Charlie Wi shot a 67 thanks to a run of five consecutive birdies on his second nine holes at Scioto but also admitted he was taking a slower strategy after the round than he would in other weeks. <\/p>\n \u201cJust hit a few balls and that\u2019s it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Wi said it\u2019s easy to lose control mentally in those conditions. He was so worn down by the heat he needed his caddie to remind him that just a month ago at the Regions he had carded five straight birdies. <\/p>\n \u201cOn the Champions Tour, we don\u2019t really play in heat like this,\u201d the South Korean explained. \u201cThis golf course, they took out a lot of trees so there are no shades where you can really hide.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen things aren\u2019t going well it\u2019s easy to lose yourself out there,\u201d Wi added. \u201cLuckily I was playing well, so I was able to stay focused the whole way around.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Scioto Country Club held defending champion Padraig Harrington and the rest of the 2026 U.S. Senior Open field in check on Thursday. 2025 runner-up Stewart Cink shares the lead entering Round 2. Here\u2019s how to watch and stream the tournament this weekend.<\/p>\n Turkey, cheese and chard<\/p>\n Wi shares the 18-hole lead with Cink, who has won both of the PGA Tour Champions\u2019 previous majors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cink admitted he \u201csought the shade a lot today\u201d and was not exactly chatty during the round.<\/p>\n \u201cI did purposely walk way out to the edge and walk in the trees quite a bit,\u201d said Cink, who did not carry an umbrella. \u201cStood in some weird places while the other guys in my group were hitting on the tees like way off to the side or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n Staying hydrated was a challenge for Cink who resorted to eating turkey, cheese and chard prepared by his wife. <\/p>\n \u201cFood like that can hydrate you a little bit too because of all the water in the chard,\u201d Cink explained \u201cIt was hard. It was challenging. I drank a lot of water. I went through the hydration powder.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t really all that talkative today. I just tried to save my energy for just deciding what to do and focusing on the golf shot and just getting to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n Cautious approach<\/p>\n As for Harington, the Irishman went for eight straight pars on the front nine before adding a birdie to card a 34. His next nine holes were a whole lot more dramatic. <\/p>\n He opened with three straight bogeys, before finding a much-needed circle on the 452-yard, par-4 13th hole. He went birdie-birdie into the clubhouse to finish tied with eight other players two shots back of Wi and Cink.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s definitely pressure when you\u2019re defending,\u201d Harrington said. \u201cYou feel like you\u2019re already leading the tournament, so you have that pressure no doubt. That\u2019s probably why for the first six holes I was very cautious.\u201d<\/p>\n Padraig Harrington loves golf. <\/p>\n He’s in the middle of an eight consecutive week stretch between PGA TOUR Champions and @PGATOUR<\/a> competition. <\/p>\n RBC Canadian Open \u2014 PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Five players sit T-2, including Freddie Jacobson and Simon Griffiths.<\/p>\n Like Harrington and Wi, they both were impacted by the heat in different ways. Griffiths had the highlight of the day<\/a> with a hole-in-one on No. 17.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t feeling very good. I bogeyed the last three holes, and I was feeling lightheaded, wasn\u2019t feeling particularly well,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a good number for my gap wedge. I was trying to literally make contact with the ball. When I hit it, I thought, \u2018Well, that looks good. That\u2019s on the green.\u2019 To go in was just a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"DICK'S](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783086010_220_.jpeg\")
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U.S. Open
DICK’s Open
U.S. Senior Open
Genesis Scottish Open
The Open Championship
Senior Open Championship
Portugal\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ZompIWB1EW<\/a><\/p>\n