Buoyed by Third-Round 64, Cink Takes One-Shot Lead at Scioto C.C.

The 46th U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club went back to the future on Saturday sans a souped-up DeLorean with a flux capacitor.

With an ode to the popular 1985 movie, the dial only was turned back to 2025. Basically, the same protagonists are part of this script. Just replace Mark Hensby with George McNeill.

Otherwise, it’s defending champion Padraig Harrington, Stewart Cink and Miguel Angel Jimenez taking starring roles. Cink, who was edged by Harrington a year ago at The Broadmoor, will take a one-stroke lead over the affable Irishman going into Sunday’s final round, thanks to a championship-best-tying, bogey-free 6-under-par 64 for a 9-under total of 201. The 64 is the lowest round ever produced in a U.S. Senior Open at Scioto.

Despite a brilliant shot-making performance, especially on the back nine, Harrington bogeyed his final hole to shoot 66 (202).

Jimenez, who fired a 64 in last year’s final round for solo third, sits three behind after a third-round 67.

Meanwhile, the upstart McNeill, the 36-hole leader and U.S. Senior Open debutante who made just 2 of 12 cuts in majors and never broke 70 in five U.S. Open appearances, continued to stay close to the two senior stalwarts with a 1-under 69.

Darren Clarke, who matched Cink’s 64, moved up 36 spots into a share of fifth at 3-under 207 with Paul Stankowski (68).

Due to anticipated afternoon thunderstorms on Sunday, tee times are again being pushed up with competitors going off in threesomes, starting at 7:11 a.m. EDT. The final group will feature Cink, Harrington and McNeill and tee off at 8:45 a.m. Last year, Cink and Harrington were in the last twosome and barely finished before a thunderstorm rolled into Colorado Springs.

Scioto was doused with a brief rain shower shortly after Round 3 started, but the downpour peeled off, and heat and humidity were not quite as oppressive as the first two days.

“We've done it a number of times other than last year, and before the PGA Tour Champions,” said Cink of his duels with Harrington. “It does tend to give a little bit of a special flair about sort of head-to-head thing. But … George is only one shot back of Padraig. It's not a two-horse race at all. That would be naïve to think we could play like that.

“But to play Harrington, he's such a great player, and I've admired his game for so long, I think we both kind of bring good out of each other. I know I've heard him say that to the press. I know he probably thinks I don't read his press, but I've read it before. I agree. I like playing with him. And he's the ultimate competitor. He's never going to take a shot off, and I don't expect him to tomorrow, either. I'm going to have my hands full with him and all these other guys tomorrow, but mostly with Scioto and myself.”

Cink, a 53-year-old from Atlanta, Ga., is trying to become the first player ever to win the year’s first three senior majors, having already claimed the Senior PGA Championship in April and the Regions Tradition a few weeks later. Like Harrington, he also owns a Claret Jug, having captured The Open Championship in a memorable playoff against then-59-year-old Tom Watson at Turnberry in 2009.

On Saturday, he hit 14 of 18 greens and needed just 27 putts. One of his best came on the 11th green when he converted an 18-footer for par to keep his bogey-free round intact. Earlier, he laced his second shot from the fairway on the par-5 sixth to 3 feet for an eagle. He also birdied the par-5 12th (3 feet) and par-4 16th (4 feet). He had another good look at birdie on the 18th but just missed right and short from 9 feet.

Harrington also put on a ball-striking display, nearly holing out for an eagle 2 on No. 13, part of a stretch of five birdies in six holes that began when he drained a 20-footer at the par-3 ninth. The three-time major champion and two-time U.S. Senior Open winner (2022 and 2025) converted from 9 feet at No. 10, 3 feet at the 11th hole and 35 feet at the par-3 14th, which put him in the lead at 9 under.

A poor drive into the left rough at the closing hole resulted in a bogey, just his second of the day. He made a 4 on the par-3 fourth hole before getting that shot back two holes later on the par-5 sixth.

Nevertheless, Harrington is in position to do something only Miller Barber has achieved: win three U.S. Senior Open titles.

“You've got to play your own game, knuckle down and do your thing,” said Harrington, who is in a stretch of playing eight consecutive events, five of which are either majors or senior majors. “As I said, there will be ebbs and flows. Somebody is going to get a good stretch of holes. Could be two-shot swings on a hole. Who knows. There's always that sort of thing.

“I would think you play the right shots as you go along, but if you do get substantially behind, you're just going to have to take it on and take your chances.”

Not many would have given McNeill much of a chance at the start of the week. Even though he’s played well on PGA Tour Champions this year with five top-10s in individual events and a runner-up showing in the one team event on the circuit (American Family Insurance Championship), he had never been in the hunt at a major. But he’s one of three players – along with Harrington and Jimenez – to post three sub-70 rounds.

A birdie on No. 2 and an eagle on six pushed him to 9 under, only to suffer a double-bogey 6 on the par-4 eighth, statistically the toughest hole at Scioto this week that normally is a par 5 for members.

Still, the two-time PGA Tour winner and Florida State alum bounced back with a birdie on the par-3 ninth and then made 8 of 9 pars on the back nine, the only blemish a 5 at the par-4 13th. He even managed a 4 from a fairway divot on the closing hole.

Now McNeill is in position to possibly nab his first professional victory in 14 years.

“It's been so long. [My] last win was 2012,” said McNeill. “That's a long time. Playing on the Champions Tour, I played in a couple final groups this year; played fairly well so far this year. Maybe I'll just try and revert back to that.”

Jimenez, a four-time winner on PGA Tour Champions in 2025 with six top-10 finishes in the U.S. Senior Open, will look to flashback to last year’s final round at The Broadmoor when he nearly caught Harrington with a brilliant 64. He wasn’t in the last pairing, and playing from behind freed up the now-62-year-old Spaniard who loves his fine cigars and wine.

In the third round, Jimenez was 4 under and bogey-free through 15 holes before two late bogeys, including on 18 when he drove it left into the rough, cost him a chance to be in the final group. In fact, Jimenez bounced back from his 5 on No. 16 with a nice 9-footer at the par-3 17th hole.

Cink, Harrington, McNeill and Jimenez seem to be the main four characters in this Sunday drama. Could Stankowski or Clarke put on a magical comeback? Allen Doyle rallied from nine back to win the first of his two consecutive titles in 2005 at NCR Country Club, in Dayton, just 75 miles west of Scioto.

So it can happen.

Rev up the flux capacitor.  

What’s Next

Due to pending afternoon storms, Sunday’s final round will also feature threesomes going off split tees, beginning at 7:11 a.m. EDT. Peacock and NBCSN will have live coverage from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT with NBC re-airing the telecast from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. For those who want to attend, tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

Notable

• To honor America’s 250th birthday on July 4, the USGA and Scioto C.C. organized a flag-raising ceremony between the first and 10th tees next to the practice putting green at 7 a.m. The Upper Arlington Police Department Color Guard raised the flag, followed by the National Anthem played by a bugle.
  
  
• Of the 60 competitors who made the cut, five survived both local and final qualifying to get in the field: amateur Haymes Snedeker, Alan McLean, John Rollins, Hank Kim and David Mathis. An additional 13 players who made the weekend qualified via the final stage, including club professional Michael Block.
  
  
• Eighteen different countries, led by the United States, had representation on the weekend. The U.S. had 29 players, followed by Australia with six, and the Republic of Korea and England with three apiece. Northern Ireland, Sweden, Canada and Thailand each had two, while the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Germany, Wales, Denmark, Argentina, Japan, Scotland and Fiji had one.
  
  
• Omar Uresti, who made the cut, also was joined on the weekend by his brother, Rusty. The other Uresti is on the bag of Chad Campbell, who drastically affected the cut late Friday afternoon when he birdied the par-3 ninth hole with a brilliant 9-iron to 2 feet. He took out all 10 players who posted 5-over 145.
  
  
• Two local Scioto caddies made it to the weekend: David French (Haymes Snedeker) and Jeremy Benedict (Gene Sauers).
  
  
• The 14th hole was stretched to 243 yards, making it the third-longest par 3 in U.S. Senior Open history.

Quotable

“I don't think it would be smart to formulate any kind of a score plan right now. The biggest thing is just control what I can control, maintain that commitment level and see if I can just execute as cleanly and as decisively as possible tomorrow. I'm looking forward to putting myself through the test.” – Stewart Cink

“It's a little bit like riding a roller coaster. The further you get away from being on it, the more you think you enjoy it. I'll be out there tomorrow. I know I want to be there. This is why we do it, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.” – Padraig Harrington

“I'm doing what I like to do in my life, and that is God give me the means to continue working every day, stretching, and enjoying myself. That's the only thing I know what to do. And then I know how to keep flexible, I need to keep my routines, and that's the way I still feel good.” – Miguel Angel Jimenez on playing so well at 62

“It helps that I know these guys, and it's comfortable and not foreign playing with guys you don't know. Sometimes that's bad also because you almost get too comfortable. If you're playing with guys you don't know, you don't really have too much to talk about, and you just kind of do your own thing, which is kind of what I've done all year. I just put my head down and go. Maybe I'll try and take a little more of that approach tomorrow. But we'll see. Again, it's golf. We're all out here trying to do the same thing.” – George McNeill

“I like these kind of days. I like these kind of tournaments, [where] you've got to fight for everything. The birdie-fests, they're fun. but these are more fun just because it's a challenge. We're a bunch of old guys out here still getting the ball around. Trying to maintain perspective and see if we can get it in.” – Paul Stankowski

“I hit the ball very poorly for the first two rounds. It was just grinding and then sort of figured something out last night. Spine angle was tilting too much, using my hands too much, so got more on top of it and hit the ball a lot better.” – Darren Clarke on his 64

“He's (brother Brandt Snedeker) been texting me great tips. Really, the theme has been to pace myself and not get overheated, that it's a major; par is super important. Don't get upset if I'm not making birdies and don't look at the scoreboard, which is impossible to do out here, because your mug shot is plastered in front of you every six holes, so it's hard not to look. I'm low amateur. There's so many accolades that go with that. I feel like I'm taking a free shot now, like playing on borrowed time. It's great. I'm swinging freer today than I have the last two days for sure.” – Haymes Snedeker, who will be low amateur if he completes 72 holes

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.