PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 14, 2003

Padraig Harrington

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Keeping it in the fairway was the main thing and I did that. Just a bit of a mental slip-up. Especially the first two, had I it a lovely shot in but came up short and I didn't chip-and-putt it. I hit a lovely shot into the next hole just a little long and I took three from the fringe. There were three bogeys from nowhere. Then I hit two poor iron shots on the next two holes and I'm struggling at that stage.

But again I kept it in the fairway all the way home and hit most of the greens.

Q. How many fairways did you miss?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I missed three, actually. I missed the par 5, fourth, because you have to try to hit it over the dog leg and I didn't quite carry it. I hit it through the fairway on 14 with a 3-wood. I missed 16; I hit it a bit left on 16.

That should have set me up reasonably well for scoring. But those four holes set me back.

Q. Did you think this was going to be one of those bad days?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I didn't change my outlook. I just kept going about my business and it's nice that -- it's easy to change your tactics and start taking on shots. I just kept doing the same thing all day. It worked out well.

Q. 66, is that a good score?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: You know, you've got to remember, 66 in the afternoon would be a great score. But conditions had changed quite a bit. On a hole like -- I don't know what 15 is going to play, but I'm sure it's going to play over par for the field in the afternoon. You're hitting downhill into a strong wind, you can't go left and you can't go right, you can't go long. I hit a great putt from only 20 feet whereas in the morning, a standard 7-iron into a bowl. So conditions, certainly, 66 in the afternoon, if anybody shoots 66 in the afternoon, that's good playing. The swirling winds is definitely out there. 66 would be a fine -- I think 66 is a great score anyway.

Q. Did you think you had almost played yourself out of it?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: If I keep going like that I should be fine. If I play like I played for the first eight holes, even though I played them okay, the first eight holes -- a couple of straight putts, and that's usually a sign of lack of concentration, really. I wasn't quite focused in on them. When you're playing week-in and week-out you're a little sharper.

Through those holes, you kind of think, well, gee whiz it's a focus thing rather than anything else and I endeavored to focus a little more after that. I didn't really have too many putts. Realistically, I only had probably the putt on 14 -- 17 and 18 were the only putts that I had that I considered realistic birdie chances. I had a reasonable one on 13 but I was probably about 18 feet, and had about eight feet of break so it was not much of a birdie chance.

Q. Is a 72 this afternoon like a 69 this morning?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I don't know, but it's as good as I could have done. The putt at last looked like it was going in.

Q. But you're in shape for the morning, good early start?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I'm happy, I'm going to hit a few shots and hit a few putts and not really do too much, to be honest. Hopefully go out in the morning all guns blazing.

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