DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 5, 2002

Padraig Harrington

GORDON SIMPSON: Padraig, a case of what might have been.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I suppose I did what I had to going out. 68 is a good score. I'm happy enough with that, but the reality is that, going out, I thought if I could shoot a good score -- probably 6-under or a bit better -- I could put some distance between myself and the vast majority of the field. Obviously now there are a lot of guys going out tomorrow who feel they have a chance of winning, whereas if I didn't double bogey 17, it was a careless double bogey, and I also hit it in the bushes on nine, which cost me two shots as well, there would be a certain distance between me and the rest of the field which would mean it would be a two or three horse race at most.

Q. What was your club at 17?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I took a 3-wood off the tee and was just hitting a little sand wedge. At the top of my back swing I was a little bit distracted. I heard the shout of "fore" and didn't strike it properly. It still looked okay, but maybe I was a little bit defensive. Coming out of the light rough I didn't want to get a flier and go over the green. It wasn't a good shot. Maybe a little bit unlucky and maybe a bit defensive. I hit a nice putt for bogey, which I thought was in, but I hit three bad shots in a row. I had 105 yards to the front of the green and 132 to the flag. Down wind.

Q. Why didn't you putt?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Obviously you didn't see where I was. I had a lot of rough between me and the hole at the edge of the bunker. If I had been 10 yards shorter I might have been able to putt. You couldn't where I was.

Q. What's your anger management like after a double bogey?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: It's good. It was disappointing to hit a good putt and miss, but I knew I would have a chance on 18 if I didn't do anything stupid. Once I took the double bogey, I was conscious of what to do next, to get over the double. These things are going to happen to me. I didn't expect to make the mistakes the way I did, but I was prepared for some errors during the round, but not with a sand wedge. It's a question of being prepared. I had a good chance on 18 and it was important to make birdie at the last. If I had doubled the 17th and not made birdie at the last I would have been blaming it all on the sand wedge. Coming back with a birdie limited some of the damage.

Q. Paul McGinley said he's physically and mentally drained. How are you?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Well, I've been taking it easier this week than I normally would. I had nine holes practice and they are long days on demanding golf courses, so I'm probably fresher this week than I normally would be. There is a lesson there, but I never take it.

Q. Was it a welcome distraction in some ways having to help your amateur partner?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Obviously the whole flow of the game is different. If the team is going well and you make a mistake, you've got to have that team atmosphere. You help him and he helps you. I walked off 17 with a smile because he (J.P. McManus) birdied the hole -- a par with a shot. Even though I double bogeyed it cheered me up. Also walking down the fairways there is lots to talk about other than golf and that's a good distraction. When I was struggling on 17, I still went over and read J.P's putt and it takes your mind off things.

I am thoroughly enjoying this. It's different. We don't play many Pro-Ams in this format and it's great once in a while. I said to J.P. that I would have an enjoyable week, but I played well on the first day and things got serious after that. I am trying to keep it a little bit light hearted. I am here are to enjoy the week, and it's great that we are doing well as a team. Even though it's got a bit more serious, the fact that I'm doing well in the tournament, it's still the attitude that the more we enjoy it as a team and stay relaxed, the better we will do.

Q. Do you think about the Order of Merit?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: You know, the reality of the Order of Merit for me is very simple. It's a must that I win this week. There is no other way if I want to win the Order of Merit, which means that I don't need to think about the Order of Merit. I just need to win here this week. I've only one goal -- pure and simple -- try to win this week.

Q. How high is the Order of Merit in your list of ambitions?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I put it well up there, not at the top, but it's just below the Majors. If you have a very successful career it's something you want on your CV. For me it would be just below a Major, so it's very important.

Q. How important is the stroke average?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: The Order of Merit is far more important than the stroke average, but it is one of those sundry little things you can be proud of if you win. Ernie is my closest challenger and I'm keeping ahead of him. It's an objective rather than a goal, to win the low stroke average, and if you win that, you will be successful with a lot of your goals during the year.

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