THE SENIOR OPEN PRESENTED BY ROLEX

July 21, 2022

Padraig Harrington

PGA Centenary at Gleneagles

Quick Quotes

Q. 4-under first round, happy?

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON: I'm happy with the score. I was very tentative. I putted well and my putter saved me most of the day. Definitely, yeah, I could have been just a little bit, I suppose, yeah I was just tentative with my iron shots particularly.

Q. The golf course off the tee, it's very difficult off the tee, and you have to hug the high camber. It's very difficult off the tee; did you find that?

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON: I've got to say, I like it off the tee, and as you say, as long as you keep the ball low, it does camber back into the fairways. You just don't want to get it back into the fairway and spread it.

On 17, I missed the fairway, and that was a difficult shot and maybe I should have hit the iron off the tee. But I like it off the tee to be honest, and that's why I'm saying I should have been a bit more aggressive into the greens. I think you can set up a lot of chances out there.

Q. You feel as though you obviously can go very low. The start to The Seniors Tour has been very, very good. Because of your length, do you feel as though you are a distinct advantage against these guys?

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON: Depends on the golf course. Not necessarily this golf course because I've played with Corey today and he's probably one of the shorter hitters and he reached the two par 5s and the par 4 today. Wouldn't be a big advantage on this golf course.

But it does no harm, either, hitting the shorter iron shots the same distance. It is an advantage but some golf courses, like the U.S. Open, it's a big advantage.

Q. I've known you for a very long time now. Back in the day, you would have gone back to the range now for three hours. What is it now? Do you go and get some ice to the room and lay in an ice bath, or what do you do now?

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON: Not far off.

Q. Or do you go for a seven-mile run?

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON: A lot of physio. I have a lot of different niggles and things like that. Look, I can't do it anymore. I don't regret that I used to do it, and it may be who I was but it definitely is not the right thing to do.

I think I've learned that from now on, you know, I thought I was very poor today mentally. I ain't going to find that on the range. Doesn't matter what I do if I go down there; I cannot create the same competitive on that range, a flat, big field, as I can on the golf course.

I'll think about it. Maybe do a bit of visualisation and just come out tomorrow and hope I have a better day in that sense. I'm not finding that on the range anymore. I will hit some putts, though.

Q. Doesn't make it who you were; all that practise makes you who you are.

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON: 100 per cent, I don't regret that I did it. But if I was telling somebody else, like I was playing with Monty this week, and he was great. You prepare for Sunday, and not Thursday. And I always used to prepare for Thursday, and sometimes I would be burnt out by Sunday.