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WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 23, 2006

Padraig Harrington

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA

Q. That was a very good win for a number of reasons, especially in the end, coming back like that?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: We played very poorly for a long way into the match. I said yesterday I was caught between two stools. I think working a few things on my game, and I just really don't have not a really consistent shot out there. I haven't got a consistent swing. I haven't got a consistent anything. And it's telling a few times everywhere.

It was only when I got 2 down with six to go, I basically forgot everything and tried to get it in the hole. And actually birdieing the last four of the last five was very nice. I missed two short putts on the other two holes.

Q. Did you make big putts?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I made two great long putts on 16 and 17 to 35 or 40 feet. I didn't make any bigger putt than the six footer on 18. Right now it's down that hill, it is just hard to putt.

Q. When you saw his ball go in the air, did you think it was going in? Did he almost put that thing in from down there?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I was concentrating on my own game. I wasn't really watching. As he walked up it looked like it was stone dead. The fact that it was eight feet away was definitely that's a tough putt on that green. I'm sure everything went against him at the end. He could have taken control of the match earlier. I think I was 4 over par after about 12 holes.

Q. You get Vijay now. Have you had matches with him?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I don't know if I've played him, I don't know. I certainly had two playoffs with him, but never played him in a match.

Q. How does he do in the playoffs?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: One and one. Hopefully I want to play a little bit better than I did today.

I'm mixed up with the ball. I'm working on a few things in the game, and I'm definitely between two golf swings. I'm not really hitting consistent shaper shots, so I'm basically aiming at the middle of the fairway and hoping that I don't draw or fade it too much. It's not the way to go, really. So obviously the last six holes I gave up on all that sort of stuff and knuckled down. The job was just to get it in the hole, regardless of how I swung it. Making four birdies of the last five was nice.

Q. Putting was good?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Putting was very good. It gave me some good chances. On 13 I had a good chance, and he holed it after me. I missed it from 14 feet and he holed it from about ten. It didn't look good for me, 3 down with four to play five to play. I got a good break on the next. I hit a good shot in, but it slammed up on the edge of the bunker and kicked up about four feet. He holes one from about eight feet, and I hole.

Then we both mix on the next.

And then hole a 35 footer on 16 and 35 footer on 17, about in the middle of the holes. What can I say?

Q. Did you hit what did you hit on 17 around the tree?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I hit a 6 iron. You know, like obviously it was as I said, I was 4 over after 12, only 3 down, the match obviously I got very lucky and Angel is going to be disappointed to lose a match like that, but he should have closed it out in the first 12 holes. Sometimes these things go against you if you don't finish these matches off.

Q. Do you feel that when you as his opponent, did you feel he should be finishing it off?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I certainly didn't feel bad being 2 down with six to play. I hadn't played good golf. I didn't feel great 2 down with four to play. To come out just halving them is not great. And then I suppose halving 16, it just looked funny thing is I knew he birdied two of the last two holes to win 17 and 18. The fact that you know somebody is doing it means you can do it. So I was aware he had won two holes. Unfortunately I wasn't too happy 18 is obviously a big advantage for him.

I hit a great second shot to the green. I thought it was going to bounce up. I was waiting for the cheer, it was straight on the line. That was a great shot, wasn't it?

Q. What did you think when you had the chip?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I was just trying to chip it in. I was trying to hit a good chip. If you said to me there and then, I would definitely take the chip and take my chances at chipping it in.

But I was disappointed at chipping it that far behind, because I wanted to put him under some pressure holing his putt. But interesting enough, because I chipped it so far by, he wasn't as committed on his first putt. He was down there thinking he's got two chances of winning it. By me chipping it six feet by, actually gave him probably a little bit of doubt in his mind.

Q. (Inaudible).

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, I'm sorry to say I'm not. I just have been trying to I suppose the best way to say that is I've been trying to release the club a bit more. That might explain it. Obviously I need to change my impact position to do that, and sometimes I don't do that and release the club and hit it left. There's about four different shots I can hit from this position.

Q. Is it time to stop fiddling?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, no, this is actually this is quite significant. The difference is significant. Actually the best thing I could have done for the next couple of weeks was to lose today and go practice. But that's not the case. So I'll just get it up and down like I did the last couple of holes and see what happens.

Q. (Inaudible).

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Just better ball striking. I'll compress the ball a little bit more so I'll have better trajectory, just better distance control, definitely.

End of FastScripts.

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