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ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 4, 2007

Padraig Harrington

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: There was very little wind and the greens were really pure, a little bit of moisture on them so they were difficult to hole putts.
Unfortunately I didn't really have the pace of the greens and was never that comfortable. If I let loose, I was going to run it by as I did third-to-last hole I played. So all day I was just a little bit defensive on the greens. Found them a little bit quick.

Q. What's it like coming here as Open Champion?
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, it's been really nice now going around the golf course, you know, reliving a lot of the shots, a lot of the shots that, you know, maybe might have made the headlines during the tournament with shots that I hit during the week. The second hole I played a left-handed bunker shot out of one of the bunkers and managed to get it out and things like that are not really known.
It's not going around and remembering the shots and where I hit it. The great thing about today is every time something happened, I just said, well, I'm The Open champion and it worked okay The Open week and that putt dropped. Maybe today it didn't drop but the right things happened that week. It certainly gives you a nice feeling and a good upbeat about thing. It was special to come back.

Q. We watched you play 18, much better result?
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: 18 and 9 were good. 18 obviously was a totally different hole. I hit 3-wood, 9-iron. You know, it was obviously playing, whatever, driver, 7-iron, that week that tournament. Certainly 3-wood or 4-iron would have been more. That's the way conditions change and golf holes change and that's why you've always got to approach each hole as you meet it. You can't always have a strategy beforehand.
Hitting 3-wood down left in that bunker -- you don't want to go too far left either. It's one of those holes that it is a tough shot. Obviously easier when you're at 40 yards, 50 yards further up off the tee.

Q. Most satisfying birdie?
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Of the day? Well it is only the ninth hole of a 72-hole tournament. It's something that won't make a huge difference to the outcome of the event.
I'm sure next time I come to the 18th hole at Carnoustie I won't remember the birdie I made this week. (Laughter).

Q. Was there a slightly surreal feel looking out the 18th?
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: The funniest thing about it was I could see you guys coming out. (Laughter) I could see the swelling of the media on the 17th green.
You know, totally different way of playing golf today. Everything about it, you know, there's different pressures, the greenses are soft. The greens were pure -- yes, the ground is the the same, but it's a different place.
The fact that I'm Open Champion, it probably made a little bit of a difference, a little bit of expectation, put a little bit of pressure going out there. You don't want to start with a bogey, I was quite happy when I got it under par and had the feeling it was going to be a somewhat respectable day, I felt good about that.

Q. How aware are you about the the chance of chasing the Order of Merit?
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: You know, I didn't know it was -- my wife informed me that anybody in the Top-10 could potentially do it.
My attitude is, just, you know, you're at the Dunhill Championship, you have the HSBC next week, you have Portuguese Masters and Volvo Masters. That's four big money events left.
You know, one of them, one of the chasing pack is going to win one of those four events, so I need to win one of them. If I can win one of them, I'd be lucky enough to win the Order of Merit.
I think my goal is to win one of those. That's my attitude. You know, somebody in ninth place could come out as I did last year and win the Dunhill Championship and you're right in the mix.

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