	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE BARCLAYS

August 26, 2011

Padraig Harrington

EDISON, NEW JERSEY

Q. PÃ¡draig, just talk about your position through two rounds, knowing that it's going to be a 54-hole?
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: I actually don't know my position so somebody will have to fill me in.

Q. In the FedExCup, you're 48th, you're four off the lead at 10-under.
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, I was more interested in how I'm doing in the tournament. As somebody said to me, they were saying inside that if Hurricane Irene came in early, we would have no more play. I'd be disappointed. I'd rather take my chance at going out there and winning the tournament rather than, you know, being 48 and advancing to next week.
So hopefully we goat out there tomorrow. Hopefully have a good day. I'm four shots behind.

Q. Four shots off right now.
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: And in what position am I?

Q. Probably T-5, somewhere around there.
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: It's a lot to ask, but the golf course is a good scoring course and somebody is going to get on a run tomorrow and shoot a low one. It is hard to pick up four shots but hopefully it's going to be me.

Q. Your reaction to cutting it to 54?
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: It's all they could do. The one thing the players always want is a clear decision. We like to know where we stand, and an early decision and I think that's what they have done. They have given us -- they told us in time.
You know, it's tough over here, and on a course like this, you always feel like it's a bit of a race, but over 54 holes, it really feels like a race. As I said, you know, I bogeyed my 16th hole of the day, and wow, if felt bad. If you're going backwards here, you just don't feel like you have the time to make it up over such a short space.
But 18 holes to go tomorrow, and obviously as I said, I don't know how anybody else is going on the course, but if 14 is leading, it's not that big an ask to catch four shots.
But you know, especially on a golf course like this, whoever is going to win this tournament tomorrow is going to actually have to putt well and make some birdies.

Q. There is the argument that they found out a 54-hole tournament when they were playing their 15th hole today and guys are going out this afternoon knowing it's a 54-hole tournament and why didn't somebody tell them earlier.
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: Well, they told us early enough. It was a pretty early decision. Telling us before we teed off on Thursday -- I think it was called early enough. And you know, what do they want to do, wait till the end of the day?
I think they made the right choice, and they made a decision, and that's the important thing is they made a decision. They told us as early as they possibly could. There was no point in making this decision yesterday. You had to wait a little longer to see when this hurricane was coming in, but they have got to make a decision to give the players as much clarity as they can.

Q. The complaint would be would be similar to just getting the long end of the draw.
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, I don't think too many people are going to listen to that complaint.

Q. You mentioned Liberty National being your kind of favorite or the one that you liked a lot. How do you rank this course compared to that one?
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: I like the golf course here. Obviously everybody loves Bethpage. As I said I would go back to Westchester if it was up to me.
But as an event, in order to set themselves apart, Barclays at Liberty National, it's unique, and you know, we play a lot of good golf courses during the year. Barclays being able to stay downtown Manhattan, being able to play virtually there, that makes the event unique and would be a great home for The Barclays.

Q. You don't mind the rotation, or you would rather --
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: I like the golf courses, but I believe that if Barclays are looking for a home and they are trying to make their event unique, which every event on the TOUR has to try and put themselves out there as something different; I think Liberty National is a great home for them.
You know, I'm not saying it's a better golf course than Bethpage Black. I'm not saying every -- every one of the four golf courses used in the rotation all are unique in themselves and good golf courses. But just the venue, being able to -- which other event do we get to stay in a city in downtown Manhattan of all places? Like, fantastic.

Q. When did you find out they reduced the number of holes of this tournament?
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: My caddie told me about through nine holes, I would say today -- no, it was actually through 12 holes today.

Q. And your reaction was just like it is now, that it's a good call?
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: I think it's an early call and it's a clear call and that's all you can ask from the tournament director. You can't ask any more. They haven't got a crystal ball, and there's more serious things going on than golf tournaments this weekend.
But I think they made the right decision. You know, try and get 18 more holes in, and you know -- we could be here till next -- as I said, there's bigger things going on, once this hurricane hits, to be worried about coming back for the last round of a golf event seems -- I'm not sure what the word is, but certainly doesn't seem right when I'm sure there's going to be bigger issues.

Q. You and McGirt both played well obviously in the back of the FedExCup points, is there a sense you played with any sense of desperation?
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: I wouldn't say we played with desperation. I think there was a bit of freedom in it. We had nothing to lose. We were the last men in.
Definitely not desperation. Certainly more freedom, and it's harder for the guys who are in, they feel like they are going to lose out. The guys who aren't in, I'm losing nothing this week.

Q. House money.
PÃDRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, that's kind of it. It's a free run.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297