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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 22, 2012Padraig HarringtonLYTHAM ST. ANNES, ENGLAND Q. Today was it just one of those days? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, it was pretty much the opposite of yesterday. I really struggled on the greens. I didn't hole anything for birdie and made three bad bogeys and that was it. Q. Just didn't get anything going? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, I had a bad day. The short game, I hit the ball really solid. Had plenty of chances, just wasn't holing the putts. Q. How would you reflect on the week coming into it with reasonably good form? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: It wasn't the worst week in the world, what can I say. I've done a lot worse than 42nd in a tournament. It wasn't the worst week ever, you know. I played okay the first few days. I got my head in the right place the first few days, the game just wasn't there. I've got to be very happy with that, actually very happy. Q. Just in general, you have been playing well for several months now. You've got these two weeks coming up, Bridgestone and the PGA? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I'm not in the Bridgestone. Q. You've got this big week coming up in terms of the PGA and obviously you have the chance to make the Ryder Cup team. What do you need to do? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I don't know, I honestly don't know. Who knows? I'm not going to talk about it. It's not something I can talk about, to be honest. As I said, the key for me it to try to qualify by merit. That's what I've got to do. I can't even begin to think or entertain what's going through his head and what's‑‑ I've just got to concentrate and play my golf and do my thing. I'm delighted with how I'm playing. I'll try to be playing well‑‑ unfortunately when it comes to this Ryder Cup, there's seven events where there's guaranteed points for turning up. There's only seven events in the world. There's only seven weeks you can play golf where you're guaranteed World Ranking points, and I was in none of the 7. So it's my own fault for not playing well enough last year. To miss out on those seven events is obviously‑‑ that's a tough‑‑ that's a tough ask. It's always a tough ask for the rookies to make the team. If you're not qualified for all the events, it's hard to make it up, especially if you don't win. That's what I haven't done is win. Q. How disappointing would it be to miss the Ryder Cup? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Completely. I'm very focused on what I'm doing. That's a conversation for another day, not now. I couldn't be happier with how my game is. This week I didn't have a great week on the greens at times. But it wasn't far away, either. Q. You would need a win in Reno or obviously a win at the PGA? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Or win at Barclays. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, that's the reason I thought they changed that ruling for that reason. They did. They're waiting for the Barclays. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, like‑‑ I'm not in it. I'm 59th in the world at the moment. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: There is another one next week. I'm not playing. As much as I'd like to play next week, and I considered it, it wouldn't be good preparation for the PGA. So at the end of the day, I did consider going, playing next week and not the week after. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Either, to be honest. It wouldn't make much difference. But I felt I better stick with my preparation for the PGA. Q. Are you close to winning again? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, sure. I didn't have a good week on the greens. Especially today I hit some‑‑ my week this week wasn't far away. You'd be surprised how little it would take to go from 5‑over par to ‑‑ maybe not 10‑under par, that's stunning golf. But 3‑, 4‑under par, it wouldn't‑‑ it's hardly‑‑ yeah, hardly a blink of an eye, to be honest, because I hit a lot of decent shots and just really‑‑ today was‑‑ just hole a few putts, you get in the round. Q. You're leaving here‑‑ PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah. The great thing about the weather out there, the course is very playable out there. If you're protecting something it's not so much fun. Like you're hitting drives out there, I think on 14 I hit my drive 365 and basically hit the same drive up the next hole 255. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I know like‑‑ how do I put this‑‑ I know, I stroke play, not because I have any knowledge that they're going to ban them, that's more or less the consensus, they're going to have a two‑year grace, a bit like the grooves. I just hope that they don't wait too long because‑‑ Q. Does it take away from major wins? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, it doesn't take away from anything, no. It doesn't take away from a guy using it at the moment. You can use whatever you'd like within the rules. It's like the grooves; the grooves were a big advantage to me. They took the grooves out‑‑ it's the exact same as the grooves. They were within the rules, now they're not within the rules. I hope they don't wait until I'm 50 years of age to change the rule. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, there's an interesting effect. Obviously if the standard of putting goes up, which it clearly does‑‑ guys wouldn't be using them if they didn't putt better with them, yeah? If the standard of putting goes up, it puts more pressure on the guys that aren't using one just to compete. So all of a sudden, it's hard for a normal putter, is he doing the right thing, should he be using the long putter? So it actually has a negative effect on others as much as a positive effect on some. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I don't think everybody necessarily would putt‑‑ I don't know if everybody would putt better with the long putter. If you're a good putter with the short stick, why would you change? Clearly in the rules, the fact is if somebody invented the belly putter tomorrow, it would not pass. I think we could all agree with that. If somebody came up with the idea ‑‑ the only reason it got through is the people that used it 20 years ago were coming to the end of their careers and people would have been sympathetic and didn't want to finish Bernhard Langer's career by telling him you can't hold it like this, you can't attach it to your arm, or they didn't want to finish ‑‑ whatever, whoever it was, they didn't want to say, oh, that's it, you can't play anymore, because‑‑ and that's why it got by. It wouldn't be passed‑‑ it wouldn't be let in tomorrow. If somebody came up with it tomorrow, there's no way they'd let it through. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I just assumed it is attached, and it kind of goes against that. You know, and getting set up is part of it, getting a feel for it. That automatically gets you in position. Look, I can't wait to get home and eat ice cream and watch the rest of it. As regards me, I'm happy. It's not a brilliant week by any means, but certainly not‑‑ golfing‑wise, there was a lot of good positives out there. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Well, I nearly‑‑ I birdied the last to get into a playoff in the U.S. Open. It was only a few weeks ago. Yeah, I'm playing as good as I've ever played. I could putt a little bit better. But even then I'm putting better than I have been. So I'm in good stead. As I said, guys, 5‑over par, you'd be surprised how quickly, you know, that turns into a 1 or 2 or 3, and everybody is saying, oh, you had another good week. So I don't judge this as necessarily‑‑ I don't judge it‑‑ I certainly don't think it's a bad week. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I think it's kind of like the grooves. They give it 18 months or something like that before they said, that's it. You can use it up to that date, but you'd better practise with something else to get ready. The fact that they changed the groove‑‑ the groove rule has cost me shots, fact. So I don't have any sympathy for anybody that comes out and says, I'd like to have the grooves back. And if they leave the putter in, well, then why can't I have my grooves back. That's the way I look at it. That's the way it is. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: You could on my grooves. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I've tried them many times. Not seriously, no. Q. Have you had one made up? PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I have had a few made up. Believe it or not, I practised with the long putter yesterday. I saw what it feels like, felt good for a couple of putts and then it didn't feel so good. So we went from good to okay to maybe not. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: My putting, I wouldn't‑‑ my putting is just trusting my reading at the moment. It's not stroke or anything like that. So I'm comfortable. I was just on the green, there it was, I had a few putts. I hit the first ‑‑ it was David Duval's. I hit the first two really nicely, and then I had two short putts. And then I said, maybe not. Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Absolutely. That's doesn't bother me at all. If you understand the rules they'll help you and they'll also hurt you at times, but understanding them is important. So I see it‑‑ Q. (Inaudible.) PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I'd love to know why. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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