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THE IRISH OPENJune 27, 2013Padraig HarringtonKILDARE, IRELAND Q.ﾃつ How would you rate that round? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつﾃつ Obviously the score itself isn't particularly great but I got a really bad start.ﾃつ Made a terrible bogey at the second hole from A1 position and it was a struggle from then on. I was always a little bit behind the 8‑ball, so making a couple of birdies coming home, especially on the last, was nice.ﾃつ 1‑under par sounds so much better than level par, so could have scored better but I'm reasonably pleased with the outcome. Q.ﾃつ What was the best part of your round? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ I know about the worst part. Q.ﾃつ Tell us about that, then. Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ I hit the ball well off the tee.ﾃつ Hit it strong off the tee plenty of time.ﾃつ So real issues were really, at times, I just didn't trust my commitment to the shots.ﾃつ I was hitting approach shots, as I said that wedge shot I hit the second hole and another wedge shot on the ninth hole, just not quite‑‑ routines were not as solid as they should have been or could have been. That's something I need to, you know, get good on my preparation tomorrow and probably love to maybe the rest of the week of trying to gradually get a little bit better all the way through, because it's not something that you would turn around and be okay straightaway, but certainly build a bit of momentum after that and that's the idea for the next 54 holes. Q.ﾃつ You know the conditions well; how did it play today? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ I don't know them well to be honest.ﾃつ Confuses me when it goes as short as it goes in the climate here.ﾃつ I'm used to the ball going a long, long way.ﾃつ That's one of the reasons I didn't struggled with some of my iron shots and approach shots.ﾃつ I just never fully‑‑ never quite confident in the shot I've selected or the yardage.ﾃつ Not the yardage, but the shot‑‑ just a little unfamiliar to me. Q.ﾃつ Is that because of all the play in America and the contrast? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ I'm used to playing in the heat now.ﾃつ I think the first hole I had 159 yards to the flag, and at times in the States, we would be considering in the same sort of wind direction, we might be considering a 9‑iron and maybe hitting 8‑iron.ﾃつ Today I hit 6‑iron.ﾃつ You know, that's quite a shock to the system when you're hitting 6‑iron from 159 yards.ﾃつ It's not like it was blowing or anything like that. So it takes a little bit of getting used to.ﾃつ That's why I always try and play a few tournaments before I go back to The Open Championship, because it is difficult to get your head around that 159 yards on the first hole, was actually a 6‑iron. Q.ﾃつ An inland links they call this course; is it a good test before The Open? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ It is running off the tee, but there's no‑‑ I don't think there's a hole out here you can actually run the ball on to the green.ﾃつ It doesn't play like a links.ﾃつ It is a parkland golf course and it's in great condition. It's playing very well, taking out a lot of the rough has just freed up the players a bit and they are enjoying it more.ﾃつ With good greens, they are going to make birdies.ﾃつ It's still a substantial test, and to shoot a good number all four days won't be that easy, that's for sure. I think that definitely if you play well, you can shoot a good number, because the greens are good.ﾃつ But there's enough big golf shots out there that by the end of the week, the scoring won't get too far away. Q.ﾃつ Late start today, early start tomorrow, not much time to prepare for that? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ No, well, that's what I said, there's not much I can do between now and tomorrow.ﾃつ As I said, my focus was a little out at times and just need to, when I select a shot, just to not change my mind, just trust it, and that will be the goal tomorrow is to, whatever decision I make before I get over the ball is to stick with it. Q.ﾃつ How did that go? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ In the end of the day, 1‑under par was a good return.ﾃつ Very important to birdie the last just to get into red numbers.ﾃつ It was a horrible start on a day that you wanted some momentum.ﾃつ I was in perfect position on the second hole and hit a terrible wedge shot and 3‑putted it and all of a sudden, I'm in those blue numbers and struggling to get back into the tournament. But I fought hard, and to play from the third hole on at 3‑under was a good return for me.ﾃつ Certainly missed a couple of putts but I putted well after that, which is nice.ﾃつ Didn't let the first couple of holes dictate my day. Q.ﾃつ How intent are you this week?ﾃつ Can you force yourself almost to play well in your National Open, and you really dug in deep today and got into it? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ Yeah, you look at the last thing, I'm always going to try.ﾃつ I don't need to get myself up for it or force myself in any way, shape or form.ﾃつ I need to relax a bit about it and take a bit of the pressure off but that's not my nature. On a day like today, I'm going to dig deep on some holes and need to make my birdies on other holes, which I kind of did after the start.ﾃつ As I said, it was a very slow start.ﾃつ To have a good birdie chance on the first, and then to turn around in position on the second and make a terrible bogey going into the third hole which is quite difficult hitting a wood in there; it just was not the start I wanted. I suppose to shoot 1‑under par from there was a reasonable return. Q.ﾃつ You're going to need a fairly low score at some point over the next few rounds, judging by the scoring today, the Monty Course has yielded a lot of birdies. Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ Who knows what the end of the week the scoring will be, but if you are looking at similar conditions, I don't think this is a golf course that everybody will just‑‑ sometimes you'll turn up at a golf course and guys will shoot 6‑under all four days or close to it. But I think this is more of a golf course that the leader is more likely to shoot a couple of good scores and a couple of 70s, 71s.ﾃつ So my 71 is fine but I will need to shoot 66 at some stage this week and maybe two of them. Q.ﾃつ They look comfortable shoes. Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ They are.ﾃつ Bought them.ﾃつ Actually bought them.ﾃつ I can't think of when the last time I purchased a pair of shoes.ﾃつ I forgot my shoes last week and I had to buy a pair.ﾃつ I bought the FootJoy M Project.ﾃつ That's the pair.ﾃつ I went to the truck this week and got loads of free pairs, so not so bad. I was at an outing and I bought them in a pro shop. Q.ﾃつ Liberty National? Pﾃδ．RAIG HARRINGTON:ﾃつ No, I wasn't at that.ﾃつ They are like‑‑ they are meant to mimic your foot.ﾃつ They help your toes spread, they have got a lower heel.ﾃつ I would suggest, the shoes I used to wear were stability shoes and these are mobility shoes. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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