Padraig Harrington - Blog

Padraig Harrington - Deutsche Bank Championship

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:13:14 +0100

Deutsche Bank Championship.
A very disappointed Padraig misses the cut by one shot after a gutsy round of three under par 68 failed to get him into the weekends play and also cost him any further involvement in the Fed Ex cup playoffs. Four birdies were mixed with just one bogie at the par four ninth where he three putted from twenty feet. He now will take a couple of weeks off to get ready for the Ryder Cup.

Disappointing first round of three over par 74 leaves Padraig with work to do to just make the cut and progress to next weeks BMW Championship. Out in the late side of the draw he suffered as most did in this half of the draw with the inclement weather brought on by hurricane Earl. Two double bogies did the damage and with an early start tomorrow it will have to be all out attack to make the weekends play.

Padraig is in Boston this week for the second round of the Fed Ex Cup playoff series. The event is being played at TPC Boston, a par 71 course of over 7200 yards which Padrig likes having finished tied forth here last year. Padraig currently stands at number 57th place in the rankings with the top thirty competing in the season ending Tour Championship. Padraig tees off at 12.42pm local time (+5GMT) with Y.E. Yang and Angel Cabrera.

Deutsche Bank Championship - Preview
I am in Boston for the second of the Fed Ex cup play-offs. I am currently 57th in the Fed Ex rankings and to make it into the next round, the BMW Championship I have to be in the top 70. Then to make it to the Tour Championship I have to be in the top 30. More importantly, to have a chance of winning the overall I need to win this week or next week.

I travelled up to Boston on Tuesday afternoon as this week we start on Friday. I took Monday off and went to the US Open Tennis, and then Tuesday I hung around New Jersey for the morning and afternoon as my family were flying out that evening and it was my birthday. The tennis was a great day out, I got to go along to a sporting event and be the spectator for once and not have to worry about performing or doing anything other than sitting back and enjoying myself, and I certainly did that. I went along with one of my sponsors, Citizen, as they also sponsor the US Open.

Wednesday I went to the course and did some practice and I also played a few holes. I wanted to sort a few things out after last week so I spent a few hours on the range trying to figure out where a few pulls came. Once I got that sorted I went out and played seven holes. I have played here a few times now so I know the course well. I went out on the course at about four o’clock which was great as there was nobody around, so I could take my time and do some chipping and putting. Hitting chip shots and bunker shots on the course is great as they are shots that you are very likely to end up playing during the week.

Thursday was pro-am day this week, it was a bit weird playing a pro am on a Thursday it felt like Wednesday all day. I was happy with how I played, unfortunately we didn’t win the team event but we had a good time. After the pro-am I did a small bit of practice, mainly on my short game. Nothing too much as I never want to over do it the day before the tournament.

The course is in very good condition, the greens are firm but the fairways aren’t running quite as fast as last year. This used to be a bombers paradise but over the years they have made a lot of modifications to it so that it brings everyone into the tournament. There is no doubt that it is still a big advantage in being long around here but it is not the be all and end all. With the greens as firm as they are the most important thing this week will be a good short game as you will see plenty of players rolling off greens. Generally the scoring is good around here and I reckon that this year will be no different. The greens are good to putt on which is always a big factor in low scoring events.

One of the biggest factors to the tournament this year is Hurricane Earl - it is supposed to hit us on Friday. If the forecast is right Friday afternoon could be very tough, unfortunately I am playing in the afternoon. There is a possibility that it could be so bad that we don’t play until Saturday but that could be wishful thinking.

I need to have a good week to move myself up the Fed Ex rankings and give myself chance of winning the series. I had a chance to win here last year so it is a course that I am confident on. If I can get myself in the same position on Monday this year as I did last year then I am happy to take it from there and see how I get on.

Talk soon,
Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - The Barclays

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:24:21 +0100

"I am delighted to have been selected as one of Colin's wildcard picks for this year's Ryder Cup Matches and hope to reward his faith in me with some strong performances for the European team. I can't wait to be part of the team at Celtic Manor and hope that the experience I have gathered in my previous appearances will be of benefit to the team. I'm sure with the help of the amazing atmosphere the crowds will create, it will be a fantastic contest.", Padraig.

The Barclays - Review.
The first of the Fed Ex Cup play-offs is over. I had hopped for a better performance so as to move up the rankings but to no avail. My week started off fine after shooting two under par on Thursday and then three under on Friday, to leave me on five under and right in the tournament. But then the weekend was very disappointing as I shot even par on Saturday and then four over on Sunday to finish well down the field on one under par. I lost a bit of ground on Saturday as the scoring was decent and my level par was only average. Looking back at my performance over the weekend it was definitely affected by the practice I did after my round on Friday. I wasn’t happy with a couple of things during my round on Friday and I spent a bit of time on the range ironing them out. It didn't take that long but when I look back at it now I can see that it affected my performance for the next two days. I know this because my routines and my focus were not as good as the first two days; also I struggled a little bit on the greens which is generally a sign that I am a little fatigued.

On Saturday I actually played well from tee to green but just couldn’t hole a putt, struggling to see the lines at times. I made a lot of pars, as I just couldn’t buy a putt no matter how hard I tried. It was very frustrating; that said I still felt going out on Sunday that I had a chance to win. I teed it up thinking that I could still win but I played and putted poorly as well, which is a real bad combination. All in all it was a disappointing weekend on the golf course.

My final round on Sunday was definitely overshadowed by the Ryder Cup team announcement. It was definitely on my mind all week but much more so on Sunday. I had seen the other guys in contention for a wildcard during the week and we were all anxious and hoping that each one of us would get a pick. Everybody you talked to had a different opinion of who was going to get the picks and it was the main conversation point all week. I was more nervous waiting to hear if I had got the pick than I was standing over my putt to win my first major. I played on Sunday with Paul Casey and we were both on tender hooks - we knew that Eduardo had won in Gleneagles which we all felt had secured him a pick and so that left two picks. We had expected to hear the word around our fourth hole but in the end it was when we were on the sixth green that I got the thumbs up from Caroline. I was delighted and relieved; the hardest thing was that I was playing with Paul and he hadn’t been picked and he also has Chris Donald (Luke’s Brother) on his bag. It was all very awkward but Paul was very good about. We talked about it on the way to the eighth hole and then we left it alone.

I was totally relieved to hear that I had received a pick; it was not a situation I had wanted to be in. I am honoured to get a Captains pick and I know how hard it must have been on Colin as he had to choose from players who all had reasons to be selected. In the end his pick is a vote of confidence in myself; now it is up to me to ensure that he made the right choice. In my mind one of the reasons that he has picked me is that he wanted more experience, as there are a number of rookies in the team. One of the things that I learnt from the last Ryder Cup is that it is not just on the course where experience is needed. It is up to me to make my presence felt in the team room, to give players the benefit of my experience; definitely at the last Ryder Cup we lacked a leader in the team room - previously Monty and Darren had assumed the role, whereas last time round nobody did.

I am honoured to get Monty’s vote of confidence and I am really looking forward to playing at Celtic Manor. After two poor Ryder Cups I am anxious to improve my record; but the main thing is that the team regains the Cup for Europe.

The Barclays - Preview.
After the PGA I went away for a week with my family, we have done it for the last few years. After a week of doing practically nothing I am back in action in New Jersey for the Barclays Classic, the first of the Fed Ex Cup play offs. I have chosen to play here this week rather than head back to play in Gleneagles, which is the last qualifying event for the Ryder cup. I made a commitment too early in the year to do a clinic for the Special Olympics this week and I wanted to honour that. There has been a lot of talk about myself and the other players that have chosen to play here this week rather than Gleneagles - none of us made the decision lightly, we all had our reasons and we know the possible consequences of being here. I know that I will be following the events from Scotland closely during the week.

This week we are playing Ridgewood Country Club, the 2008 venue. I played here back then and loved the course but unfortunately I missed the cut. When I heard that we were coming back this year I was delighted as I thought that it was a great course. I got here on Sunday afternoon; it seems like as soon as I landed the bad weather came in. There hasn’t been rain here for months and as soon as I landed it came down in buckets and kept going for a few days. I played the course on Monday and it played totally different to the last time we were here as it was so wet. Last time the course was pretty firm whereas this week it is going to play very soft and as a result very long. It does make it easier in some respects and the fairways are easier to hit as the ball won’t run off them and the greens are so soft you can fire it straight at the pin.

I took Tuesday off, as it was Paddy’s seventh birthday so we went out for the day to celebrate. It rained quite a bit again so it wasn’t a bad day to take off. I was back at the course on Wednesday for the pro-am and again it was very wet but really enjoyable. I played with a few guys that work on Wall Street; I had a great time quizzing them on their jobs. After the pro-am I did my clinic for the Special Olympics and then a small bit of practice but not much. I made sure to keep it to a minimum as Wednesday afternoons are not the time to be working on your swing.

I am very happy with the way I am hitting the ball and feeling good about myself. I am very happy with where I am with my game and know that it is all about sticking to my routines and getting the right mental approach. If I can do this then I will be alright.

It is hard not to think about the Ryder Cup but I know that I have to put it to the back of my mind and concentrate on my own game this week. I am relying on a pick and like everyone else I will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to find out if I get one. The most important thing that I can do is to concentrate on this week and see if I can get myself into a position to win the Barclays Classic for the second time.

Talk to you all soon and thanks for all your support and well wishes in regard to the Ryder Cup.

Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - PGA Championship

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:54:06 +0100

USPGA Championship Review
It was not the performance that I was hoping for last week. I came into the week very happy with my game - in the final round of the Bridgestone I played great and during practice at Whistling Straits I hit the ball very well. I felt that I prepared very well for the week; by the time I got to Wednesday evening there was nothing I would have changed.

I was to start early on Thursday but when I got to the course there was a heavy fog which caused us to be delayed for a few hours. It wasn’t too bad for me as I managed to find a place in the locker room and sleep for most of the delay. When we eventually got out on the course I never really got going. I struggled with my focus all day and never got comfortable over my shots - it seemed that everytime I stood over the ball I was still making up my mind as to what sort of shot I was going to play. My preparation before the shot wasn’t good enough, causing me to get distracted. No matter how much I tried during the round I couldn’t get myself into it properly. I ended up shooting three over par on a day that was perfect for scoring. Looking at my round the big turning point came on my seventh and eighth holes. I was level par through six holes after getting off to a slow start - I made made a bogey and birdie in my first six holes and some good saves. My seventh hole was the sixteenth, and I missed a five footer for birdie and then followed it up with a pulled tee shot on the par three seventeenth which caused me to take a double bogey. Even though I didn’t let these holes get to me while I was on the course they were definitely pivotal holes in my round.

Because of the delay during the first day it meant that my second round was to start two and half hours late but there was another fog delay on Friday morning, which meant that I wasn’t going to finish my second round on Friday. I eventually got out at 5.15pm and managed to play six and bit holes, which I played really well. I was much more into my routines and preparation before the shot and as a result when I stood over the ball I was only thinking about hitting it at my target. It felt so much better; Friday afternoon was tough day for golf as it was blowing quite strong but for those holes I played I made four birdies, a bogey and a par; my last hole was the seventh which I hit an eight iron to thirty feet and then marked so that I could putt on Saturday morning. I was feeling good about things, as I was back to level par for the tournament and thinking about moving up the leaderboard.

Coming out on Saturday morning I was still feeling good about everything - I felt that I could get myself into the tournament with a few more birdies. The weather was good and the greens were perfect, but unfortunately I wasn’t really able to take advantage of the conditions. I bogeyed the eighth and then made my only birdie of the remaining holes on the par-5 sixteenth, after missing from twelve feet for eagle. In the end I was standing on the eighteenth tee level par for the tournament; a bogey would have made the cut for me. I hit a good drive and left myself 219 yards from the pin, which was perfect for my four hybrid. As I was getting ready to hit I got distracted by a couple of photographers behind the green; I stepped off the shot and went through it again but not really properly. I caught it very heavy and hit it in the water short of the green, ending up taking a double bogey to miss the cut by one shot. I was devastated to miss the cut as I had done all the hard work to get myself back into the tournament.

As much as my second shot on the last cost me making the cut I know that I didn’t take advantage of the course on Saturday morning. I had a number of holes where I had wedges in my hand and I just didn’t hit good enough shots to give myself enough opportunities for birdies. Missing the cut was extremely disappointing as I am hitting the ball the best I have ever hit it. That said I just didn’t hit my scoring clubs close enough and that ultimately cost me. I didn’t commit enough to my wedge shots and as a result I hit poor shots.

The other disappointing thing about missing the cut was it was my last counting event for the Ryder cup as I am playing the Barclays Classic the week of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. I am left to rely on players doing me a favour over the next two weeks or relying on a Captains pick. It is not the situation that I had hoped for but it is the one I am in.

I am taking a week off for a family holiday and then I return for the Fed Ex Cup Play-offs, starting with the Barclays. I am feeling good about my game and looking forward to the rest of my season, as I have never hit the ball as well in my career.

USPGA Championship
A bitterly disappointed Padraig misses the cut by one shot at the last major of the year. Having had to come out to complete his second round on Saturday, he played some wonderful golf to get to the last hole in three under par. He proceeded to hit a career drive straight down the middle but then found the hazard on the left with his four iron shot and walked off with a double bogie and a free weekend.

Disappointing first round of three over par 75 for Padraig at the USPGA Championship. A fog delay meant that much of the field failed to finish their first rounds but even on a calm day the course played tough with any shot off line punished. Padraig got off to a reasonable start being level par after six holes but a short missed birdie putt was followed by a double bogie on the par three 17th hole. Four under par leads after the opening round.

Padraig is back on the USPGA Tour for the last chance of the year to win a major, the USPGA championship. It is being played at the Pete Dye creation, Whistling Straits which is one of the hardest links in the world. Padraig will hope to recreate the magic of two years ago when he won the coveted trophy. He tees off at 8am local time with Davis Love and John Daly.

USPGA Championship - Preview
We have moved from Ohio to Wisconsin for the final major of the year, the US PGA Championship. This year we are back at Whistling Straits where the 2004 PGA Championship was played. I played here back then and remember it as being a really good tough golf course. I remember thinking at the time how close it was to a links course at home, as it was firm and fast.

I have been looking forward to coming back here since I played it in 2004, when I played pretty decently but had a poor last round to knock me down the field. As far as I remember if I had played the back nine well I actually could have given myself a chance to win.

So far this year my performances in the majors have been poor. I missed the cut both at the Masters and the Open, and finished in the mid-twenties at the US Open. At the Masters I played poorly and deserved to miss the cut but at the Open I played well and missed the cut. At the US Open I played nicely in places but never really got anything going. I felt that my preparation for the Masters was as good as it could be, however I always feel that I could do with another tournament or two before it. For the other two majors I felt that my preparation was very good and things just didn’t happen for me. This week I am coming into the PGA Championship after two top tens, feeling that I playing well. I have been feeling good about my game for a while now but things haven’t gone my way. However, I have been in this game long enough to know that you just have to be patient and know that things will eventually go your way. I am happy with my preparation for this week and looking forward to playing.

I got here on Sunday evening; I pretty much travelled straight after my final round in Akron. Every major is really more of a mental battle than anything else and with this in mind I came here with the mindset of doing only what I have to do and to ensure that I didn’t do too much during the week. With this in mind I have played nine holes each day and spent a bit of time on the range, with the majority of my time been spent on my short game, as this golf course will test everyone’s short game by the end of the week. The greens are pretty big but when you miss one you are generally left in a really awkward position. Over the past few weeks I have put a lot more time into my short game and it has definitely paid off for me, as I have made a lot of very good saves.

The golf course is playing totally different to what it played like in 2004. Back then it was hard and fast and played very much like a links course. This year it is quite a bit softer and so playing much longer but the greens are much more receptive and easier to take on pins. It is in fantastic condition and will provide a great test as there are so many testing elements to the course. So far this week we haven’t had much wind whereas last time there was quite a bit. That said I like the course; it still has a links feel to it and it is in very good condition. It definitely suits someone that is driving the ball well as it will be hard to score from the rough. The fairways are a generous size but if you miss them you are penalised.

In the last few weeks I have been asked a lot about the Ryder cup and the fact that I am currently outside of the team. Whilst this is the case I am determined to try and get myself in the team; I know what I have to do and I will be giving it my all to make the team. A good week here this week would solve a lot of problems.

Having won the PGA in 2008 I now have the honour of playing in the Championship and attending the Champions Dinner until I am sixty. Last year I got to pick the menu as defending champion, this year it was Y.E. Yang’s turn. It was held on Tuesday night and was a great evening; I really enjoyed the Korean food. It is great to have a light evening during a normally stressful week.

I am feeling good about my game and looking forward to getting started. I play early on Thursday and late Friday with John Daly and Davis Love. I have prepared well and can do no more; I have to remain patient and keep playing my own game throughout the week.

Talk soon,
Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - WGC - Bridgestone Invitational

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:11:59 +0100

"Bridgestone Invitational - Review"
Coming to Akron for the Bridgestone Invitational after a good week at the Irish Open was actually quite tough, as the Irish is such a big event in my schedule. The week in Killarney took a lot more out of me than I actually realised and it took me a few days to get over it. I found it tough to get going in the Bridgestone until the weekend, which showed in my game. The first couple of days I struggled a bit with my game, but over the weekend I actually played some lovely golf and I feel that I could have shot any score if I could have holed a few putts. Considering how I felt at the start of the week to finish ninth was a good result and even though I never got into contention in the tournament it was still a good week. Certainly a good final round can make up for a lot in this game.

This tournament comes at a great time in the calendar in one sense and a bad time in another. The reason I say this is because it falls the week before the PGA - having a tournament with no cut and with a great field is a great warm up for next week's major championship. However it tends to take away from the tournament itself because we all have an eye on the PGA. I know I would love to have won here this week but not as much as I would want to win the PGA.

I am very happy with my finishing position here - the way I played over the weekend gives me a lot of confidence going into next week. Finishing up with a good final round is nearly as good as getting into contention - shooting four under got me into the top ten without having too much stress. The good thing about the week was that my short game was good, as it was last week in Ireland. The first couple of days when I didn’t quite play at my best my short game kept me in it. In the end I shot rounds of 69,70,70 and 66 to finish on five under par, which were solid rounds on a tough golf course - this course has beaten me up many times over the years so any time that you break par for the week you have played solidly. This year it was a little softer than normal so it did play a little easier but even still it was a good test.

Overall I am happy with my performance and it was a good warm up for the final major of the year. It pushes me closer to the automatic qualifying places for the Ryder cup - I still need a big week at the PGA but at least I have narrowed the gap. All in all it was a good week and sets me up for the PGA - I got a lot of very good practice in so I feel that I don’t have too much to do next week.

Bridgestone Invitational - Preview
This time last year I came to Akron after having a very poor first half of the season, I was lost in my swing and my short game was suffering as a result of it. It all turned around here at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational - I played well and finished in a tie for second. While second was a good performance it was the fact that I had a chance to win the tournament until I hit it in the water on the 16th in the final round. I was battling it out with Tiger all day on Sunday until that hole.

This year I am here feeling a lot better about my game - I have been happy with how I have been playing for most of the year. I have been in contention a few times this year and managed a few top tens, my best week so far this year was last week at the 3 Irish Open as I managed to chip and putt very well and then play well on the Sunday as well.

I have played here at firestone since the first World Golf championship that was held here and up to last year I never really contended, I had a few top twenty finishes but that was about it. I have always liked the course but definitely found it tough, the rough is usually quite high. Over the years it has been set up like a US Open but in the last couple of years they have shortened the rough a little so that you can get to the green if you miss a fairway. There is enough of a penalty in not having much control over the ball if you miss the fairway rather than having to chip it out. I much prefer a course that lets you hit it from the rough and puts more emphasis on your short game. As most of the field have been coming here every year for probably ten years now it tends to be quiet on Monday and Tuesday. The course doesn’t really change from year to year so there is no need to be here grinding in the practice rounds. It is actually one of the few courses that we could turn up and play without a practice round. That said it is a little like Augusta in that it suits the players that have played it a number of times, the more you play here the more you get to know it and know where to miss and not to miss. It is a lot tougher for someone that is playing the course for the first time.

I arrived here on Monday afternoon but I didn’t get to the course until Tuesday, I spent Tuesday on the range working on my long game for a while and a lot of time working on my short game. I have been spending more time working on my short game of late and it definitely paid off last week. I am happy with how I am hitting it; the key for me is to trust it now and not to worry about how I am swinging it or where it is going. I played a practice round on Wednesday and as expected the course was unchanged; it played a little longer than usual, as it was a little soft. The good thing about this is that the fairways are easier to hit as there isn’t much run.

I’ve been drawn with Graeme McDowell for the first two rounds; we played together last week for the first two rounds as well. We are playing at 7pm Irish time on Thursday and 3pm Irish time on Friday.

Talk soon,
Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - Irish Open

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:43:33 +0100

"3" Irish Open - Review
It was my first time playing golf in Killarney and it was almost a very successful debut. In the end I had to settle for second place, I felt after my final round that I had given it everything but unfortunately for me it was a couple of shots shy of Ross’s total. Throughout the course of the week I definitely got the best out of my rounds so I really can’t be disappointed. The funniest thing about finishing second here this week is that everyone is heralding it as a great week and that I am back! I was never worried about my form as I have been striking the ball well for a while now, just not putting it all together but I was confident that it was only a matter of time. Not so long ago people were talking about all the second place finishes I had and wondering would I ever get over the line and now after another second place finish I’m being told how great it is.

I came into this week very happy with how I was striking the ball but a little unhappy with how my short game had been. How ironic it is that for three days it was my short game that kept me in the tournament. Actually for the whole week it was very good; I made a lot of great par saves during the week. It actually reminded me of how I used to play as an amateur. In days two and three I struggled off the tee, it was only really a confidence issue but even still I missed quite a few fairways and as a result a number of greens but yet I still managed to get myself around under par every day. As much as us pro’s like to strike the ball well there is nothing like shooting a decent score and playing badly. I had three days of scrambling, making pars from the trees and gorse on some holes. The great thing about it was that I never let it get to me; actually I was really enjoying it and getting a great buzz out of it.

As much as I enjoyed the three rounds where I really scrambled my way around the final round was definitely the highlight. The reason that this round was the highlight for me is that I played very well and managed to make a few crucial saves from really tough positions during the round. Saves that I made in the final round really dictate how your round goes. I was playing well and giving myself plenty of chances but as always in every round you face a couple of holes where you have to scramble to keep things going. If you don’t get up and down then it is the end of the momentum and you end up shooting an average score but in my case I managed to save par on the 6th, 11th and 13th. These saves felt like birdies even though they were only pars; by saving par it kept my round going and gave me a chance to challenge Ross. This is the sort of round that I have been failing to shoot during the year - I had my long game and short game working together. The fact that I had rely on my short game so much for the first three rounds meant that when I had to rely on it in the fourth round I knew that it was there and I was confident of the shot I had to hit.

Even though I didn’t win it was a great week, I got myself into contention and gave the tournament a good run. I am coming away from the 3 Irish Open really looking forward to the next couple of weeks as it has been a while since I have felt so good about my short game. I have known for a while that I my long game is in good shape; I just have to trust it.

As much as my golf game made me enjoy the week it was the crowd here in Killarney that really made the week. All week there was a real buzz about the place, from the town in the evenings to the golf course during the day, everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves. When the crowds get behind the players it means that the players enjoy themselves much more and it makes a real difference to the tournament. I know from talking to the players during the week that they loved the place, had a really great time and a lot were amazed at how beautiful the area was.

All in all it was a brilliant week, I am leaving very happy with my performance - a little disappointed that I didn’t manage to win but Ross just played to well and he fully deserved to win. That said it wasn’t just about me winning it was also about the Irish Open and having a good week. Nearly 90,000 people came to watch us play during the week and we had decent weather – what more could the tournament ask for!

I am flying to Akron with my family on Monday for the first of two big tournaments, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. I did well there last year and I am looking forward to getting back there to try and go one better this year.

"3" Irish Open - Preview
For this year's Irish Open we are in Killarney, which last held our national championship in 1992 when Nick Faldo won. The funny thing with regard to Killarney Golf Club is that I have never played there, as there was never a tournament around the Killeen course when I was an amateur. When the last Irish Open was held here I must have been away because I cannot remember watching it. As I have never played the course before, I came down on Sunday afternoon so as to get settled in and give myself a chance to play the course on Monday.

Even though I have had a week off since the Open Championship I haven’t really had much spare time as I had a couple of corporate outings and a challenge match in Loch Erne. It meant that I wasn’t able to do as much practice as I would have liked but then that could be a good thing. I missed the cut at the Open but I actually struck the ball well, the missed cut was much more down to my short game and wedge play. With this in mind I have spent a lot of my time working on my short game. I have played the course twice since I came down on Sunday; one full round on Wednesday and another 18 holes split between Monday and Tuesday. On top of playing the course I have been practising my wedge play and short game quite a bit. I have limited the amount of time on the range so as not to get too involved in my technique. As far as my technique goes I am very happy with what I am working on; I am confident that once it is fully bedded into my swing, playing golf will be a lot easier for me.

Since missing the cut at the Open a lot has been made of my form and a lot of people have been asking me what is gone wrong and why aren’t I playing better. The funny thing is I am hitting the ball very well, probably as well as I have ever hit it and I am much more confident in my long game than at any time in the past. The problem that everyone seems to have is that I haven’t won since the USPGA in 2008 but I have had a lot of very good tournaments since then. I have been in contention a number of times but unfortunately I haven’t come out on the right side of it. I am not worried about my form; in fact I am very excited about my game and the progress that I have made. I am looking forward to the run of events that I have starting from here in Killarney.

Having never been here before I have to say that I am blown away by the setting; I don’t think you find a more beautiful place anywhere in the world. I am staying in the Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa, which looks out over the course and the lake. It is an amazing site to look out at every morning. The only unfortunate thing is that I am here to work and not relax! I have played the course twice now and I like it a lot; it is not long by modern standards but it has it own defences. The greens are quite tricky as there are little shelves in them, which can make for tough pins. That said they are very receptive and there is not much rough on the course. I can see the scoring being good this week but the better a course is prepared the lower the scoring will be. It is actually a compliment to your course if us pros come out and shoot good scores as we rarely shot low scores on badly prepared courses. The key to shooting a good score here is to play the par three’s well and a couple of par fours, like the fifth and the thirteenth. If you can get through these holes with pars then you have a good chance of making a score, as there are plenty of birdie chances out there. It is important not to try and over power this course, as there are plenty of disasters waiting to happen also.

I won the Irish Open in 2007 and it was a great thrill for me to win my own national title; I would love to give myself a chance to do it again this week. I am very happy with my game so hopefully a few putts go in and I can give myself a chance come Sunday afternoon.

Talk soon,
Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - The Open Championship

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:17:55 +0100

The Open Championship - Review
The 2010 Open Championship was very disappointing for me, missing the cut is never pleasant but doing so at a major always feels worse. I came over looking forward to the week and feeling good about what I had been doing; I would have liked to have another week or two to work on a few things but that is always the case. I was happy with my preparation for the week which makes the missed cut more disappointing.

The majority of the damage was done on the first day as the course was there for the taking and I wasn’t able to take advantage of it. The scoring was very good on Thursday morning when I played; Rory shot nine under and there was a whole host of other scores under par. Par for the course when I played was definitely sub seventy and I was only able to manage a one over par 73. My round started very poorly, I caught my lob wedge approach a little heavy on the first and ended up in the burn, a bad chip shot then cost me another shot and I ended up taking a double bogey. I did birdie the second to get one of the shots back but again on the third I caught my lob wedge heavy and it resulted in a bogey. As bad as these were it wasn’t the worst thing of my round; I managed to get myself back to one under par after fifteen holes, after missing a lot of chances. At this stage if I managed to shoot two under for the day it would have been a good day but in the end I bogeyed the 16th and 17th and then missed a short birdie chance on the last. It was a very frustrating round as everyone else seemed to be making birdies but me. What was even more frustrating was the fact that I played well in terms of driving and striking the ball but anything to do with scoring I did very poorly. By the end of the day I was lying two shots outside the cut as the afternoon was much tougher than the morning.

I knew going out on Friday that I had to have a decent day to make the cut, however it was always going to be tough as the wind really got up in the afternoon. It was so bad that play was halted for an hour just after we teed off. When we came back to play again it didn’t actually seem any different. I got off to a bad start again taking a bogey on the first and then a double bogey on the second, which effectively put me out of it. I tried all day to fight back and make the cut but there just weren’t enough birdie chances as the wind was so strong. I ended up missing the cut by four shots; the only good thing about Friday was that I managed to finish my round. My group got to tee off on the 18th just before the hooter went which meant that we were allowed to finish. It really would have been a total pain to have to come back at 6.30am on Saturday morning to finish the last hole knowing that you were missing the cut.

I spent the weekend in St. Andrews practising as Bob Torrance was there; we got some good work done which was great as I won’t see him for quite a while now. I have a week off before the Irish Open; well almost a week as I am playing a challenge match with Shane Lowry against Rory and Darren at Loch Erne. It will actually break the week up nicely for me and stop me doing too much practice.

I watched the most of the leaders’ final round and I think the best compliment that can be paid to Louis is that he put on such a good performance that he made the final round boring. It was a great performance by him and he was a deserved winner.

The Open Championship - Preview
It's the middle of July which means it is Open Championship week; this year we are at the home of the R&A, St. Andrews. Any Open championship is special and exciting but an Open Championship at the Home of Golf is by far and away the best of them all. I played in the 2000 Open here at St. Andrews but I missed the 2005 Open as my Dad died that week.

It's great to be back here again for an Open, there is something special about the course and the town that makes any week you are playing here very special. I always enjoy playing the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship here but Open Championship week is even better.

I got here on Friday evening so I could play the course on Saturday and Sunday before the rest of the field arrived. Having played here over the years I know the course well but I still wanted to get in a couple of practice rounds as the course generally plays very firm during the summer. I came over early as the practice rounds take a long time as there is so much crossing over. I played on Saturday and Sunday but the weather was not what I had hoped for; Saturday it rained all day and then on Sunday it was blowing a gale. It was so windy on Sunday that if it was a tournament day they wouldn’t have been able to play as the balls wouldn’t stay on the greens. Even though it wasn’t the weather I was looking for it was still worth while as I got to see the course and do some practice. The biggest thing for me was getting time to look at the greens without having to worry about people behind me.

Another reason for coming over early was that I had a few things on during the week - on Tuesday afternoon I received an honorary degree from St. Andrews University and then in the evening I had the annual Champions Dinner. I was also scheduled to play in the Champions challenge (four hole challenge with past champions such as Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino) on Wednesday however the weather was so bad that they had to cancel the challenge. It was disappointing as it would have been fun to play and I was really looking forward to playing with Lee Trevino.

Everything has gone very well during the week, I had a great time at the University receiving my Doctorate and my practice has gone well. I have kept it to a minimum so as not to wear myself out; the most important thing about a week like this is to be fresh, the weather forecast is bad week which makes it more important to be mentally fresh than anything else. Most of the work I have done this week has been on my wedges, as the pin positions can be very tight so it is important that you are confident with your wedges. I have spent quite a lot of time hitting them on my launch monitor so as to get a feel for how far they are going in the temperature here. There is a big difference between how far they go here and in the US where it is much warmer.

I am very happy with how things have gone during the week, the work I have done has gone well and the fact that I got my practice rounds played at the weekend meant that I didn't have to spend much time on the course during the week. Although with the amount of rain that fell on Wednesday the practice rounds that everyone played will be somewhat useless as the course will have softened up significantly. It will probably play more like it does in a Dunhill week after the rain than a British Open. As always the key for this week is patience and staying fresh, it will be a long week if we get the weather that is forecast. As much as it is great to be playing well if the weather comes in it won’t matter about playing well, it will be all about keeping your head and remaining calm.

Talk soon,
Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - Travelers Championship

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:13:19 +0100

Travelers Championship - Review
After leaving the US Open very disappointed with my performance I left the Travelers Championship very happy. It wasn’t so much the fact that I finished in a tie for fifth place or the fact that as it turned out I had an outside chance of winning. The reason that I left happy was that I managed to improve my wedge play significantly from the US Open and that I was back into my old routine at tournaments.

After the US Open I looked back at my performances to see what I was doing differently and what I wanted to work on before the Open. I realized that I was trying to do too much during a tournament week - I was spending too long on the range and trying to get things done in gym in the evenings. Over the years I have definitely played my best golf when I am fresh and not tired and looking back at a lot of my tournaments this year I have been doing too much and wearing myself out slowly during the week. The fresher I am the better the decisions I make and the easier I find it to read the greens. The week just gone at the Travelers is a good example, I played my best on Wednesday and Sunday having done very little the evenings before both and then on Friday and Saturday I struggled a bit with my putter having spent some time on the range both evenings before.

This week has definitely been a good reminder to me that I have to make sure to manage my weeks better and not get caught up in doing too much work. In terms of this weeks tournament I do feel that I should have got myself into contention here having started so well but my middle rounds let me down. I know now what happened which is great and because of this I am really looking forward to the Open. The other thing that I am delighted about from this week was my wedge play, I spent some time hitting wedges during the week but the most important thing I did was to hit them using my launch monitor which gives me the exact yardage where each shot pitches. I did this a few times during the week and it made a huge difference to my confidence on the course when I had a wedge in my hands and as a result I hit my wedges much closer than I have for a while.

I started the week very well and struggled in the middle, which left me on six under going out in the final round; which was ten shots behind Justin Rose. I played very nicely on Sunday and gave myself plenty of chances early on but I only managed to make two birdies on the front nine. It wasn’t until the back nine that I really got going, making birdies on the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th to get me to seven under par for the day and thirteen under for the week with three holes to play. At this stage I felt that I needed to birdie my last three holes so as to try and put some pressure on the leaders but even at that I wouldn’t have been hopeful. I went at the pin on the 16th and missed it left and long and ended up taking a bogey and then parred my way in, missing good chances on both 17 and 18. Little did I know at the time how close I would end up to the winning score. If I had managed to hole my twelve footer on 17 and my seven footer on the 18th I would have been in the play-off! I would never have thought that 14 under would be the winning score as I really felt that there were too many people up there. In the end it was a very good week as I finished in a tie for fifth and I made some good improvements with my wedge play.

The only tournament that I am playing between now and the Open Championship is the J.P. McManus Pro-am. The rest of my time will be spent getting ready for links golf and working on my short game and wedge play. I am really looking forward to the Open as there is nothing quite like an Open at St. Andrews.

Travelers Championship - Preview
This is my last week on the road until The Open. As the Irish PGA is not being played the week before the Open this year I decided to add this week’s event, the Travelers Championship, to my schedule. I played here at the Travelers tournament back in 2007, so it was easy to add this event, as I know the course. After playing a major it can be nice to go home and take it easy for a week but seeing as I had a couple of weeks off before Memphis I am very happy to be playing this week. It is also a week that has been good to me before. I won the Barclays at Westchester in 2005, the week after the US Open.

I got to Connecticut on Tuesday morning, as I had a corporate outing for FTI on Monday. The hardest thing about coming here is the jet lag, the time difference is only three hours but its enough to affect you. I didn’t play any on Tuesday; I just practiced for a few hours; nothing too stressful as I was a little tired. On Wednesday I played the pro-am as normal and got to the see the course again - there hasn't been any changes since I was here last which is very nice seeing as I only had one practice round. After the pro-am I spent a bit of time working on my wedge play and my short game, as it was this part of my game that really let me down last week. This week’s course has plenty of wedge holes as well as plenty of holes with run-offs from the greens so it really is a week that you want to hit your wedges close and chip and putt well. That said I don’t think there is a week that you wouldn’t want to do that!

I was very happy with how I hit the ball in the pro-am; so much so that I didn’t hit any shots other than wedges afterwards. Normally I would go and hit some longer shots but I felt that there was no need to and that if I did I would only be looking for something to be fixed. The practice that I did with my wedge play I actually really enjoyed it - I hit them on my launch monitor so as to check the yardages and as a result it really helped me to forget about any technical thoughts and get into the shot.

I remember playing here in 2007 and liking the course but not really performing that well; I finished 54th and down the field. Having played it again in the pro-am I can see why I liked it; there are a lot of very good holes. It has a good mix of long and short holes and also risk reward ones. The best example of this is the 15th, which is driveable par four (it is only 285 yards to the front of the green) but it has water down the left. It is definitely a chance to make an eagle but also a chance of making a bogey. It is a course that you have to take on a bit; there are a lot of holes that have out of bounds and trouble around them but to do well here you have to take them on so as to give yourself a chance of making birdies.

After the tough mental week at the US Open it is nice to come here and look forward to playing a course that is not set up to make par look like a good score. I am looking forward to playing this week, as it is a great tournament and a very good course. The fact that I won the Barclays the same week a few years ago is a nice thought to have in the back of my mind for the week.

Talk soon, Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - US Open Championship

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:12:18 +0100

US Open - Review
What a great performance by Graeme! I got to watch most of his back nine on Sunday and thought he played very well. He fully deserved to win and hit good shot after good shot coming in. He has been a very good player for a long time but one that has been consistently underrated, but not anymore. It was fantastic for Irish golf and European golf to see him win at Pebble; the last European to win the US Open was Tony Jacklin in 1970. I met up with him in Carmel on Sunday evening after he had finished all his press commitments and as expected he was over the moon. It is hard to believe when you have just done it and will probably be a few weeks before he fully gets to grips with it.

As far as my US Open is concerned I was disappointed with my performance. I felt that I never really played to my best ability. I struggled with my driver and three wood; nothing too bad but just lost a bit of confidence in them. I got distracted a lot over shots and as a result never really got to a situation where I was comfortable over the ball. During the practice days I felt that I was getting there but I just wasn’t able to get it right in the tournament. I finished in a tie for 22nd on nine over par, which was along way back from Graeme on level par. I never really got myself into the tournament at any stage, always being a a few shots too far back. I had been looking forward to playing there as I had done well in 2000 and have played well around the course in the AT&T pro-am. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do it last week.

Looking back on the week the are a few areas that definitely let me down and a few things that I'm quite disappointed about. I lost a bit of confidence in my driver and three wood as the week went on; when this happens it is hard to play well. This aside though the two areas that really disappointed me the most were my wedge play and my focus. Over the four rounds I hit 24 wedges and I played them in six over par (I consider par to be three for a wedge), which is just not good enough. If I played them in level par I would not be happy, so to be six over is terrible. Even with how I was feeling about my long game, if I had been hitting my wedges decently then I could have been in with a shout on Sunday afternoon. What is very annoying about this is that the course was set up so well that you felt that you could take on flags with wedges; in previous US Opens you couldn’t take on pins, even with a wedge in your hands.

The other area that I was disappointed with was my focus over my shots. I wasn’t feeling overly confident with my driver and three wood and as a result I started getting too conscious of where I wanted to hit and where not to miss shots and as a result I hit a lot of shots without being fully committed to them. As hard as it is to play a regular event when you are not committed to your shots a US Open is twice as hard.

A lot of my disappointment is coming from the fact that the USGA set up a very fair test last week. Leaving the course on Sunday I was thinking about the opportunities that I missed during the week and how the course was very playable. That said there was only one man that managed to tame it and that was Graeme. The USGA did a great job setting up the course and they got a great tournament; unfortunately for me I wasn’t really involved in it.

The conclusion is that I have a bit of work to do on a few areas of my game before the Open in four weeks. I am leaving disappointed in my performance but delighted for Graeme and also happy with the fact that I know what I have to improve on before the Open Championship at St. Andrews.

US Open - Preview
I am in California for the second the major of the year, the US Open. This year we are playing Pebble Beach, one of the best locations in the world for a golf course. It is definitely one of the most scenic courses in the world but for this week we won’t be spending much time looking at the sights. As great as the views are, it is an equally great golf course and one that can really bear its teeth; similar to a links course at home a lot depends on the wind. With no wind you definitely feel that it is possible to shoot a good score but when the wind gets up it is a totally different prospect. I am a big fan of Pebble; I've played it a number of times now, in the 2000 US Open and various AT&T pro-ams. I have always enjoyed the challenge that it presents to us players; you have to be able to hit a variety of different shots.

I am coming into this week happy with my game. I know that my scores and finishing position from last week wouldn’t necessarily back this up but I was happy with how things went. Last week was as much about my knee than anything else and that stood up to the test no problem; in practice this week it has been great too. As far as my game is concerned last week, there were a lot of positives and the negatives I have worked on this week in practice.

I have played the course each day but not a full eighteen. On Monday I played thirteen holes, Tuesday nine holes and Wednesday ten holes. As I have played the course plenty of times I wasn’t too worried about getting out there and seeing it. I have spent a lot of time around the greens as they are very undulating and will definitely be the hardest part of the course. Anytime you are above the hole here you are happy to get down in two; it reminds me of Stackstown Golf Club in that sense. I remember when growing up at Stackstown you never wanted to be above the hole and it is exactly the same here. As the greens are so tricky, you really want to be mentally fresh going into the week, which is the main reason that I have only played a relatively small number of holes in practice. c When I played the 2000 US Open here I remember the course was extremely tough, the rough was very heavy and the greens were firm. I finished in a tie for fifth place but I came away thinking that the course was really tough, but this year the rough is not as bad. The course is definitely more playable from tee to green than in 2000; the greens will be equally as tough especially if they dry out over the next few days.

I am very happy with how my practice has gone, I have worked on my focus and mental side with Bob Rotella and it has helped a lot. It is the usual things that we go over, but as always it is a lot easier to do it when he is here with you than when you are away doing it on your own. On top of the work I have done with Bob I have spent a good bit of time working on my scoring irons as they weren’t great last week. In this tournament you have to be confident to take on a pin when you get a wedge or nine iron in your hands. There will be plenty of holes that you will have to hit away from the flags and be trying to chip and putt to save par so when you get a chance to set up a birdie you have to take it.

The US Open has a reputation of being a bit of a grind - there is no doubt that it can be but this year it is set up very fair from tee to green. I don’t think you will see as many players struggling with the rough as you have done over the years. However, this year I think you will see a lot of players struggling with the greens, both chipping onto and putting on them.

I am looking forward to getting started and seeing how the course plays in tournament conditions. I am playing with Phil Michelson and Y.E. Yang for the first two days; we tee off early on Thursday (8.06am local time) and late Friday (1.36pm). This, more than any other week of the year, is a case of being patient and just hanging around; doing whatever you can to be there or thereabouts come Sunday afternoon. It really does come down to the final nine holes on Sunday in the Majors. Hopefully I will be one of the guys there with a chance.

US Open Interview
Three-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington heads into this week's US Open Championship believing it is time he experienced that winning feeling again. The Irishman won his three championships in a six-Major spell during 2007-08, securing back-to-back Opens at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale before adding the US PGA title at Oakland Hills. Harrington, however, has not added to his trophy haul since then and speaking at Pebble Beach ahead of the second Major of the year, the 38 year old said he was due a victory.

"It's been six Majors since I won in 2008. So I'm pretty keen to try and get another win," Harrington said. "When you win tournaments like that you want to get out there and win another one. And it feels like a long time, even though, as I said, it's really not that many events. "Obviously I haven't won any sort of regular events, either, but at times I can be distracted at those events and maybe focusing my goals elsewhere. "But certainly a win would be nice. It would be great if it's this week but any win would be nice. "It's kind of overdue at this stage, yes."

After four top ten finishes in Europe and the US this season, Harrington's season was interrupted last month by minor knee surgery. He returned last week at the St Jude Classic in Memphis with an opening round of 65 but trailed off in subsequent rounds as he battled fatigue and intense heat.

"Three weeks today I was under the knife. I had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee.," he said. "It's responded well, I'm comfortable, while it needs a certain amount of minding and I have to look after it, it's not posing any problem to me playing golf. "It needs me to ice it and get physio on it and to do my exercises and all that sort of stuff but it's not affecting my golf. "Maybe I'm not hitting the ball or going at it as hard as I could because of that, but that's not needed, either. It's delicate, but it's not inhibiting me."

Padraig Harrington - St. Jude Classic

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:11:01 +0100

St.Jude Classic - Review
I went to Memphis apprehensive about my knee; having not played golf for the last two weeks I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I had no problems with my knee all week; not playing the pro-am was definitely the right thing to do as it gave it an extra day to recover. I iced my knee after every round and also during the evening which kept the swelling at bay. I was delighted with how it held up and how it felt at the end of the week.

Having got the worry of my knee out the way it was only my golf to think about. I opened up with a five under par round which was a little unexpected as it had been a couple of weeks since I played. I played very nicely and putted well - on this course anytime that you break par it is a good round! There is definitely an advantage to playing in the morning as it is not quite as windy as the afternoon and the greens are a bit more receptive. This however was to be my best round by a long way, I shot four over in the second round and then one over and three over on the weekend. Having opened up with such a good round it was disappointing to shoot the other scores. My opening round put me in a great position for the week but I wasn’t able to keep it going which was a shame as I knew the scoring wasn’t going to be that great.

Having played here for the last few years I know the course and know what the scoring can be like so to get off to such a good start and not to be in contention on Sunday was disappointing. As much as I would have loved to be in contention on Sunday I am more than happy with how the week went. My knee is perfect and I know that I am hitting the ball well; I just have a few things to work on between now and the start of the US Open. Nothing technical just getting my head right over the ball; I hit a lot of shots last week where I was still thinking about my technique and what I was doing. The good shots that I hit I wasn’t focused on anything other than target. So for next week all I will be working on is focusing on my target and not worrying about my swing.

All in all it was a good week, I played some good golf mixed in with some bad but the bad actually helped me more as I know what I have to do in practice next week. I also know that I have to spend some time working on my wedge play before Thursday as it was poor this week but again that is generally down to poor mental approach. I didn’t get to see the end of the tournament as I was flying but I got a full synopsis of it when we landed. I was delighted to see Lee win but obviously felt sorry for Garrigus; it is an awful way to finish a tournament, nobody wishes that on anyone.

I am looking forward to playing the US Open especially on Pebble as it is a great course. The key is for me to learn from this week and take it to the course next week.

St.Jude Classic - Preview
After a couple of weeks off I am back in action at the St.Jude Classic in Memphis. Normally my weeks off are filled with practice and some sponsor commitments but this break was different. I had a minor knee operation on the Tuesday after the BMW PGA Championship. I had to have keyhole surgery to remove some loose cartilage that was floating around in my knee; it was preventive operation. The specialist told me that the longer I put it off the more likely I was to get arthritis at a later stage of my life. The operation went very well; the only problem for me was that I wasn’t able to do much for the couple of weeks. Seeing as I was limited in what I could do I took my family away for a holiday in Barbados. I spent a week taking it very easy; the last couple of days I managed hitting a few iron shots.

On Monday I had a company day in New York, which was the first time that hit full shots. I was a little apprehensive about it but it went fine and the hardest thing on the knee was the walking. Walking on it caused it to swell up a little whereas hitting shots didn’t affect it at all. I was playing but was still a little worried about how it would feel on Tuesday morning but again it was fine.

On Tuesday morning I saw Dale, my physio, and got some treatment on my knee; he was very happy with how it was. All he said was to take it as easy as possible and try not to put to much stress on it. I played nine holes, which was fine; I iced it after three holes and then when I finished. It swelled up a bit after the walking again but nothing too bad. However, as a precaution, I pulled out of the pro-am so as to give myself another day from walking on it. Dale and another friend of mine who is a knee specialist, Mike Voight, both recommended not walking on until I had to on Thursday. I would have liked to play as I needed to get some rounds under my belt but I didn’t want to risk making it worse and affecting this week’s tournament or the US Open. On Wednesday I played a few holes on another course but in a cart and again making sure to ice my knee every few holes.

I am going into this week unsure as to what to expect as I haven’t played or done much practice in the last couple of weeks. The main reason that I am here is to ensure that I get some golf in before next week. It is a big help that I have played here many times, I know the course and am comfortable on it. I would like to have played the pro-am so as to get a bitter feel for how the course is playing this year but resting my knee was definitely the best option. I haven’t had any ill effects from hitting shots but I know that tournament rounds will really tell me how it is. As far as this week goes I have very few expectations; sometimes that can be a good thing, you just never know. Missing the pro-am is definitely a disadvantage for me in terms of how I play the first round but after that it becomes of little consequence. Normally I am teeing up and thinking about being in contention on Sunday, but this week I am thinking about firstly getting to the weekend and then hopefully managing to get myself into contention, but above all this I am looking to see how my knee holds up with walking the course.

I am playing early and then late. It’s a nice draw here, as the wind tends to get up in the afternoon and make the course quite tough. The hardest thing about the wind is that it doesn’t tend to affect the ball that much due to the heat but yet you have to allow something for it. It can be quite confusing!

Talk soon,
Padraig.

Padraig Harrington - BMW PGA Championship

Tue, 18 May 2010 20:46:39 +0100

BMW PGA Championship - Review
Having missed playing The BMW PGA Championship the last two years at Wentworth it was great to come back and play the event again, especially after the course changes that have been made. I have always struggled at Wentworth and have spent a lot of time sweating on whether or not I was going to make the cut. I was anxious coming over knowing that there were substantial changes made to the course as I was one of the old greens' biggest critics. I definitely felt a little bit of pressure to perform. I really like the changes; they have transformed the course into a real championship test. There is no doubt that it is a lot tougher now than it was. The green and the bunkering changes have changed the look of the course substantially but as far as I am concerned they are for the better. There was a lot of talk about the last hole and whether it was a good change or not, but again I love it. It gives you everything you want from a finishing hole; there is a chance to score everything from an eagle to a triple bogey.

I came here after missing the cut at the Player's Championship; I was disappointed to have missed the cut there but I wasn't worried about my game as I know that it is moving in the right direction. I missed the cut there mainly due to the fact that I just didn't hole any putts. Coming here I was feeling good about my game and looking forward to playing. I was happy with the way I played all week; I hit a few bad shots here and there but that it always going to be the case. My first round could have been a lot better but for one bad hole, the seventeenth. I played lovely for sixteen holes and was three under par, but a bad drive on the seventeenth changed my whole round. I blocked my drive into the bushes right, my attempt to hack it out only put me in more trouble and in the end I had to take a penalty drop. I ended up taking a triple bogey which put me back to level par; as disappointing as that was I was more disappointed not to make birdie on the last hole after it.

My second round got me back into the tournament; I played really nice all day and made no bogeys and four birdies. I could have made a few more but I also made a couple for nice saves. This left me only a couple of shots behind and in with a great chance for the weekend. However my weekend didn’t go as planned, I shot rounds of one over and two over to finish on one under for the week and in a tie for sixth. It was definitely a disappointing weekend as I had a good chance to contend for the title from where I was after two rounds. My third round was really down to a poor putting day; I didn’t miss any short putts but I never holed any putts and as a result I got a little frustrated. I knew that Robert Karlsson had shot nine under in the morning and I was playing with Chris Wood who was shooting four under. He was holing putts and making it look like the course was playing easy. This added to my frustration, however by the end of the day I was still in a tie for fifth but five shots behind the leader.

The final round was really a tough day, it seemed that no matter what I did, it was wrong. One of the toughest things about Wentworth is the fact that the wind swirls around in the trees. I struggled with this for most of the day; it seemed that every time I was standing over a shot the wind was coming from a different direction; as a result I never really felt confident and struggled to commit to shots. The wind seemed to settle down after our twelfth hole. Once I got comfortable with the wind I actually played well; I could have birdied the last four holes and even had a chance for an eagle on the last. In the end I finished on one under par for a share of sixth place. It was a disappointing last round but it was a tough day all round; everyone was struggling out there.

I am happy with how I played, I gave myself plenty of chances all week. I didn't hole as many putts as I would have like but I wouldn’t say that I putted badly. My bunker play was very good for the week; I think I got up and down 10 out of 13 times. All in all it was a good week, there were a lot of good things going on and after playing I have identified a few things that need a bit of work.

I have a corporate outing on Monday and then I have my knee operation on Tuesday. It will be good to get it done and getting the knee into rehab. If nothing else it will stop me practicing over the next couple of weeks which is probably a good thing!

BMW PGA Championship - Preview
After a two years absence I am making a return to Wentworth; I haven’t played the BMW PGA Championship much over the years as I always struggled on the greens. My reasons for missing this tournament were partly scheduling and partly the thatch in the greens that made them nearly impossible for me to read. The course has since been revamped by Ernie and I am looking forward to playing here.

Ernie made a number of changes to the course a few years ago, which were all tee to green changes, which I thought were very good. The changes he has now made to the greens and the bunkers are in my opinion every bit as good. It has definitely toughened up the course but the improved greens will also make it easier to hole putts. As our flagship event it should be held on a top class Championship course and that is what we have here in the West Course at Wentworth. The changes here make this course an equal to any in the world; similar to Augusta National the changes have given the tournament committee numerous options. They can use different tees with different pins and in some ways they can dictate what scores we shoot based on the pin positions.

There is no doubt that when you see it for the first time it is dramatically different to what we were used to watching over the years. The bunkers have totally changed; they are now much deeper and much more of a penalty. The green shapes are much the same but they have put more flat areas onto them and made more areas for the pin positions. The most noticeable change to everyone is the eighteenth; it has always been a relatively straight forward par five that was reachable by most players in the field, whereas now it has a stream running in front and along the left side of the green. The green looks tiny for anyone going for it in two; there will be a lot of excitement on this hole as you can make anything from eagle to double bogey on it. I really like the changes, they do make the course a little tougher but I believe that they make it fairer for everyone.

I was due to travel over on Sunday night but I wasn’t able to get out because of the ash; as a result I came over on Monday evening. I had been here a month ago for a Wilson company day, so I had seen the changes, but I was still anxious to get a couple of practice rounds in. I played it twice, once with Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Michael Hoey on Tuesday and once in the Wednesday pro-am. The more I play the course the more I like it and enjoy the challenge it sets us.

I came over feeling good about my game as I had been hitting it well in practice at home but during practice I struggled. I seemed to have developed a pull in the last couple of days; the only thing I could put it down to was my alignment. I had somehow got a bit across myself and it seemed to be causing me to pull it left. I have worked on this for the last couple of days and by the end of Wednesday I was hitting it nicely. I am looking forward to playing this week as it is a big tournament and one that I haven’t played for a couple of years. This along with the changes that have been made to the course, make me quite excited about getting out there.

I am playing early/late this week; on day one I am starting at 8am and on day two 12.25. Like The Open Championship everyone starts from the first tee rather than having a two tee start. There is no doubt that this is a title that I would love to win as it is huge tournament with a great tradition. The key for me is to get myself into contention on Sunday afternoon and take it from there.

Talk soon,
Padraig.

BMW PGA Championship - Pre-Tournament Interview
Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland has spoken of his excitement of tackling the remodelled West Course at Wentworth Club ahead of his first appearance at the BMW PGA Championship since 2007. Harrington was vocal in his support of the decision to relay the greens at the famous Surrey venue, which was modernised by the Ernie Els Design team.

After a two years absence I am making a return to Wentworth; I haven’t played the BMW PGA Championship much over the years as I always struggled on the greens. My reasons for missing this tournament were partly scheduling and partly the thatch in the greens that made them nearly impossible for me to read. The course has since been revamped by Ernie and I am looking forward to playing here.

Ernie made a number of changes to the course a few years ago, which were all tee to green changes, which I thought were very good. The changes he has now made to the greens and the bunkers are in my opinion every bit as good. It has definitely toughened up the course but the improved greens will also make it easier to hole putts. As our flagship event it should be held on a top class Championship course and that is what we have here in the West Course at Wentworth. The changes here make this course an equal to any in the world; similar to Augusta National the changes have given the tournament committee numerous options. They can use different tees with different pins and in some ways they can dictate what scores we shoot based on the pin positions.

There is no doubt that when you see it for the first time it is dramatically different to what we were used to watching over the years. The bunkers have totally changed; they are now much deeper and much more of a penalty. The green shapes are much the same but they have put more flat areas onto them and made more areas for the pin positions. The most noticeable change to everyone is the eighteenth; it has always been a relatively straight forward par five that was reachable by most players in the field, whereas now it has a stream running in front and along the left side of the green. The green looks tiny for anyone going for it in two; there will be a lot of excitement on this hole as you can make anything from eagle to double bogey on it. I really like the changes, they do make the course a little tougher but I believe that they make it fairer for everyone.

I was due to travel over on Sunday night but I wasn’t able to get out because of the ash; as a result I came over on Monday evening. I had been here a month ago for a Wilson company day, so I had seen the changes, but I was still anxious to get a couple of practice rounds in. I played it twice, once with Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Michael Hoey on Tuesday and once in the Wednesday pro-am. The more I play the course the more I like it and enjoy the challenge it sets us.

I came over feeling good about my game as I had been hitting it well in practice at home but during practice I struggled. I seemed to have developed a pull in the last couple of days; the only thing I could put it down to was my alignment. I had somehow got a bit across myself and it seemed to be causing me to pull it left. I have worked on this for the last couple of days and by the end of Wednesday I was hitting it nicely. I am looking forward to playing this week as it is a big tournament and one that I haven’t played for a couple of years. This along with the changes that have been made to the course, make me quite excited about getting out there.

I am playing early/late this week; on day one I am starting at 8am and on day two 12.25. Like The Open Championship everyone starts from the first tee rather than having a two tee start. There is no doubt that this is a title that I would love to win as it is huge tournament with a great tradition. The key for me is to get myself into contention on Sunday afternoon and take it from there.

The Irishman’s highest finish at the BMW PGA Championship was tied sixth in 2006 and, whilst he admitted his game is not quite at the razor sharp levels which saw him win two Open Championships and the USPGA Championship, he feels the changes made to the course will play to his strengths.

Harrington said: “I like what I see. I think Ernie has done a great job over the last number of years in making the golf course a stronger, but fairer, challenge. I think the key here is that they know they are holding at least one championship here every year, and it gives the tournament director more control of how he wants to see the golf course set up.

“With the way the course is now, you could have a setup that’s very difficult, and there’s also easy pin positions on some of the greens, so you can have a golf course that’s set up quite reasonably easy. So it gives a lot of control, which is what you really need now for a modern day championship. If you have a difficult golf course and you get tough weather for the week, then nobody is going to enjoy it; but then it if you get lovely, sunny weather for the week, you do need to have a really tough test. I think they have got the balance here now.”

Harrington’s chances of securing a maiden victory at the €4.5million event have been hampered by a persistent knee injury, which will require surgery next week.

He said: “I played football at Christmas, and I tore some cartilage in my knee. I had an MRI scan a couple of months back, and then I went back and had another one last week as well. Basically, there’s a bit of cartilage floating around in there, and they want to take it out before it causes me any problems.

“It should only take ten days to two weeks to recover, unless there’s a complication. But I wouldn’t be getting it done if I thought there was going to be a complication for the US Open. It’s keyhole surgery, and they can get you back out in pretty quick time now. So I’m comfortable having it done.

“If I waited until the end of the year, the doctor feels that it could cause some arthritic problems; but if I can have it cleared up now, it reduces the chance of arthritis for a number of years . So it’s just a precautionary thing as much as anything.”