"I don't think you need to panic" - Padraig Harrington stays composed amid pursuit of the Open Championship leader Brian Harmon
Irish player Padraig Harrington, the most experienced player in The Open Championship, thinks the best strategy is not to try to chase the leader. He summed it up by saying:
"I don't think you have to panic."
Padraig Harrington has accumulated a lot of experience in his long and successful professional career spanning over 18 seasons. He has had three major wins, three other PGA Tour victories, and another 15 wins on other circuits. He advocates staying calm and confident in each player's own game.
Battled hard to make the cut on the mark of 3 over. Very pleased to hole two nice putts when needed on 16th and 17th, especially as I hadn’t made anything else all day. Looking forward to to a good run on weekend. @TheOpen pic.twitter.com/fo3OOt8fO1
“I think you've got to go out there and play your golf for a few holes and see how you're getting on,” Harrington told the Irish Examiner. “If you're one under par I don't think you go out there and think I've got to shoot nine under par for the first nine holes."
He added:
“You get a feel for if you're playing well, maybe get a little more aggressive. If you're playing okay, keep it steady for a while. I don't think you need to panic."
The two-time The Open Championship winner is sure that, in golf, you never know for sure what will happen, nor what score will be enough to secure a victory. This is why he insisted on focusing on one's own game, without trying to chase the leader.
He told the Irish Examiner this Saturday:
"That doesn't mean that Brian Harman isn't going to get to 20 under par. You're just not quite sure whether six, seven under par could be a good score here this week. It's just not clear."
“Brian could get to 15 under par and all those one under pars have no chance," he added, "but he could also have a careful weekend which a leader would often have and shoot like two 72s."
Padraig Harrington's message to Brian Harman
Padraig Harrington said that the leader of The Open Championship after two rounds, Brian Harman, has a good chance of winning the tournament.
He recommended he believes in himself and not give chances to other players.
This is what he had to say, according to the Irish Examiner:
"Brian will really have to think to himself if he can get to 15 under par for the weekend, he takes the whole field out. That's the way he's got to think, (that) nobody can beat him."
“Whereas if he stays around 10 he'll probably win," Harrington added. "If he drops a few back to eight or seven, he's giving a lot of people a chance.”
Padraig Harrington finished his third-round performance with a 2-over 73 (5-over 218 overall). With the day's play remaining, he is in T69. The Irishman will be playing in the Senior British Open next week.