On Breezy Day at Senior Open, Padraig Harrington Moves Into Familiar Territory

The wind was whipping at Royal Porthcawl on Saturday, and Harrington managed to scrape out an even-par round that leaves him tied for second place heading into Sunday.

PORTHCAWL, Wales - After he finished fighting Royal Porthcawl for 18 holes, Padraig Harrington sounded a lot like the famous Lilli Von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles: he was tired.

For the second consecutive day, the three-time major champion declared his need for rest and rejuvenation for the next day’s festivities.

Looking at Harrington’s scorecard in Saturday’s third round either it was going very right or terribly wrong. There was a lost ball double bogey; four bogeys, including three in the first five holes; two birdies and two eagles, including a five-footer on 18. It all added up to an even-par 71.

“I didn't feel like I had done much wrong to be 3 over,” Harrington said. “In one sense I felt okay about how I was playing and the other sense, I wasn't sure. You're never quite sure how the rest of the field is going to go.”

Sitting 4 over par, with the leader at 4 under, on the sixth tee, Harrington was concerned he might fall eight or nine shots back, which would be too far back on Sunday.

That outlook changed dramatically when he rolled in a 30-foot eagle putt on the par 5 sixth hole. Two more birdies on the back nine put Harrington in good position as the wind, forecast at a constant 14 mph, but with gusts of 29 mph, freshened and began to hit the high end of the forecast.

As the leaders faltered, Harrington also stumbled on the par-4 16th hole, where he had made double bogey in Friday’s second round and doubled it again on Saturday.

“Obviously messed up the 16th hole but that kind of happens on a day like today,” Harrington said. “There's a bunker at 260, which is a decent carry, so instead of hitting it low, I tried to hit it reasonably high. I pulled it and got up in the wind and missed the fairway by 30 yards right. Had an okay lie, didn't come out as well as it could and got up in the wind and I lost the ball.”

The double bogey was costly but not irreparable, as the Irishman hit a tremendous 9-iron second shot on 18 and recorded his third eagle of the tournament and second consecutive on the 18th hole.

When told the forecast on Sunday will be similar wind but also with rain, Harrington buried his head in his hands, knowing it will be another day of high stress.

“I've chipped poorly this week, that's my strength and I chipped poorly,” Harington said. “I had two big, long weeks. I didn't finish as well as I would have wanted in Scotland, and then the Open, being a major, I was just working hard for two weeks.”

In the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, none of the 83-players broke par, with Greg Norman leading by two shots over K.J. Choi and Harrington.

Harrington would shoot a final round 1-under 69 and win by four shots over Ian Poulter.

The parallels today to that Saturday in Southport are very similar, with none of the 70 players left in the filed breaking par and on Sunday Harrington will be in a similar position as he was in 2008 while having to catch one player. This time it's Alex Cejka, who birdied the last hole to shoot a 3-over-74, even par for the championship to lead a pack of four players at 1 over  that includes 36-hole leader Steven Alker, Vijay Singh, Philip Archer, and Harrington.

“I'm going to try and recover, between now and tomorrow,” Harrington said. “Come out fresh. It's not a given, but I'm hoping that I'll be sharp, real sharp.”