Harrington has no regrets - or hiding place
Padraig Harrington insists he has no regrets about the swing tinkering that has smashed his US Open build up.
Ireland's triple major champion confessed that his confidence has taken a battering after missing his SIXTH cut of the season in Memphis last weekend.
But he still believes he will be an even better player in the future, insisting: “The three majors I won came as a result of exactly the same process which has me where I am now.
“I wouldn’t have won the three majors but for stopping and changing things. If I was happy finishing 11th in my first year on tour or being 14th in the world the first time I made it into the top 20, I wouldn’t have won those three majors.
“The difference now is that there’s a lot more focus on it. There are fewer places to hide and that’s the only difference with this. The process is more in the public eye that it would have been in the past.”
Denying he was in panic mode after reaching a career high world No 3 following his US PGA win last season, he said: “Let’s explain this. Every time during my career when I got to a certain level, I stopped and changed to get to the next level.
“I got to three in the world and I decided that I’ve got to improve. So that’s all I did.
“Of course I’ve faith in what got me there but to get to the next level, I always feel like I want to keep working. You only have to look at what I’ve done in my career. At every different patch, I get to it, go away from it and come back.
“It’s only when I get there a second time do I feel comfortable there and move on from it.”
Harrington hasn't missed six cuts in a season since 1998 and admitted that his normally razor sharp short game has not been good enough to paper over the cracks during his latest swing change.
He said: “I’ve done this for years and got away with it on the golf course because my short game’s been good enough to see me through.”
On the positive side, his early exit from the St Jude Classic has given him a chance to play two extra practice rounds on the lightning fast greens at Bethpage Black.
He said: “It’s poor in terms of confidence but it’s good in terms of preparation. I played 15 holes on Saturday evening and another 18 on Sunday so that’s good.
“The course is definitely easier than it was in 2002. The graduated rough means it’s not as tough off the tees and the greens are softer after the rain.”
The greens were stimping at 14 and a half feet in 2002 and Harrington has never played anything faster, including Augusta National
But they could be just as fast this year with US Open tournament director Mike Davis confessing that he has had nightmares about the sloping 15th green.
Davis explained: “The 15th green has a lot of slope on it. In fact, I’ve woken up a couple of times in a cold sweat at night thinking about the 15th green, and I suspect it won’t be the last time I wake up in a cold sweat."