U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 2, 2026

Padraig Harrington

Scioto Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Great round today. Could you just tell me about the conditions out there and what you thought.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, the conditions, of course it's tough, we know that, so once you get through that, the golf course itself is playing nicely.

Pin positions were tough. Modern golf, even here at the senior level, a lot of pins are just on top of the plateaus.

Yeah, the pins were tough. If you're out of position, you struggled. You know, if you were chipping or a long putt, it was always open over a slope, whereas obviously if you hit it in pretty close, that was more manageable.

Yeah, it is interesting that even on the seniors tour, the pin positions are difficult.

Q. Definitely. And then three bogeys and you followed it up with three birdies in the last six holes. Can you talk about that last third of the round?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I missed a few on the first nine holes, just very cautious. Then I got a bad break -- didn't hit a good tee shot, got a bad break on 10, not a great break on 11.

I'm not saying I deserved anything better. And then took four shots -- I actually ended up with a bogey on the par-5 after missing the green with my second shot.

Yeah, it wasn't looking good at that stage. I think the fact it's 72 holes and it's a U.S. Open, and I was telling myself to stick in there, stick in there.

Getting that birdie back straightaway on 13 was big. It doesn't always work out that way, but I was thinking, if I could get birdie one of the last two holes it would be a bit of a steal to get in at level par. Clearly making two birdies in the last two is going to make for a very sweet lunch and the rest of the day.

Q. Seems like you really took advantage of the par-3s today. A few birdies, a lot of pars. Was there any specific approach?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, I just hit four good tee shots. Three good tee shots and then one average one that I two-putted. I hit some nice shots on the par-3s.

I struggled a bit with my 3-wood off the tee, got myself in the rough, which again, if you're just out of position here, even though the holes aren't long, it's just trying to get it on the right level at the next shot is difficult.

Personally, I'd like to hit a few more fairways for the next three days.

Q. Two-time champion, defending champion, do you feel like that adds a bit of pressure or just business as usual?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: No, there's definitely pressure when you're defending. You feel like you're already leading the tournament, so you have that pressure no doubt. That's probably why for the first six holes I was very cautious.

Q. What's the approach for the rest of the weekend?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Rest.