Padraig Harrington miffed at course set-up

• Padraig Harrington disappointed to see course changes
• European Tour apologised for Thursday conditions
• “I certainly preferred yesterday,” said the Irishman

Padraig Harrington was disappointed to see the Castle Stuart course change so much for Friday’s second round after concerns from players on Thursday resulted in action from the European Tour.

The three-time major winner was out in the worst of the conditions on day one as he battled to an impressive two-under-par 70 – with some groups having difficulty with due to balls occasionally oscillating on some of the more exposed greens, which were running at 10.1 on the stimpmeter.

“We received a number of concerns from players regarding the course set-up,” read a statement from the European Tour. “We acknowledge we should have moved a number of tees forward to accommodate the strong winds which were forecast for Thursday’s first round. We didn’t, and accept responsibility in that regard.”

CONTINUES BELOW…

With similar force winds on the Highland links today, the tee boxes were moved forward but, according to Harrington, there was no need for any statement as he said he preferred Thursday’s course set-up.

“They softened the golf course up a lot today, pushed the tee boxes forward so it was a slightly different challenge,” said Padraig Harrington. “But I certainly preferred yesterday. It was a big, tough challenge yesterday where it was all about making pars and getting the odd birdie to kind of get one in the bank.

“Clearly, because some of the guys are not used to playing links golf, they don’t like the idea that you may have to hit a reasonable iron shot for your third shot into a par-5. I grew up with par-5s, 430 yards, that are a drive and a long iron, not a drive and a wedge. Guys obviously found that tough yesterday.

“But the scoring was quite good. It wasn’t like it was Carnoustie in ’99. The course is well capable of taking a windy day, because the fairways are wide, the greens are wide. It was playable if you knew how to hit links golf shots.”

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Padraig Harrington :: Do you agree?

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