‘It wasn’t my week’ admits Harrington as Langer wins record 46th title

Ronan MacNamara
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Padraig Harrington (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Ronan MacNamara

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While Pádraig Harrington admitted it wasn’t his week at the US Senior Open, it was certainly Bernhard Langers who at 65 years young cruised to a record 46th Champions Tour win in Stevens Point.

At one point Langer held a six shot lead on ten-under and he could afford to finish with three successive dropped shots for a final round 70 and a seven-under total for a two-shot win.

For Harrington it was a share of 18th on six-over during a week in which he carded five double bogeys and upon reflection he conceded that was what cost him.

“Yeah, looking coming off a tricky golf course, a win. That sums up my last hole. I had five great shots on my last hole to make bogey. So that sums up my week.

“It’s a tricky course. There’s a lot of — took the driver out of play. I think we only got to hit it three times a day, four times a day, something like that. Obviously then kind of you’re back in the field then. A lot of 5-woods and irons off the tee.

“Yeah, I didn’t hit my 5-wood great this week if I picked out any club.

“Outside of that, everything else was pretty solid. Sloppy double bogeys. You can’t do many of those. It clearly just wasn’t my week.”

Harrington won four times on the Champions Tour last year as he made a run at the Charles Schwab Cup but he admitted his length off the tee was rendered irrelevant this week given the short golf course which may indicate that he is one dimensional when it comes to the Senior Circuit.

“It’s just a tricky golf course. I had no advantage. These guys are good. These guys are very good. Bernhard is particularly good.

“Some weeks I have an advantage that I can take advantage of. There are weeks I have no advantage, and I have to beat them fair and square. This is a week I have no advantage, and I got beaten well and truly by the field.

“As I said, some weeks you get like that. I hit it in the rough, and I never once laid up. Here I hit it in the rough, and every time I seemed to find the worst of the lie I could get. That’s golf. It’s the nature of the game.

“As I said, I hit five great shots at the last to make a bogey. Last week I hit five shots and made 7-under for six holes or 6-under for seven. I can’t even remember at this stage.”

2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke suffered a tough final round as he slumped to a 77 to finish on plus nine but it was all about Langer who finally leapfrogged Hale Irwin at the top of the Champions Tour winning stats.

“I’m reading my Bible every day and certain devotions and just realized the last 30 years that I’m not in control and everything I’ve been given is a gift from God. I try to play to the audience of one, which is Him,” said the German.

“I’m not too concerned about people, even though I love them and I care about them and I want to entertain them.

“The key is to have a grateful attitude, a thankful attitude because I have so many reasons to be grateful and thankful for.

“Yeah, there’s many great bible verses. The book of Philippians is one of my favorites. It talks about do not be anxious. Well, we’re all anxious playing golf to some extent. There’s certain shots that we don’t feel totally comfortable or confident about, so it’s always a good reminder.

“I felt at special peace today early on, where it just was very calm. You think that under the circumstances of playing the United States Senior Open and getting a record 46 victories and playing against Stricker and Kelly and all the other greats, Goosen and Els and on you go, you would think you would be extremely nervous.

“And I was somewhat nervous, but a lot calmer than I have been many other times.”

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