Padraig Harrington continued his fantastic run at the PGA Championship with a three-under 67 at Aronimink on Saturday.
Harrington opened his tournament with a 74 on Thursday, but has been trending in the right direction since, having shot 69 on Friday.
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The Irishman now finds himself on even par heading into the final round at Aronimink, which has come under fire for its setup throughout the week.
Among those to have made complaints at the PGA Championship was one of his compatriots, with Shane Lowry believing Aronimink has been set up poorly.
Padraig Harrington gives his opinion on Aronimink’s set-up
Sharing his verdict on Aronimink after hearing Lowry’s view, Harrington told BBC Sport Northern Ireland: “I would have thought the fans loved it?
“Maybe from a player’s perspective that we’re trying to make pars, but the fans love a bit of drama don’t they? I always think they love when we look very human and expose our frailties.
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“I would have said that yesterday’s pins were going to be today’s pins, and today’s pins would have been yesterday’s. They definitely were easier today, a lot of bowls today.
“Yesterday’s were the ones that seemed like the toughest of them and would have definitely been Saturday pin positions. Probably too extreme for Sunday.
“So yeah, maybe you could have mixed up the days, but over the three days is probably what we expected.
“I for one don’t want to see 20-under par anyway. I’m not going to compete at a golf course like that. I want to see a golf course where level par is a decent score, and the 6, 7, 8-under par is winning.”
Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America via Getty Images
Rory McIlroy not taking anything for granted at the PGA Championship
Such a score could indeed be enough to win this year’s PGA Championship, with Aaron Rai having led the way on five-under shortly after Harrington finished his round.
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But as the Irishman alluded to, plenty of drama is certainly in store for Sunday, largely because of the hugely congested leaderboard.
Among those in contention, Rory McIlroy also spoke to BBC Sport Northern Ireland after his third round at Aronimink, where he shot a four-under 66.
Referencing his future in the sport on Saturday, he said: “I look at it, I’m 37, you know, do I have 35 or 40 more realistic chances at winning these majors?
“I don’t want to let them pass me by, I want to give it my all.
“Yeah, just proud of myself for responding to the bad day on Thursday and the bad finish, and getting myself back in the tournament.”
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McIlroy has claimed two of his six major wins at the PGA Championship, lifting the famous trophy in 2012 and 2014.
Meanwhile, Harrington won the event in 2008, securing his third major career win after twice emerging victorious at The Open Championship.
The veteran deserves huge credit for his superb efforts at Aronimink, with the 54-year-old’s consideration of the fans also really fantastic to hear.
Read more:
Xander Schauffele outlines what he found ‘pretty diabolical’ about Aronimink over the first two days
Ludvig Aberg gives his thoughts on the set up at Aronimink following Rory McIlroy’s frustrations
Rory McIlroy clarifies his comments about Aronimink after criticising the set-up
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