Padraig Harrington: Tiger Woods' absence from Open Championship will mount pressure for Rory McIlroy
Padraig Harrington believes that with Tiger Woods out of the Open Championship, Rory McIlroy is the next betting favourite for the third major of the season. The two-time major winner gave this statement after Woods announced his
withdrawal from the tournament, which will take place at the St George's Golf Club in England.
Harrington stated, “As much as you try to avoid looking at any other player, he is still the name you would look at the most. When he is playing in a tournament, we all like to beat him. It is not that we wanted him to turn up and
win next week. Tiger is the name you look out for the most when we are all playing in a tournament, we all like to beat him, but with Tiger now out, we will all be looking to see where Rory is on the leaderboard.”
He further added that Woods’ presence in a tournament created a buzz, which ultimately attracted media attention and Woods was the name that golfers envied and wished to overtake, but since he was out of the competition, he would
be missed.
Like Ian Poulter, Harrington too gave a similar advice to the former world number one, suggesting him to return to golf with hundred percent fitness. He urged the player to give time to his recovery process and return to the golf
course with the same form, which he once carried. In addition to that, he said that he was looking forward to greet the greatest golfer of their age.
Apart from that, Harrington talked about McIlroy’s position in the tournament. He said that with Woods out of the tournament, the Northern Irishman was the next eye-catcher. Which is why, the 22-year-old was facing lots of pressure
from sponsors and the media.
Two weeks back, McIlroy won the US Open with an eight-stroke lead, creating a new tournament record of the greatest margin. In doing so, he broke Woods' record of 54 holes set in 2000 and became an instant household name.
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