Tag: live-main-tours

Categories
PGA Tour

Ian Poulter is literally on his way to the Play Offs

Ian Poulter makes it to the FedexCup Play Offs and he shares the excitement in social media.

Last weekend at the 2021 Wyndham Championship was stressful at the least for some remarkable players such as Rickie Fowler or Justin Rose, among others. However, the Britishman Ian Poulter was ranked 79th in the FedExCup ranking, within the Top 125 of the Northen Trust, making the cut for the Play Offs by a 189pts difference with Justin Rose, who goes first on the list of players that have missed the cut.

Ian Poulter has made three Top 10 during the 2021 season. He finished T3 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, T9 at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, and T10 at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, which played an important role to classify for the Play Offs.
Poulter initiated his professional golf career back in 1995, and him and his always colorful looks in the golf course do not think of hanging their spikes any time soon. The golfer Ian Poulter wants to continue achieving great things, and he shares such intentions with his fans in a funny way, always keeping his unbroken sense of humor.
HEAD-SUP
Ian Poulter makes it to the FedexCup Play Offs and he decided to get going already. Poulter is so exciting that just got in the car and he is now on his way to give it all. Stay Tuned!

Categories
Live

Official World Golf Ranking: Jon Rahm holds on to first place

The Spanish golfer Jon Rahm stays in the lead of the World Ranking.

Follow the key developments with our straight-talking analysis, getting straight to the point on the developments in the last week and changes in the official world golf rankings.

Top 5 OWGR Leaderboard

# Name Nationality Points Total Points Gained Events
1 Jon Rahm ESP 478.26 248.11 49
2 Dustin Johnson USA 383.57 113.76 42
3 Collin Morikawa USA 456.29 308.68 52
4 Xander Schauffele USA 356.11 202.35 48
5 Justin Thomas USA 368.1 158.75 51

Jon Rahm is currently in the top spot of the official world golf ranking this week. The Spaniard’s points average is 9.7603 at the time of publication. Rahm’s rank has remained unchanged since last week. ​ Next up on the official world golf ranking list is Dustin Johnson, 37 years old, at rank 2. The American has, compared to last week, not moved in the rankings. Ranked third this week is Collin Morikawa, 37, with a points average of 8.7747. Harry Goddard has made the biggest leap this week in the official world golf rankings. has managed to jump 452 places in the world ranking list, and is now sitting at 913 rank. The Englishman jumped in just one week from rank 1365, and now has a points average of 0.09. The No.1 Englishman in the official world golf rankings is currently Tyrrell Hatton, in place 13 and has, since last week, not changed in the rankings.
Categories
Highlights Tours

US Masters 2020 Tiger Woods: “I got off to a fast start today”

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 12: Tiger Woods of the United States reacts to a putt on the first hole during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 12, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Tiger Wood remarks on his bogey free first round at the US Masters 2020.

US Masters 2020: Tiger Woods Interview

Q. That was a pretty good start today; can you just talk about the whole day and how you felt?  

TIGER WOODS:  Yeah, I did everything well.  I drove it well, hit my irons well, putted well.  The only real bad shot I hit today was I think 8.  I had a perfect number with a 60 degree sand wedge and I hit it on the wrong shelf.  Other than that, I just did everything well.  The only thing I could say is that I wish I could have made a couple more putts.  I missed everything on the high side.  Putts just aren’t moving, so it’s just different with as slow as they are and then with the weather delay, the amount of rain they’ve had.  The golf course is going to change a lot.  You hear all the SubAir is on, so it’ll change over the next few days. 

Q. What about the rough; it’s higher than ever, right? 

TIGER WOODS:  Yeah, they haven’t been able to put mowers on it, and yeah, it is high.  The guys that drive the ball in the rough, if you have a down grain lie, yeah, you can get to the green, maybe even control it, but you’ve got to    when the grain is sitting down, there’s really no chance, so you’re going to have to rely on short game and angles.  

Q. Was it weird starting on 10 or how did that factor into the round?  

TIGER WOODS:  Yeah, there were a lot of differences today, playing on 1 and 10 today.  This morning I was on the putting green putting and getting ready for my round, and when they were introducing Gary, we were on the putting green and we couldn’t hear them.  There was a drone flying over the putting green.  Down 1 today you could hear the drone over there.  You don’t hear drones here.  There’s no patrons, no roars.  Yes, as the camera guys would say, where did the ball end up, because we just don’t know.  That’s very different.  A lot of firsts today.  That’s kind of the way this entire year has been.  The fact that we’re able to compete for a Masters this year, considering all that’s been going on, it’s a great opportunity for all of us.  

Q. What is the satisfaction level of a fast start at a place where you always haven’t had fast starts?  

TIGER WOODS:  Well, yeah.  I got off to a fast start today, which is good, but I think everyone is.  Everyone is going low out there today.  With these conditions, you have to.  You have to be aggressive.  There’s no reason why you can’t fire at a lot of the flags.  Like today on 5, I hit a little squeezer off the tee and had 227 to the hole, hit a 4 iron to the back edge and it only rolled out a foot.  That doesn’t happen here.  

There are balls    wedges that are ripping back, that you have to watch spin.  That’s probably not the case, you’re trying to find spin around here.  But this is the way the golf course is going to play for the next couple days.  As I said, you can hear all the SubAir is on, so it’ll be a little bit different. 

Q. Did you surprise yourself out there today, even what you knew about your game coming in? 

TIGER WOODS:  Well, I think that understanding how to play this golf course is so important.  I was saying there that I’ve been lucky enough to have so many practice rounds throughout my career with so many past champions, and I was able to win this event early in my career and build myself up for the understanding that I’m going to come here each and every year, and the fact that this tournament is played on the same venue each and every year, you have to (indiscernible) every time.  So understanding how to play it is a big factor, and it’s one of the reasons why early in my career that I saw Jack contending a lot, I saw Raymond contending late in his career, now Bernhard and Freddy always contend here late in their careers.  Just understanding how to play this golf course was a big part of it.  

Q. You mentioned the lack of roars.  Was that something that had an impact on you?  Did you have to get used to not hearing    

TIGER WOODS:  Well, we’re trying to get used to that this entire year.  It’s so different.  Shane was telling me today that it was pretty exciting last week to have the energy level of 200 people out there following his group.  We haven’t had that this entire year.  It’s been very different.  This world that we live in is not what we’ve had the last    throughout my career, and that’s something we’re going to have to get used to for some time.  

Categories
Highlights Tours

US Masters 2020: Tiger Woods: “I expect to contend!”

Tiger Woods talks about his high expectations before The Masters. (Photo: getty)
Tiger Woods talks about his high expectations before The Masters. (Photo: getty)

THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, it is always such a great pleasure to welcome back to the media center, our now five time green jacket winner and defending Masters Champion, Mr. Tiger Woods.  Tiger, thank you for spending the time with us for a few minutes here in the media. 

TIGER WOODS:  Yeah, thanks, Rob.  

THE MODERATOR:  19 months ago, Tiger Woods decisively showed the world what determination and grit and resiliency can accomplish with winning his fifth green jacket.  

And the scene on 18 that Sunday, with you embracing your children, and the thousands of Patrons chanting your name was seen by many, if not most, that this was probably one of the most remarkable, exceptional comeback victories in all of sport.  Would you take us back to Sunday, April 14th, as you’re getting ready to tee up    

TIGER WOODS:  Yeah, I’m getting chills about it, yeah. 

THE MODERATOR: On Round 4, two back, what was the range of emotion during that round? 

TIGER WOODS:  Well, it was just a fight and a grind, and just trying to hang in there, trying to make a dent in the lead.  Frankie basically had control of it, and then No. 12 happened and everything flipped.  And you know, a few guys hit the ball in the water there.  I didn’t.  Made par there.  Birdied 13.  Birdied 15, 16.  

I’m still getting chills just thinking about it  feelings, coming up 18, and knowing that all I have to do is just two putt that little 15 footer and to see my family there and my mom and my kids and all of the people that helped support me or were there for me in the tough times, and I was walking up there trying not to lose it, and still saying, hey, I’ve still got to two putt this.  

Then I walked off the back of the green, to see Charlie there, just opened up our arms, it meant a lot to me and still does.  It just reminded me so much of me and my dad, and to come full circle like that, it stills gives me, you know, a little teary.  

THE MODERATOR:  This year marks the 25th anniversary of your first appearance in the Masters. Any thoughts or memories you’d like to share about that first visit?  

TIGER WOODS:  I got a chance to play on Wednesday with Jack and Arnold, and you know, at the time, I was a little punk college student, and we’re playing for some skins, and I didn’t have any cash in my pocket, and you know, Arnold makes a putt on 18.  Takes all the skins away from us.  And Jack and Arnold asked me, “Hey, do you want to go play the Par 3 Contest?”  

I said, “Well, I’m scheduled to go later.” They responded, “Hey, just follow us.”    

Went over with them, went to the Par 3 Contest, and we played together, and that was awesome.  You know, that was one of the most incredible memories I think that I’ve ever had, and the story that I always tell all the amateurs I’ve ever played with, on No. 1, I putted off the green on my first hole.  Putted right in the gallery.  Played with Ollie and chipped it back up and made the putt there, made a hell of a bogey.  Then just pumped it right over the top of the bunker on 2 to start my Masters.  

Q. Because of the unique circumstances in the world, you’ve been the reigning Masters Champion for an unprecedented 19 months.  What’s that experience been like? 

TIGER WOODS:  It’s not how I wanted to retain the jacket for this long.  Obviously this has been an unprecedented circumstance we’re all dealing with.  It’s been incredible to have the jacket and to have it around the house and to share with people, but to have it this long, it’s not the way I want to have it.  I wanted to earn it back in April, but obviously we didn’t have that.  

But we had an opportunity to play this week, which, you know, early in the year, we didn’t think we would have this opportunity.  We are all very fortunate to be able to compete, and tonight, and, well, this whole day, is awfully special.  

I may never have the opportunity to take the jacket off property again, and so this means a lot to me today, and to have this opportunity to have the Champions Dinner and to be able to host it tonight with all the guys that are here, it’s going to be awfully special for me.  

Q. Six events since the restart.  I’m guessing you’re probably not happy with your results. Can you pinpoint what’s been missing?  What’s kept you from contending?

TIGER WOODS:  Well, you know, it’s been either    I haven’t put all the pieces together at the same time, whether it’s I’ve driven well or hit my irons poorly.  Or I’ve put the ball striking together, and I haven’t putted well.  And then I’ve had it where I’ve putted well and I’ve hit it poorly.  

It’s just been, I haven’t put together at the same time.  I haven’t played a lot, obviously.  You mentioned I only played six events.  

But it’s been gearing up for the major championships and trying to understand what we have to deal with, you know, this year with COVID and trying to be safe, and I was hesitant to come back and start playing, and that’s why I waited as long as I did and came back at Memorial.  From there, I really haven’t    as I said, I haven’t put all the pieces together, and hopefully that will be this week. 

Q. Statistically, you look over your career, the first round has not really been yours. Your numbers are pretty pedestrian, when you look at all your big rounds, a second, third and clearly the fourth.  You’ve broken 70 once I think in the first round.  Do you have a mindset here?  Do you just ease yourself into the tournament?   

TIGER WOODS:  You know, Jim, I wish I could pinpoint it and tell you what it is, but I have not historically started off well here.  

I think the times I have shot 70 in that first round, I’ve gone on to win a few of them (smiling).  It’s just one of those weird things I haven’t put together, and the second and thirds round were usually where I made my hay and got myself back into the event or taken the lead in the event.  

Hopefully this year will be a little different and I can shoot a little better score and get off to a better start.  

Q. A lot of talk about Honorary Starters this week. 30 years from now, it’s probably going to be you and Phil.  How does that make you feel thinking about that? 

TIGER WOODS:  You said 30 years from now?  That’s a long time.  You know, the fact that I had an opportunity to watch Byron Nelson and Sam Snead tee off there, and to see even Jack and Arnold and Gary, and now to have Lee start next year, whether it’s Phil and I down the road or whatever it may be, it’s up to the Chairman, and it’s an honor; you start off the Masters.  Hopefully that will be us one day, and I’ll be hitting bombs past him.  

Q. You’re able to talk about two decades of experience and pull stories like playing with Jack and Arnie back then, but you’re also the defending champion.  Where do you feel like you are on that continuum, certainly not a ceremonial player, but do you expect to contend here for this week and years to come, or are you past that point where it’s annual possible?  

TIGER WOODS:  Do I expect to contend?  Yes, I do.  I mean, you look at Freddie and Bernhard, they are in their 60s and they seem to contend.  Jack contended here when he was, what, 58, or 56, 58, whatever it was.  

It can be done.  This is a golf course in which having an understanding how to play and where to miss it and how to hit the shots around here, it helps.  The golf course keeps getting longer.  It gets a little bit more difficult as I’ve gotten older and I don’t quite hit it as far.  

Q. I know this is hypothetical, but do you think you    you’re playing this year without them.  Could you have won it without them?  Is it going to be very strange for you this year not having them?  Did they help you last year? 

TIGER WOODS:  Absolutely they did.  They helped me win.  The support that I had, the energy that was around the property, it was electric that day.  

We all miss the energy of the crowds.  And yes, this year is going to be very different.  It’s going to be stark in what we see, our sights into the greens, the energy that you hear from different roars, from different parts of the golf course.  I mean, you’re on the putting green up on 1 and you can hear eagles down on 13.  That’s what this tournament is all about, and we’re not going to have that this year.  It’s going to be very different.  

It’s one that none of us have ever experienced.  So we’re all going to go through it together at the same time and it’s going to be a very different experience, and you know, hopefully one that I can figure it out and be able to replicate what I did last year. 

Q. Just with regard to Bryson, I’m wondering how much you see what’s going on with him as a flashback to when you came on the scene in ’97, with all the length and everyone is trying to catch up to you, and what your fascination is about what he’s done to transform himself where he’s at right now? 

TIGER WOODS:  Well, back then, there wasn’t the technology to optimize our tee shots and optimize the driver yet.  We were just coming out of basically the persimmon days and coming into metal.  More guys were switching over to graphite instead of steel.  The wound ball was very spinny, and heads were very small, so it was important to hit the ball in the middle of the face.  

Well, I happened to have speed and I happened to hit the ball in the middle of the face and was able to have a little bit of an advantage over the guys.  But now you have the ability to optimize one club, and to be able to use that driver as a weapon, to hit it basically as for as you possibly can, we just didn’t have the technology to be able to optimize that.  

And Bryson has put in the time.  He’s put in the work.  What he’s done in the gym has been incredible and what he’s done on the range and what he’s done with his entire team to be able to optimize that one club and transform his game and the ability to hit the ball as far as he has and in as short a span as he has, it’s never been done before. 

You know, I had speed, and as you say, in ’97, I hit it far.  As I got bigger and I filled out and tried to get stronger, it was to not hit the ball further.  It was to be more consistent and to be able to practice longer.  Actually I got a little bit shorter as I got into my mid 20s and late 20s.  Probably the most speed I ever had, I was 20 years old.  So 21, I still had a little bit more speed, but as I got a little bit bigger, I didn’t hit it as far, but I got better.  

What Bryson has done has been absolutely incredible, and we have all been amazed at what he’s been able to do in such a short span of time; it’s never been done before.  

Q. You referenced the Champions Dinner tonight.  What is your favorite memory from all the past Champions Dinners?

TIGER WOODS:  To see Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead, and drinking milkshakes, that was awesome.  Just to hear the stories of all the guys over the years.  The stuff that we say in the dinners stays between us, and that’s the most awesome part about it is we keep it in house and keep it within the family.  

They are awesome stories and a lot of things I can’t say here that have been said, but they are awesome.  

THE MODERATOR:  Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you, Tiger, very much.  We wish you the very best of luck this week.

Categories
European Tour

Joburg Open to return to the European Tour

The Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg. (Photo: Getty)

The co-sanctioned tournament with the Sunshine Tour, which will feature a prize fund of R19.5 million, will be played at Randpark Golf Club with support from the City of Johannesburg, and will be the first international men’s golf tournament on South African fairways in nine months. It will also be the first of a run of tournaments co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour, with further announcements to come.

The Joburg Open was first contested in 2007 and boasts an impressive array of past winners such as Major champion Charl Schwartzel and multiple European Tour champions including: George Coetzee, Darren Fichardt, Branden Grace, Haydn Porteous, Richard Sterne and Andy Sullivan.

It last featured on the European Tour International Schedule in December 2017, when it formed part of the early 2018 season, and was won by India’s Shubhankar Sharma.

European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said: “I am delighted to see the Joburg Open back on our schedule this year. We have a wonderful relationship with the Sunshine Tour stretching back over many years and this co-sanctioned tournament is another example of that.

“I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Johann Rupert, Thomas Abt, Selwyn Nathan and everyone at the Sunshine Tour for their commitment in making this happen, in addition to the Executive Mayor and the City of Johannesburg for their help and support.”

Councillor Moloantoa Geoffrey Makhubo, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, said: “We are delighted to announce the return of this world-class golf tournament to our world-class African city. Since the inception of this tournament in 2007, our vision has been that the Joburg Open must benefit all the residents of Johannesburg.

“Now more than ever, as our economy requires a boost following the COVID-19 lockdown and with our President publicly calling for a new business stimulus, the return of the Joburg Open is perfectly-timed to contribute significantly towards this cause as it brings a major international event to our city once again.”

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome back the Joburg Open to our schedule in what is also a momentous moment for South African professional golf as we also welcome back international competition to our fairways after a lengthy break.

“I’d like to the thank the Mayor and the City of Johannesburg for so graciously supporting us for the duration of the South African Open’s hosting in Johannesburg, and we are delighted that we can announce the return of a much-loved tournament amongst the residents of Johannesburg.”

(Text: European Tour)

Categories
Top Tours

Sebastian Munoz: “The energy of this place, I really like it”

Sebastian Munoz: "The energy of this place, I really like it" (Photo: getty)
Sebastian Munoz: "The energy of this place, I really like it" (Photo: getty)

Q. How has this week been? Has the week been fun as you come back defending champion?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: Yeah, absolutely. I get to see old faces, great memories. I don’t know, the energy of this place, I really like it, and I just kind of grow under it. I just kind of thrive under it.

Q. Were you a little nervous about how you were going to play today? Obviously everybody wants to defend their title, but were you a little nervous starting today?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: Not really. I just kind of tricked myself into thinking I was not the defending champion maybe, just kind of thinking it was another tournament at a course that I really like, and it’s been working so far, so I’ll keep doing that.

Q. What is it about this golf course that really fits your eye?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: You know, the layout is really good. You have to hit drivers both left to right and right to left, and I like to control my ball, and then the greens are pure, so kind of where you start it it’s going to finish. That’s something I really like about that.

Q. When you see 8-under scores already out there before you even tee off, how does that affect you and what did that — how did that impact you today?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: I mean, I knew it was gettable, just seeing the guys get it that low. I knew it was doable, and you just kind of need to get a hue, and I did, I started with a birdie, almost jarred it from 100 yards, so that just kind of gave me the confidence, I got a quick start, 4-under through 5, and it kind of slowed down, but then I matched it again on the back. I don’t know, sometimes I just ride the momentum. One good shot kind of feeds me for two, three holes.

Q. What happened on the shot on 9?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: I was in a divot and there was more wind than I thought, so I kind of went down to get it and just spun too much and got kind of hanging in the end and came up short.

Q. And then 13 you got another heater, right?

SEBASTIAN MU�OZ: Yeah, good shot on 13, a baby 7-iron just to get it rolling all the way to the back, and I just kind of fed off of that and birdied 14, 15 and 16.

Q. What do you think was the highlight for you today? Is there a certain shot that sticks out in your mind?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: I think probably my wedge on 1. It just kind of like set the tone for the day. Good solid driver and then almost jarred it for an eagle, so I felt pretty good after that.

Q. How would this round compare to the ones you had last year after you won?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: You know, it reminded me a lot of when I shot 9-under. I was definitely trying to get to that number again. I felt like this one — I mean, I don’t know. It felt like this — they were pretty similar. I remember the last one was bogey-free, this one I made one bogey. I think that one I played a little better golf. I had a really good chance for eagle on 15, but I parred it. I don’t know, I feel pretty solid in both of them, but I feel that one was a little better.

Q. What did you do with the trophy?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: The trophy, I put it on the club I’m a member at for like six months, and recently like the last two months I moved it to my house.

Q. Where in the house?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: It was in the gym, now it’s in the front, like as soon as you walk in the house you can see it.

Q. What’s the name of the club?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: Maridoe Golf Club.

Categories
Top Tours

Tommy Fleetwood: “I’m feeling more optimistic”

Tommy Fleetwood is feeling more optimistic (Photo: Getty)
Tommy Fleetwood is feeling more optimistic (Photo: Getty)

Q.Tommy, welcome to a freezing room. Talk about your recent form, great finish in Portugal but disappointing week at Winged Foot?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, to be honest, you know, I think since being back out playing again from late summer when I first came back out and after that COVID lockdown, I think I haven’t played great, and again, I think, the way it’s been, the year has been very different. Some guys have had lots of things there. It’s been great to get home to kind of start seeing — even sporadically just getting that kind of guidance, some positive practise sessions after Portugal. Portugal I played great and I chose to play because I knew I had gone home and I was having to work on things. Struggled with a few things. I didn’t putt very well but overall I hit it great on what was a very, very difficult golf course to hit fairways can get into position, which is disappointing. This year, three events — a bit of an asterisk on your career, if you like. That week, Bryson did great.

But again, been home and feel like my game is progressively — I’m feeling a lot more motivated is not the right word but I’m feeling more optimistic about every sort of practise session I’m having and going out there and hitting it this week, which is great. I’m not like, you know, particularly happy with my form, but I feel positive.

Q. Your first Scottish Open since 2016, Castle Stuart?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Maybe, yeah. I genuinely love coming to Scotland. I get a great vibe every time I come here, St Andrews, one of my most favorite praises in the world. Staying here, sat in the room last night — but the last few years, I’ve kind of taken the decision where I feel like having a week off before, the way the schedule has worked, I feel like having a week off before majors is giving myself the best chance to prepare. It’s just always fallen that week before The Open, and I remember the first time I missed it, I was — I said this is what I want to do. Kept it like that most of the year. So this year, it’s been nice to get a chance to come back, even if it is a bit later on in the year and a bit colder.

Q. Pictures of you out on the course. What are your impressions of it?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I didn’t watch much last year, I was in Ireland at the time, but I know the scoring was really low. I turn up here and I don’t see any low score out there the way conditions are out there. I think for the first few holes, we were talk, me and Tony Finau were saying, it’s great, every hole is a different challenge. I think especially with the wind is pumping the way it is, there were so many crosswind shots, you’re going back and forth a lot. Especially today, I think it’s been a really good test. You have to change what you do on each hole, and given all the different demands of the hole. I enjoyed being out there. Felt like stretching my game a little bit. And again, when you’re working on things, having those kind of conditions on a pretty tough golf course is nice because it challenges you.

Q. The last few years, following a different schedule, how weird is it with all the interruptions and stop pages, Scotland in October, Augusta in November? How difficult is it?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I just think there’s been changes that have been out of our control. I think just getting to play — I could easily get to take it for granted at the point where we are in the year, yeah, the schedule is funky and things have changed, but I think it’s easy when you’ve played for a while now to take it for granted that we are playing all the time. You look at when everything first happened, oh, we’re done and we’re going to be in lockdown for a year, everybody, you always think the worst.

There’s definitely things that I have missed. Again, playing the week before the U.S. Open, something I haven’t done before. I think for sure people have missed having — you don’t have your coach every week, you don’t want to do that, you’re professional golfers and you should be able to figure things out on your own but the truth is you can’t and everybody needs a bit of guidance now and again. Definitely missed that.

Yeah, it is different and it’s a strange year but at the same time, you know, turning up week-in, week-out with a chance to play golf tournaments, to win golf tournaments, to win majors, that’s the way you’ve got to look at it. You kind of nailed that straightaway that yeah, things are different and a bit weird, but it doesn’t actually stop you from having the ability and having the chance to have a great season still.

There’s still plenty of good events to play, and it’s been — I would say, as strange as it’s been, I had a long spell in America which I — again, I’m not going to use terms — say I enjoy it, rather be home rather than seven weeks away or whatever but I feel like I’ve learned a lot from things being taken away from you or things being slightly different and I think I’ll take them with me forever, FOR as long as I’m playing, really, maybe knowing what I missed at certain times or what I didn’t mind about it. It’s just been very, very different.

Q. You’ve got some great Scottish golfing memories. How confident are you that you can add to that collection this week?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I always — every week in golf is a blank canvas. Everybody has the opportunity, and I always feel like my good golf is clearly good enough to be there at the end of the week. I am excited about playing here again, and like you say, I do have some great memories in Scotland.

I was thinking of it while I was traveling over actually, was that one of the — just at Archerfield, a match-play event and I got beat by Graeme Storm in the first round. I actually look at that as the turning point when I started coming out of my slump that was for like a year that was well documented. I actually lost that match but I played and drove home and thought, I haven’t played like that for a year. I didn’t miss a shot.

So Archerfield was a turning point where I got things going on again, and that’s a nice little positive and nice memory coming here, which is one people probably wouldn’t think about a lot.

Q. You’re much-loved give Scottish fans. How much are you going to miss them this week?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: That’s always, I think I turned the golf on the first time they started playing in America when it was the first event back and I kind of watched — I was watching the players, and I said, well, yeah, there’s no fans, but everybody looks like when they are playing, what they are doing is just the same. They are going through — everything is the same. Same routines. Everybody looks really focused. When it comes to winning, it means the same.

When I started playing, again, it’s different, but there’s certain times when it feels more different than others. I think that the majors clearly have that feeling, and certain other points where you’re on the golf course where you might have a good moment or a bad moment, and you think, that could have been very different.

I think playing in front of Scottish fans, because they are such good fans, they know exactly what they are doing. They will be missed. Me personally, I’ll miss the odd dog roaming around on the golf course.

Q. I know when you won at Gleneagles — the dog — pretty special to you, wasn’t?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it was. I actually got asked about it a couple of times. I think it was like two Nike calls to like ambassadors or friends, whatever you call it, and Robin, he asked me about that time, and I was like, I can’t believe it. Yeah, fond memories, Scotland, the country, the golf course, always looked fondly upon me for whatever reason that. Is I’ve always loved coming to Scotland and played. Had some great experiences. That was one of them. That was great.

Q. Apologies if you asked this already because I came in late for the interview. Talk of playing the CJ Championship and ZoZo ahead of Masters, are you committing to those two events ahead of the Masters and what might you want to be playing ahead of Augusta?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I haven’t committed to those yet. The guys were very kind. I got invites into those events this year which is great. Yeah, I want to keep playing, obviously. Like I said earlier, part of the reason why I’m playing quite a bit at the moment is because I feel like I’ve been working hard and I feel like I’m progressing in the right direction, and I want to get out on the golf course and I feel golf can change at any given week and hopefully my time will come again and it could be any week from now.

I want to play those events that are clearly great events until world golf and that will be it until the actual Masters which is November.

Q. From one Fleetwood to another, at Ryder Cup, your energy was phenomenal. How easy is it to replicate that energy at all the competitions?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Pretty much impossible, I think. The Ryder Cup seems — it’s been my one experience, and it was for sure — it’s definitely like it’s own individual event, and it brings with it emotions that you just don’t seem to be able to get every week. I mean, you don’t really see moments like — that you get at The Ryder Cup on a Friday morning and Friday afternoon, still two days left of the tournament, and you just don’t seem to get that. I think what makes The Ryder Cup, for us golfers, for starters, it’s the biggest sporting occasion in the world when it comes to The Ryder Cup, and we’re lucky enough that we get to play in it, and the fan interaction, seems impossible to replicate. You have 60,000 fans and there’s 16 people on the golf course, it’s not a lot.

For me, that was just — it was, it was an amazing experience. Again — you look at it and I think it’s more — it’s more of a massive motivational factor that you know what you experienced that week and you want to do it again. Everybody just wants to do it again and keep playing in those things and I think week-in, week-out, you’re not going to feel like that all the time but you look at that and it is definitely a motivation for you.

Q. Just for the record, I would like to see Tommy Fleetwood replicate that in a major?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Me, too.

Q. If there is one major where you would like to see Tommy Fleetwood on the trophy, which one, and which golf course?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It’s The Open by a long way. I’m not overly picky about the golf course to be honest but I think coming from where I’m from, very, very lucky that I have — I mean, Birkdale is my ultimate. I’m from that town. Hoylake is just down the road and Lytham is just down the road. Those are pretty much as close to home as people ever get to play in their careers, and they are all Open Championship for me, and it’s the Old Course, winning at St Andrews.

If I win all four of them, then great, but take one.

Q. Just to follow up on The Ryder Cup, apologies if this was asked earlier, late in the call, but we haven’t seen Molinari this year, I believe he’s just moved to California. Are you keeping in touch with him? Is he in good spirits, working hard? What is the latest from the Molinari camp?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, we speak. I mean, we speak quite regularly, anyway. He’s been a busy man moving home, moving the family and everything. That was something they really wanted to do and they have done that now. I’m sure he’s very happy with it.

I think he’ll be looking forward to coming back. I think they have done that move now, and he can start progressing to where he wants to play again and stuff. I think everybody will be happy to see him, but I think he’s just taking care of things that he knew he wanted to do and the family wanted to do, and then he’ll be back very soon, I’m guessing.

Q. Since Tiger won the Masters, do you think that maybe took him longer than expected to get over that, that mental hurdle that he had to get over?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No. I think — I saw him the following week at Harbour Town, I played a practise round with him and he was absolutely fine. Golf, as in life, you go through great spells, and for sure, about, what, six, seven months, he was the best golfer on the planet pretty much, not far off. I think everyone had expectations, huge for somebody like that when he’s playing like that. He’s gone through a slight loss of form, and then this all happened, COVID and everything, and he’s moved house.

I’ve had my good times and poor times in my career so far. I’m sure my poor times will come again like everyone else, but he’s far too good to not win again and start playing well again.

Categories
Top Tours

US Open 2020: Bryson DeChambeau in his first Champion Interview

Bryson DeChambea at the US Open 2020 (Foto: Getty)
Bryson DeChambea at the US Open 2020 (Foto: Getty)

MODERATOR: We’re pleased to welcome champion of the 120th U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau. How does that sound?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Surreal. It sounds amazing, but surreal. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I got to say thanks to my whole team again, all my sponsors as well — Brett, Tim, my caddie works his butt off every single day for me. Connor works his butt off for me every single day. Chris Como works really, really hard for me and helps me think through a lot of amazing things. Even Mike Schy, I still talk to Mike, and we still talk about how to get better. I would be remiss if I didn’t say his name either.

It’s one of those things that doesn’t really hit you — it’s not going to hit me until tonight, but I will say that my parents have given so much up for me. I mean, there were times that I went to school without any lunch money, and we had to make bologna sandwiches and didn’t have anything to eat. We had some very, very difficult times, but every single day, they always wanted the best for me, and they always gave me the opportunity to go golf, go practice, and go get better.

This one’s for my parents. It’s for Mike Schy, it’s for Chris, it’s for my whole team. All the work, all the blood, sweat, and tears we put into it, it just means the world to me.

Q. It’s going to be hard to reflect on right now, but that moment when you putted in on 18 and you put your hands in the air, what was going through your mind?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I did it. I did it. As difficult as this golf course was presented, I played it beautifully. Even through the rough, I was still able to manage my game and hit it to correct sides of the greens, except on 14 today, and kept plugging away. My putting was immaculate today. My speed control, incredible. That’s why we worked so hard on my speed control. You see me out there on the greens with the device trying to control my speed.

It’s just something that allows me and gives me comfort to know that on this green, or these speeds of greens, you know, it’s going to be repeatable. It’s going to be this. It’s going to be that. It’s going to be comfort in knowing how far I can take it back and go through.

So many times I relied on science, and it worked every single time.

Q. Your fans and backers are very passionate in their support of you. What do you have to say to them right now?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I can’t say thank you enough for supporting me and staying with me through thick and thin. There’s always going to be people that say things. There’s always going to be people that do things. But no matter what, my focus and my message to everybody out there is each and every day that you’re living life try and make this day better than the previous day. Let today’s garbage be better than yesterday.

The fans that have always been there, the supporters that have always been there, I can’t thank you enough for everything that you have meant for me. You’ve kept me pushing the needle, moving the needle, and you’re going to keep inspiring me too. So I really thank you for everything. I couldn’t do it without you guys.

Q. Bryson, you said the T4 at the PGA felt like you were moving in the right direction, but with all of the chatter and all of the doubters, what is he doing, does this absolutely put you over the edge in terms of validating what you’ve done?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Absolutely. And I’m not going to stop. Next week I’m going to be trying a 48-inch driver. We’re going to be messing with some head designs and do some amazing with things with Cobra to make it feasible to hit these drives maybe 360, 370, maybe even farther. I don’t know.

Q. Given the way you’ve adopted this approach, do you feel like you’re potentially changing the game, or at least changing the way that people think about playing in the game?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I think I’m definitely changing the way people think about the game. Now, whether you can do it, that’s a whole different situation. There’s a lot of people that are going to be hitting it far. Matthew was hitting it plenty far today. A couple of putts just didn’t go in for him today and kept the momentum on my side. So he’s definitely got the firepower and the strength to do it. You’ve got to be looking out for him in the future.

There’s a lot of young guns that are unbelievable players, and I think the next generation that’s coming up into golf hopefully will see this and go, hey, I can do that too.

Q. Bryson, you very much do things your own way. What kind of mental strength do you take from that?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s a lot of validation through science, just making sure that the numbers are what they are and the result is accurate. So if I had — just an example. If I hit a 40-footer and it says 10.1 miles per hour on the device, I know that I’ve executed it correctly; and if I see the ball go two feet past that 40 foot mark, I know it’s perfect. I know I’ve done everything I can in my brain to make my perception reality.

So it’s all about trying to make my perception of what I feel, what I think, what I — you know, whatever it is, turn into proper reality. It definitely is validating that I’m able to execute time and time again and have it be good enough to win an Open. I don’t know if that answered your question.

Q. There’s so much talk about the driving and the distance and whatnot, but you did shoot the best score today by three, I believe. Do you feel like you’re proving, with a victory in a Major like this, on a golf course like this, even more so that you’re not just a one-dimensional player?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No, I think I’ve got a lot of creativity. Phil said it to me earlier this week. He said, in 2006, I had the best short game week of my life, and that really stuck out to me for some reason because I just knew that, if I did hit it in the rough, I’m going to have to get it up and down quite a bit.

So I made sure that I needed to practice those shots coming into the week, and I did that beautifully, and I felt super comfortable out of the rough no matter the situation.

I mean, a perfect example was No. 14, uphill lie, just hit it off the top of the face, came out dead and rolled down there to ten feet, and I made it. That was huge. If I don’t make that and he makes his, you know, we’ve got a fight.

So, yeah, I think that answered your question. I don’t know. I’m just kind of rambling a little bit.

Q. It seems like the putting has really been on point.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yes. Yes, putting has been — sorry. I love it. The putting has gradually improved over the course of my career. I was dead last when I came out on TOUR, and the SIG guys, SIG golf, they helped me understand how a ball needs to roll in order to give me the best chance to hole a putt.

Over the course of these four years, every year I’ve gotten a little bit better. I’ve gotten in the top ten now. I don’t know how much better I can get, but I’m going to keep trying every single week.

Q. Bryson, you used your own approach to the game to get here. Do you think kids watching today are now going to follow in your footsteps and look at this approach and try to replicate that?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: You know, I hope I can inspire some people. My goal in playing golf and playing this game is to try and figure it out. I’m just trying to figure out this very complex, multivariable game, and multidimensional game as well. It’s very, very difficult. It’s a fun journey for me.

I hope that inspires people to say, hey, look, maybe there is a different way to do it. Not everybody has to do it my way. I’m not saying that. I’m just saying in general that there are different ways to do things. If you can find your own way, find your passion — like Arnie said, swing your swing. That’s what I do. That’s what Matthew Wolff does. That’s what Tiger does. That’s what Phil does. That’s what everybody does, and we’re all trying to play the best golf we can.

Hopefully, my way inspires people. This is my seventh win PGA TOUR, first Major, couldn’t be more proud. I hope that it does inspire a few people.

Q. Just for the record, what is your current height and weight?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: 6’1″, 230 to 235, depending on if I’ve eaten steak or not.

Q. Do you want to be bigger when you get to Augusta?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah.

Q. What would you say is your like — what are you shooting for?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I think I can get to 245. It’s going to be a lot of working out. I don’t think it’s possible — it may be, I don’t know. It’s just I’ve gained so much so quickly in a year. They always say, when you work out, you gain your 30 pounds or whatever it is, and then after that, each year, you half it. So you can go 15. If you keep working out every day, you keep halving it. And then eventually there comes a point where you can’t gain much more.

But I still feel like I can get up there if you work hard enough.

Q. What’s your answer to people who say it can’t be healthy for the body?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I am talking to a doctor. I got all my blood sample tests, everything back a couple weeks ago. Everything is fine so far. We’re going to keep monitoring it and making sure I’m as healthy as possible because I do want to live for a long time.

Q. Bryson, what drove you to the range in the cold and dark last night? What were you looking for, and what did you find?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: So my driver was not performing in the way I wanted it to. Thursday, Friday, I felt super comfortable with the driver. Saturday wasn’t comfortable. So I knew I needed to go to the range, figure something out, so I could play for tomorrow and be super comfortable because, if I’m comfortable with the driver, I knew I could play golf and shoot under par on this golf course.

I was able to find something out last night, and then on the 6th hole today, I figured out a little bit more, and that gave me the confidence to play for the rest of the day.

That was essentially — it’s all about the governors for me. I have a limit to kind of what I do with the swing so I don’t overrotate. You can see I missed a lot of shots left this week. My left arm wasn’t holding and being stable enough through impact. It was just rolling over. That’s why I was drawing it and hooking it a little bit.

So I worked on that yesterday, and on the 6th hole I figured out that, even though I was holding it off, my left arm was too bent. So I was still leading to where the face is way open to the target, and then I felt like I had to do that to close the face. So once I straightened that out, got the face back a little more square, I felt like I could hold it off the whole way, and gave me so much comfort for the rest of the round.

Q. I was going to ask you what’s for dinner right now?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Steak and potatoes. We’ve got to keep it going.

Q. Very simple, Bryson. What makes you the happiest right now?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I would say, first off, knowing that the team around me has worked just as hard as I have, if not harder, to get me to where I am today. And knowing that I was able to execute for 72 holes in a Major Championship under the toughest conditions and perform to the highest level.

Q. And that trophy?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, the trophy, obviously, is really nice that comes with it.

Q. This has got to be some form of validation in your head, you know?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: 100 percent, no doubt. For me, it’s about the journey of can I execute every shot more repeatably than everybody else? I was able to do that this week. That’s why I won by six, yeah.

Q. How do you explain how during a pandemic and what a lot of people are writing off as kind of a lost year, you’ve elevated your game this much?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I felt like it was an opportunity, not a lost year at all. I felt like it was an opportunity to do something great — change my lifestyle, make it healthier, make it better — and I hope it inspires everybody else to do the same. When you have time, when you have that little free moment, don’t squander it. Look at it as an opportunity to make yourself better.

That’s what I think I did this year, and I’m going to keep trying to do that.

Q. When you were a little kid starting out with this whole thing, was the U.S. Open one you wanted to win, or was it something else?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I would say any Major was the ones I — they were all ones that I wanted to win, but I knew that my game would fit best for a U.S. Open. The reason for that is I always felt growing up, in college, I was always a super straight driver of the golf ball, super great iron player. Putting was always iffy, but I knew I could get around it on fast, quick greens. I was always really good on quick greens.

I’ve become a great putter, and my ball striking has improved consistently, and now I’ve got an advantage with this length, and that’s all she wrote.

But, yes, growing up, the U.S. Open is the one I thought I could win the most.

Q. Bryson, I don’t mean to look past this accomplishment after a half hour, but have you thought about how you might game plan for Augusta National?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, length is going to be a big advantage there. I know that for a fact. It’s always an advantage pretty much anywhere, but given that fact, I’m going to try and prepare by testing a couple things with the driver. I mean, by that, it’s 48 inches, and I’ll also do something with the face to account for the new speed that I’m going at.

Then I’ve got to get better with my iron play a little bit. I felt like it was great today, but definitely the driver needs to go straighter. That’s really my main focus still.

Q. Bryson, if the USGA had a debriefing meeting tomorrow morning to talk about how this U.S. Open was won at Winged Foot, what do you think they’d talk about?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: He’s hitting it forever. That’s why he won. I mean, it was a tremendous advantage this week. I kept telling everybody it’s an advantage to hit it farther. It’s an advantage. Mark Broadie was talking to Chris Como, and they were both talking about how they just made the fairways too small this week to have it be an advantage for guys hitting the fairway.

So what I mean by that — let’s take an example of you going like a yard wide. Nobody’s got the fairway. Okay, length’s going to win. You make the fairways too wide, length’s going to win. There’s like this balance between widths of fairways and where they want to play it and where they’re going to try to make you play it.

Q. If distance has been such a hot topic over the last two, three years and they’re looking into it now, do you think this will accelerate any desire to rein you guys in?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s tough to rein in athleticism. We’re always going to be trying to get fitter, stronger, more athletic, and Tiger inspired this whole generation to do this, and we’re going to keep going after it. I don’t think it’s going to stop. Will they rein it back? I’m sure. I’m sure something might happen. But I don’t know what it will be. I just know that length is always going to be an advantage.

Q. How much is athleticism and how much is science, technology —

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, the COR was locked in back in 2000 or something like that. You could only have it come off the face so much, right? So it’s been that way ever since. The rules haven’t changed. People have just gotten a little longer with their driver. The shafts have become better for sustaining higher swing speeds, and we’re constantly trying to just hit it as hard as we possibly can.

Kyle Berkshire, Justin James, a bunch of those guys, Josh, they all inspired me to try and go harder at it. They are the ones breaking the barriers. I can see what is possible.

So that inspires me to keep pushing the limits. I don’t think that science is that — is as big of a role in the market today. I would say it’s more of athleticism playing probably a bigger role for that for sure.

I was hitting it — on just a normal average TOUR player a year ago, and then I all of a sudden got a lot stronger, worked out every day, been working out every day, and all of a sudden — not because of clubs, but because of me, I was able to gain 20, 25 yards.

MODERATOR: Bryson, our 120th U.S. Open champion, congratulations again.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Thank you all.

Categories
Top Tours

US Open 2020: Bryson DeChambeau with the best round of the day

US Open Golf 2020 Bryson DeChambeau (Source: Getty)
MAMARONECK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States lines up a putt on the 17th hole during the second round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 18, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Q. 2-under 68. Hard to come by red numbers today. What was working well for you?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I felt like a lot of things were working well for me. I was driving it well. My iron play was impeccable. When I got into trouble, wasn’t able to get out of it as well today as yesterday, but when I was in the fairway I was able to attack and take advantage, and finished really well today. I hit a great drive on 6, great drive on 8, great shot on 7, and a great drive on 9 that just set me up to be able to attack that flag today, and that was a fun way to finish off at a U.S. Open so far. It’s great.

Q. You said yesterday the key was missing the drivers in the right spots. Can you give me an example today of missing one in the right spot, missing one in the wrong spot?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Missed one in the wrong spot on 2, so I hit it to the right and just — you’ve got nothing. I tried to get over the tree, was too far back. Kind of spun one up in the air and really didn’t have a chance. I tried to go for it, didn’t come out, got lucky, it bounced back in the first cut, got it out.

And then another one, let’s see, 16. Hitting driver all the way up into the right rough past that dogleg, I still had pitching wedge to the front edge and it was just a pretty easy shot, and I left it short of the green but I was still able to play up to the flag, and I fortunately made that putt for birdie. So that was kind of where I felt like I missed it in the right spot.

Q. You followed up three bogeys with birdies today; how important do you think that bounce-back stat is here?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s important. It keeps your momentum going, I’ll tell you that. I don’t really have too much more to say on that other than the fact that you need momentum to keep playing well in a U.S. Open, and that’s what I was able to do today.

Q. One of the volunteers on the range today said you shut the place down last night. What was working for you today?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: So my wedges yesterday weren’t that good. I was flying them too far and I wanted to know what the problem was and we figured out what the problem was. It just was going farther than I thought it was. We didn’t practice them as well as I should have leading up to this tournament, but we made that adjustment, and it worked out beautifully for me today.

Q. What was the adjustment?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, it was just saying on the devices that I was hitting it shorter than what it was actually going. So for example, like we calibrated — okay, this is — I’m trying to make it as easy as possible. So for me, my 47-degree flies normally 145. Well, last night I was hitting shots and it was flying 155. That’s what we were on the normalizing mode with that wind. And we just didn’t calibrate correctly. So I was flying everything 10 yards long consequently with my wedges. And we recalibrated all of them today, and I felt like they worked out really well today.

Q. What did you hit on 9 for your second?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Pitching wedge.

Q. Only two rounds under par so far today. How does that play into your confidence for this weekend?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I feel great. Confidence is at an all-time high right now, driving it well, iron play is fantastic, wedging is getting better each and every day, and I’m putting it like I know I can. So very happy.

Q. What part of your game do you get more confidence from, your driving, iron play or putting?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Iron play. If my iron play is great, I feel like I can play from anywhere. I know my driver is going to be going far; sometimes straight, sometimes a little crooked. But if I can hit my irons really well, then I feel like I’ll be good for the rest of the day.

Q. Bryson, you were the one guy before the tournament who said you were just going to hit it as far as you could at every opportunity —

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: And straight. I still want to hit it straight.

Q. But the fact that you have that in your arsenal, do you think your round today just shows you get more — you create more birdie opportunities —

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Absolutely.

Q. — than anybody else out here?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Absolutely.

Q. When you look at the conditions, what kind of an advantage does that give you?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I want it to play as hard as possible. I feel like there’s so many holes out here that I can take advantage of that some people can’t. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to win or anything. You’ve still got to execute, you’ve still got to hit the driver straight. If I’m hitting the driver far but all over the place, you can’t make birdies from the rough. It’s very difficult to. So I still have to work on hitting it straight while hitting it far. And that’s a unique combo that I’m going to strive for for the rest of my life.

Q. As far as scrambling, that seems like the other crucial component to have around here, so do you take as much from those times when you save par as —

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Absolutely. Phil gave me some great advice. He said when he almost won back in 2006, he said he had the best short game week of his life, so that’s just a testament to showing that you have to have a great wedge game out here.

I feel like my irons are great, the wedges are better, and short game needs to be worked on just a little bit. But I would say it’s been good so far, and that’s what I’m going to hopefully do this weekend.

Q. Wondering how hard it is to stay focused when you’re making a series of birdies and bogeys as opposed to steady pars.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, it’s definitely ebbs and flows, but I’ve been working hard on that recently and trying to keep myself level-headed no matter what, and I feel like I did a great job of that today. Even on 5, made a dumb bogey, just didn’t play the right distance and consequently hurt myself there. And then on 6 I just focused up and I was able to stay patient and execute a great drive and make two great putts there.

Q. You mentioned in that TV interview that you want to be more and more patient. That’s something you can’t calibrate, to use your word. What does that process look like? How do you teach yourself that?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: For me it’s been a lot of breathing. Been working hard with Neuropeak on that for a long time. I know I’ve talked about it before, but just keep breathing and try and let the advantages play themselves out, what I have, and if they don’t, so be it.

But as of right now, they’ve been doing well so far, and just know that I’m going to have a lot of opportunities if I keep driving it well.

Q. Do you see a noticeable difference if you get something like what you might term an unlucky bounce or something like that?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s going to happen out here. I say it sometimes, like man, that was unlucky, but that’s just golf. It’s not me being other than just honest. It happens sometimes. I realize that and I’m okay with it. Everybody is subject to a bad break, and sometimes I wear the emotions on the sleeve a little bit, but I focus it right back up.

Q. The test yesterday, the test today, which one do you enjoy more and why?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: When I play well in these conditions, it’s a lot more enjoyable. But it is comforting yesterday when you feel like I can go after it and wind isn’t affecting it that much, I’m hitting it well.

I would personally say if I had to truly look back on it, I would say that this today is a more enjoyable test after I’m done because it shows who executed the shots the best for sure.

Q. So many people love to see carnage at a U.S. Open; why do you think that is, and were you one of them?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s relatable. I think it’s relatable to a lot of players out there. They struggle with their game and they don’t hit the greatest shots, and they like seeing carnage.

I’m going to look this afternoon and do the same thing, be seeing, like wow, that’s really difficult, because I experienced it and I appreciate it.

Q. Will you laugh or sympathize?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Sympathize. No, I’m not laughing at them. I won’t go there.

Q. Given the force that you play with, is it possible to impose your will on a U.S. Open?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: That’s a great question. That’s a question for the gods. That’s a question for God. I don’t know if you can — I mean, Tiger has been able to do something like that many times before, so I think there is something, but human scientific research does not say that there’s anything about that.

Q. Are there times you are trying to do that?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Oh, yeah, yeah. It’s just got to go here, it’s just got to go here, and I think it’s more of a positive mindset that allows your brain to be in a better state so you can problem solve in your brain to know what you need to do to hit a shot. I think that’s kind of willing it.

Q. You mentioned breathing, right?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah.

Q. I think a lot of people struggle with that, who don’t play golf even, but how does it work for you?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: A lot of deep, long breaths. So it’s sitting back, realizing the state you’re in and being able to take an eight-second breath in and then eight-second breath out. That’s just as simple as it gets for me.

Q. Count to eight?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s somewhere around there. I don’t do it perfectly on eight, but it’s definitely just to calm myself down.

Categories
Top Tours

US Open 2020 Tiger Woods: “I don’t see any reason why it won’t get harder and get more difficult.”

Tiger Woods at the US Open 2020 (Source: Getty)
Tiger Woods at the US Open 2020 (Source: Getty)

Tiger Woods talked to the media after his not so satisfying first round of 73 at the US Open 2020 at Winged Foot. He expects the course to become even tougher over the next few days.

Q. Tiger, talk about the round a bit.

TIGER WOODS: Well, it was a bit of ebb and flow to the round today. I did not finish off the round like I needed to. I made a bunch of putts in the middle part of the round. It seemed like most of my drives on the front nine landed in the fairway and ended up in bad spots, and I tried to stay as patient as possible, and unfortunately just did not finish off my round the way I needed to.

Q. Do you take any positives that you made five birdies, made a bunch of putts?

TIGER WOODS: No, but I needed to finish off the round better, and I didn’t. As I said, I made a few putts the middle part of the round. Seemed like I wasn’t getting anything out of my round early on, and it flipped, and unfortunately I just didn’t finish off the way I needed to.

Q. What did you think of the conditions of the golf course, and was it how you expected or a little bit different in any way?

TIGER WOODS: I thought the golf course was set up fantastic. I thought that what they did with the hole locations were very fair today. It gave us an opportunity to make some birdies, and you look at most of the scores, and the guys took advantage of it.

Q. Do you expect it to keep getting firmer as the week goes on?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I don’t see any reason why it won’t get harder and get more difficult. I just think that the golf course is there to be had. They gave us a lot of opportunities with the hole locations. Obviously they could have made it a lot more difficult if they wanted to, but I thought it was very fair.

Q. Is there any solace knowing it’s going to be such a grind this week that shooting a sub-par first round isn’t anything near —

TIGER WOODS: Well, we have a long way to go. This is a long marathon of a tournament. There’s a lot of different things that can go on. I just wish I would have finished off my round better.

Q. Given how little you’ve played this year, when you strung those birdies together in the middle of the round to kind of reel it back in and preserve it, isn’t that a pretty positive sign for you going forward?

TIGER WOODS: Well, the middle part of my round, a lot of things went my way. Beginning part of the round it seemed like things weren’t going my way. Good tee shots were ended up in the rough in bad spots, and I had a nice little hot run there in the middle part of my round, hit a really good putt at 12, thought it was going to go in and then I lipped it out, and then made two bogeys after that. Didn’t finish off my round the way I needed to.