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July 17, 2014
HOYLAKE, ENGLAND
GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, I mean I had an average lie on the left rough off the tee and I tried to sort of, you know, chock a hybrid. It was a decent lie, it was worth taking on. It came out low and left. Seemed to kind of slingshot off the hill or something, I'm not sure what happened, but it ended up 20 yards further left than I expected, unplayable. And then from there I tried to use the back slope. I had no shot really. I tried to use the back slope. Kind of jumped out on me over the back and I didn't get it up and down. It was a disappointing start to the back nine. I played fairly solid on the front, so so. I'm not really controlling my ball flight the way I need to. I can't hit a cut at all. My cut is nonexistence at the minute. Very difficult to play links golf when you're not able to shape it both ways, especially when the greens are as firm as this. You really need to be able to hit a cut to control your ball flight, and I'm not doing that well right now, it's disappointing.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: It's something that's been a fairly consistent flavor of my game here lately. It's not something that's just appeared this week. That's just consistent flavor of the minute, yeah. The cut is just not in the bag, and I'm struggling to find it right now. So like I say, very difficult to play this golf course when you can't shape it up against those right-to-left winds and can't get my irons close to the flag. It's disappointing, but this is day 1. I'd be very frustrated if I felt there was three more days of this type of weather to come. But I can't get down on myself. I've got to get back out there tomorrow and try to get myself back in this event. I know I'm good enough to get back out there tomorrow and do something, I just need to get a little bit more feel going on my swing and understand what it is that I'm trying to do out there. But it's all right. It's all good.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: I will be going straight to the range right now.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: It was good. I have a long way to go, as we know. This is just day one. A lot of golf left.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: I found a little bit of something coming in, just from my leg work. Yeah, I felt like my posture has been getting sloppy, which has been leading to my leg work getting a little out in front of me. I felt a bit stronger in my posture coming in to make some good swings from about 16 onwards. Wish I had found that a bit earlier. But I had a few nice chips to get up and down at 14. It's all there. Take 10 out of the equation, I'd be standing here sort of averagely happy, level par, 1-under par would be a decent return today, instead of 4s, 5s, and 6. The pins were tight, though. You had to really slice around and putt around well to get to these flags today. Take 10 out of the equation and I'd be not content, but a lot happier than I am right now. So I can't really get too down on myself. It's close. It just didn't happen today.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: No, I'm okay. I'm fine. The toys are not coming out of the pram right at this second. It's just one round. It's a tough little golf course when you -- I just didn't hit it in the fairway enough. I missed a few fairways early on in the front. 10 was a perfect example of that. 10 is an easy hole today if you hit it in the fairway. I just missed it in the left rough. Had one of those lies that was just begging me to have a go at it and smothered it and paid the ultimate penalty. But you've got to get the pill rolling out there. I felt good on the greens. I feel like if I can get my iron play a bit closer, I can hole some putts. Disappointed. I'd love something better.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: I'm needing some windy conditions right now, so bring it on. Bring on the stuff now.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, like I say, I mean, if there were three more days of sunshine and not much wind, I'd be pretty much writing myself off right at the second, 8, 9 back. But with the conditions they're forecasting the next couple of days, especially tomorrow, I mean it means that I don't have to go and beat myself up today. I can prepare myself for the conditions tomorrow and level par, 1-under par sort of gets me back in the mix a little bit tomorrow. So that's kind of what I'm trying to tell myself right now.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: Just drawing on a couple of weeks ago and how I played in those conditions. I think you've just got to prepare yourself and make sure you have the right equipment in the bag. I've got to get my ball shape back. I've got to make sure I've got both shapes in the bag. If the wind is going to be blowing strong, I have to make sure I have the cut. The cut needs to be there. It's not there at the minute. Three or four opportunities today, three or four times when I've stood there trying to hit cuts and double-crossed it.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: Let me think, 2, 3 -- 7 was the start of it really. Where else did it happen? I double crossed one on the par 3, 13th. Approach shot on the 14 was the opposite. It was kind of the holdoff -- looking for it too much. There were just a few like that. Just not being able to go into the cut, more than anything. Just having to stay away from it. It's not very good.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, it can get you frustrated a little quicker when you know there are good opportunities out here. And you've got 16 and 18, which are good opportunities. 18 not so much so. 18, I probably should have hit driver there today. I hit 3-wood of the tee and left myself 265 front edge, kind of into it in the left. 16 was a great opportunity. I pulled a bad lie on the front bunker, couldn't get my stance in there. But there's a frustration level from the point of view that there are birdie opportunities out there. But you have to be patient. The weather is going to turn soft tomorrow. And that good score gets me back in it tomorrow as opposed to the leaders out of sight by the time I get back on the course tomorrow afternoon.
Q. (Inaudible.) GRAEME McDOWELL: Don't know, no. I couldn't get a straight answer out of the guy. So it might have. I said, did that ball hit you? He said, "No, no, it's over here in this bush." Okay. So it wasn't really great from there. But it was just one of those days. Shit happens, we'll be back tomorrow.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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