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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJune 21, 2015Thomas AikenUNIVERSITY PLACE, WASHINGTON Q. Great day, tell us about it. THOMAS AIKEN: It was a fantastic day. The golf course finally lent some birdies to me. I mean, they put a couple of tees forward today. There were a few pins that were kind of accessible early on, because it seemed like they put a lot of water on the golf course last night to try to soften it. The wind was blowing a little bit this morning and if the sun came out and the wind stayed up the way it looked like it was going to, I think it would have baked quite a lot. So there's birdies out there, but there's also a lot of trouble out there and you've got to stay patient. But all in all, very happy with the way I played. And hats off to the Amateur I played with, he had a great round, as well, and I hope he wins low amateur. Q. What's the biggest difference for you out there today? THOMAS AIKEN: I just made a few more putts than I did the first few days. To be honest, my long game has been fantastic all week. I've driven the ball unbelievably and hit a lot of greens, but just struggled on the greens. But today hit a few closer and made a few more putts and that's really the difference. If you look at Louis Oosthuizen, he struggled on the first day and I think he struggled on the greens a little bit, and the last few days he's found a few putts and shot 66, 66. Around here that's pretty impressive. It shows there is a score out there. You can get it done, but it's not easy. Q. What do you think about the setup of the last few holes? Are they gettable? Do you think that people, when it comes down to the end of the championship, that there will be birdies, potential eagles on the holes, the way they're set up, do you think that's the way it's set up? THOMAS AIKEN: Yeah, I think they've set up the last few holes in a kind of risk-and-reward format. The 15th they've got a front tee box to a really tight front flag. Guys have only been hitting a wedge or 9-iron into that hole, but if you miss it a yard short you're going to come 30 yards back down the fairway into the bunker, which leaves you an impossible shot. You can play the safe shot just past the flag, but you've got a tough putt. Then 16, they pushed the tees well forward on 16. We hit 3-wood today, but trying to keep it on the green is near impossible, you've got to pray for a good bounce. And then when you hit it in the bunker, depending on where you are in the bunker, I think you're going to see a lot of birdies on the last four holes, and I think you're going to see a lot of bogeys on the last four holes. And it all depends on whether people are pushing or whether they're just letting it happen. And I think 15 and 16 you've got to get a little bit lucky today. Q. A lot of South Africans doing well. Is that good for the country, good for golf in your country? THOMAS AIKEN: Always good. South African golf has been in a great spot for the last few decades. It all started way back with Bobby Locke and Gary Player and then Ernie and Retief and then Trevor Immelman won a major, then Sean Louis, and now Branden is up there today. I wish him all the best. He's been in many situations and won many times before and hopefully he can get it done today. If he doesn't, there's some really nice guys that have got a good shot. I mean Jordan Spieth, who I know very well, has been playing phenomenal golf over the last how many months. And he's got a great opportunity to win his second major. And then there's Jason Day, you can't get much of a nicer guy. And I think he's been through quite a bit this week and I'm sure he's the crowd favorite to try and pull through, even though he's not American. But I think golf is in a great spot in general. We've got some really young kids that are at the top of the game in the world and not only are they great golfers, but they're just genuinely nice guys, as well, and that makes a huge difference. Q. Following up on that, is there some sort of familiarity with this golf course that a South African golfer can relate to? THOMAS AIKEN: I don't think there's any familiarities at all to any golf course. I mean, from tee to green there's a lot of golf courses that you can kind of compare them to. A lot of people said at the beginning of the week it plays like a links course, but it doesn't really. The tee shots do. But your approach shots definitely don't. You've got to fly the ball on to most of these greens. The green complexes are complex. You have to land the ball in the right area and hope that it stops somehow. I think that's what everyone has been struggling with. And unfortunately, the surface hasn't been as good as it could have been. 13 and 7 are perfect. They got redone, I think, and they're fewer fescue and the ball rolls perfectly on those greens. If every green had been like that, I don't think we would have heard any complaints all week. It's a pity it wasn't, but that is what it is. Overall, I think the people of Washington and Seattle and Tacoma area have been fantastic in supporting the event. It's been a tough walk for them. It's a beautiful part of the United States. We'd love to come back and play another golf tournament in this area, because the crowds have been fantastic and the people make the golf tournaments. That's really what creates the atmosphere. So hats off to them and hopefully we come back to this area again. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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