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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2016

Danny Lee

Oakmont, Pennsylvania

DANNY LEE: You can actually hit it close to the hole and not worrying about releasing too much. So that was a big help out there. It was a good start.

Q. You were saying the other day, you described the greens as brutal on the course. So you think the rain has taken the teeth, the brutality, out of the course?
DANNY LEE: No, I think it's still brutal out there. I see some high numbers out there. I think, if you play four rounds, one round, I think you're going to have one brutal round, and you've just got to grind out there.

There's a lot of tight fairways out there, and wind kind of makes that even tougher to hit those fairways. If you miss it, there's just no way out. You've just got to chip it out to 150 yards and try to make up and down from there, I think.

Q. How much of a test of patience was this first round for you?
DANNY LEE: It was definitely one of the longest rounds I ever had. But I'm kind of used to it. It's been like this whole year. Seems like it's following around. The weather is following around the whole major championship and PGA Tour, I think. So I'm kind of used to it at the moment.

Q. Danny, you took so long to play your round. Do you think it was a good break to be on that side of the draw given that you don't have to rush back out now?
DANNY LEE: I actually don't mind playing 36 holes if I can get it going. But for me right now it's a good break because I wasn't driving it that great. I don't think I hit that many fairways this round. I probably only hit like four or five fairways, and I should work on my driver if I want to play well next three rounds.

Q. Spreading the ball like that, how fortunate do you feel, given how tough this course is, to shoot under par with that kind of off the tee?
DANNY LEE: It was actually good that I was hitting it so bad that my ball was landing where the people were walking, where grass is all sit down. So that was kind of helpful.

Q. (No microphone)?
DANNY LEE: Yeah.

Q. What time are you teeing off later on?
DANNY LEE: Apparently, I'm at 8:34 p.m.

Q. Have you ever done that in your professional career?
DANNY LEE: No. That's my -- that's way past my dinnertime. I should be in bed, rolling around about to fall asleep. I've never swung the golf club at that time.

Q. Bubba was saying he wasn't sure if he was having dinner before or after. Is that a dilemma for you as well?
DANNY LEE: Yeah. I mean, I usually eat a lot at night. So it's going to be a problem for me this one.

Q. What time do you usually eat dinner?
DANNY LEE: Around 6:00, 7:00.

Q. Did you all compare any U.S. Amateur notes among your grouping? All three former U.S. Amateur champions?
DANNY LEE: Yeah, it was definitely a fun first round playing with them. They're all around my age. I'm the oldest. I don't know how that happened. But it was definitely a fun group.

Q. How much more confidence do you have, Danny, since winning at Greenbriar, being a winner on Tour?
DANNY LEE: A lot. It definitely gave me a confidence boost. It makes me believe I can win out here. And even at the Masters, I was so close, I just had a rough, rough day on Saturday. Except that, everything was good, I think.

It seems like I'm in the exact same situation right now. So I know what I have to do is what not to do. So hopefully, I will make it right this time.

Q. I came in a little late, so you may have already answered this. On Wednesday, you talked about how the rain, you thought, would make the course more difficult. Were you surprised at the fact that it made it easier, or did it make it easier?
DANNY LEE: Surprisingly, it made it easier. I wasn't expecting this much rain. It definitely made it easier. I was easier to hit second shots for us. You can actually try to land your ball near the flag and not worrying about releasing too much. That was the toughest thing on this course, I think. You don't know where to land your golf ball. You think you land it perfectly, it will release forever, and next thing you know, you have a 30-yard pitch shot.

Q. I came in late too. I'm sure you talked about this. What was the like 24 hours like for you? You ever experience anything as crazy as this with the stop and starting?
DANNY LEE: I was very focused one point, and I was sleeping one point. And then I woke up and started swinging.

Q. How did you get past those delays yesterday?
DANNY LEE: I was just chatting with my friends and just trying to stretch as much as I can and stay warm. I mean, that's not my first delay I ever had. So I'm used to it.

Q. Danny, do you have any sense of what it is with the driver that you need to change in your swing to get it straightened out?
DANNY LEE: I don't think it's more of my swing. I think it's more like hitting more shots off the tee, I think. I'm a drive ball hitter. I think that a fade ball hitter has more of an advantage at this golf course, and I just need to have the fade shot off the tee, I think.

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