	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2017

June 17, 2017

Jordan Niebrugge

Erin, Wisconsin

Q. So you're three rounds in, how do you feel with your first three days so far?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Today was a little bit of a grind. We had fun, but on the back we hit a lot of different shots. Almost holed out on my fourth, on hole 14, I think.

15, I hit it a little left, and ended up almost getting up-and-down from the tee box over there on 16. But I hit a little better coming down the stretch and ended up getting a birdie and didn't get shut out today. I played all right.

Q. How do you feel about going into tomorrow finishing with the birdie and knowing that this is your last chance?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: You know, we're going to go out there tomorrow and just try to strike it a little better with my irons. I feel like I'm putting pretty solid. The greens are very fast, so I'm going to go putt a little bit here and get the speed down a little bit. But just looking for a good round and trying to get into red numbers.

Q. What will it mean to be with your dad on Father's Day at the U.S. Open in Wisconsin?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: It will be pretty cool. I've been thinking about it since we made it last Monday, or two Mondays ago, but it will be pretty awesome coming off the 18th green and getting a hug from him. He doesn't really like hugs, but I think he'll get one tomorrow.

Q. When you came in, did you expect to be doing this well? Are you at where you thought you would be?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: I thought I'd be playing a little better. I was coming in here playing well, and I was pretty familiar with the course. Just made some dumb mistakes, not enough birdies. I mean, that's what the U.S. Open is about.

I feel like I've driven it pretty well, and I just haven't been hitting the iron shots that I'm capable of and haven't been able to get the birdie chances that I've wanted to. I've been hanging in there scrambling well, so I'm happy about that.

Q. When you saw the field coming into today, what was your reaction to not see Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: A little surprised. I thought it would be mostly a driver's golf course, because if you keep it in play off the tee -- I mean, they're all great drivers of the ball. I mean, they've had some tough pins out there, and the greens are pretty fast. If you're not on your game, I feel like it can get away from you pretty quick.

But I've managed to pretty much stay out of the fescue for the most part and limit my damage.

Q. Were there any opportunities early on that you kicked yourself over or were they all just good pars?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: I feel like there's probably a couple that I could have gotten, especially on the back nine. I had some good opportunities. My speed was just off, though. I was hitting them way too hard and just not reading them right with that speed. I just wasn't able to capitalize on some of the closer ones I had. But I scrambled well. I almost had a couple chip-ins today. Again, I haven't gotten one to drop yet, but I've been close quite a bit.

Q. Any surprises out there for you today? It seems like for a lot of guys the greens are a little faster than they expected.
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Yeah, the course is pretty soft. We got a lot of rain last night. But they've gotten the greens so pure. I mean, they're rolling, I would say, at least 13, 14. They're definitely faster than they feel like they should be, because they're soft. But they're rolling so pure. I think just getting the speed down and getting some of the lines a little better would solve that.

Q. A lot of people wanted it to be fast and firm and a lot of wind out here, but it's kind of been the opposite?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Yeah, the wind has kind of died down a little bit and it makes the course a little easier. Most of the winds are crosswinds, so it makes it tough, but obviously it hasn't been too much of a factor. It's been soft, too. We've gotten a lot of storms rolling through.

I've played the course when it's really firm, and today the ball wasn't rolling too far. It's playing long. The pins are tucked. It still plays pretty tough, and I'm happy to get out of it with 1-over the way I played today.

Q. Do you change your approach going into Sunday now that you just have one round to try to really move up?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Not really. I feel like I have a pretty good game plan. I just have to capitalize on some of the irons and hitting the approaches.

Q. You said you've been here three days. Do you have any idea what the overall impact of this tournament is going to be on younger golfers in this state?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: I've seen a lot of younger kids out there, and it's pretty cool to see. I had a couple following me today and calling me Mr. Niebrugge and stuff like that, which is pretty cool. I'm sure they get -- I was a little kid one time coming out here, going to Whistling Straits for a couple PGA Championships, and it's inspired me to get to where I am today, and I'm sure it's doing the same for those guys.

Q. You mentioned your adventures on 14 and 15. How close did you think that shot on 14 got going? And how were you tracking it? I don't think you could see it?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: We couldn't see it at all. I knew right when I hit it, I knew it was going to be pretty good. I ended up taking that slope down and it sounded like it barely got going down the slope, and once they started standing up, my caddie and I just kind of stopped, and they started roaring and it almost went in. Then we got up there and I was pretty surprised it was only about an inch and a half or two inches.

So that was pretty cool to get up there and save par there. I thought it was going in for a little bit from what the crowd's reaction was.

Q. On 15, since you were kind of in the crowd, was anybody saying anything interesting to you before your shot?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Well, I accidentally hit a guy. But I ended up getting a pretty good break over there. It wasn't in any of the fescue. I was almost on the tee box. It wasn't too bad of a shot with that back slope. Ended up hitting a pretty good shot and almost made the putt for 3.

Q. How did you get over there in the first place? What happened?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Hit 3-wood off the tee. Just pulled it a little bit. I mean, it was pin high, but just pulled it a little bit.

Q. Through three rounds, how does this experience compare to St. Andrews and your Open experience? Are you kind of waiting for that magical round? Is that what you're referring to when you say you haven't played well enough?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Yeah, it's been awesome having guys there every step of the way, encouraging you from the tee box all the way to the green and even to the next tee box. It's pretty cool to have that. It's totally a different experience.

Obviously, I played really well over there, and I've played okay here, not bad. Not up to what I was expecting, but it's been awesome to be able to play in front of a home crowd.

Q. Are people getting your name right?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Some of my family members, my uncle and aunt are starting to yell out random last names too, which is funny. We look over to see who says it, and it's them just laughing. So that's pretty cool to be out here enjoying it.

Q. Is that when you know you've made it?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: That's kind of how I get my nicknames, they kind of say "knee" and then whatever they want after that.

Q. What is the worst one you've gotten so far?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Out here? I feel like when they add an R at the end that's got to be pretty bad because there is obviously no R there, when we're getting "knee-burger" or something like that.

Q. What was your family yelling out?
JORDAN NIEBRUGGE: Just random stuff like Niebrugge or stuff like that. Just having fun.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297