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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2017

June 18, 2017

Steve Stricker

Erin, Wisconsin

Q. That ovation you got at 18, what does that mean to you?
STEVE STRICKER: It was really cool. Yeah, I don't get those very often. So it was pretty cool to get that, and to play well today on top of it was extra special. And I'm glad I made it here. I'm glad a qualified and was able to play. It was a pretty special week all around. We had a great time. My wife was on the bag. My kids were here. And it was a very special week to be here.

Q. Talk about the putt on 15.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, the one that came up just short? Yeah, that was one you had to be really careful of. And there were a lot of those today. It came up a half a roll short. But I was just trying to lag it down there and hopefully it found the hole. Yeah, that would have been nice to get. But can't complain the way I finished it off. And I'm excited about the way I played this week, and especially this weekend.

Q. You have three Americans at 1, 2 and 3. Do you put your captain's hat on?
STEVE STRICKER: I'd love to watch. I may stick around a little bit to watch and just see who does what here coming in. I was able to say good luck to a couple of guys on the way in. Brooks Koepka, we crossed paths on 8. He was going to 8, and I was going to 18. And then Rickie gave me a thumbs up all the way over -- while he was on 10 tee box. And I kind of motioned to him same thing.

It will be fun to watch and I'm interested to see who's doing what and who's playing well. But it should be a great finish.

The wind has picked up a little bit again, it was laying down there for a little while. But there's still some good opportunities for these guys to be aggressive if you want to, but you still have to be careful, there are still tricky pins out there.

Q. What did you think of the way Erin Hills played all week and today when the wind showed up?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I don't know if it's the U.S. Open like everybody wants or thinks of a U.S. Open. We're at 14-under par. Does that mean anything? I don't know.

I asked some of the players how they liked Erin Hills and for the most part everybody seemed to like it. A few changes here and there, according to some people. It's tough when you come to a place for the first time and not really knowing how to set it up, how to play it. But I thought it was great. We're going to get some fireworks, I'm sure, down at the end, which will be fun to watch.

The crowds this week were unbelievable. They came out in force and supported everybody. And in that regard I thought it was a great week.

Q. You're at minus 5, where did you think that would finish if you had that in your mind at the beginning of the week. You're the clubhouse leader?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, but minus 5 doesn't mean anything. At the start of the week I was thinking 5-under would maybe win this thing, and I was pretty far off.

I don't know if I have 14-under in my bag to play. These guys play a different game. A 3-wood 300 yards yesterday for Justin Thomas. I don't hit my driver 300 yards. These guys have a lot of firepower. This is the new age of golf. They bomb it. If they hit it crooked, they'll bomb it again. They've got no fear and they're gutsy players, and they're little bull dogs and they're just relentless.

And this course allows them to do that, wide fairways, so they can let it rip. It's fun to watch, but it's not a typical U.S. Open.

Q. Do you feel like you can still play in majors?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, as long as I can get in them, I'll play them. This one was a challenge to get in. But I'm in the British. If I keep playing well enough, I'll be in the PGA. So I'm excited about playing in all four of them this year. Yeah, as long as I can play in them, I would love to keep playing them.

Q. Will you add an event to try and stay in the top 50?
STEVE STRICKER: I think for the PGA the unwritten rule is about a top 100. They like to get the top 100 in the World Rankings. And I'm going -- playing John Deere probably is my next event and then the British. And then after I don't really know. But I don't know if I'll add events. Getting close to the end of the season, there's not a whole lot of events left if you really look at it. But I'll do what I can to play in whatever I can.

Q. Will the U.S. Open come back here?
STEVE STRICKER: I hope it does. I don't know. The powers to be are a lot different thinking than my thoughts. But it's -- I would think they would want to change a few things if it comes back here, maybe narrow the fairways a little bit. I'd like to see the fescue -- I think I've said this before, I'd like to see the fescue a little bit thinner and the fairways a little bit narrower, so it's not a full shot penalty for hitting it in the fescue, but it's going to be harder to hit the fairways kind of thing. Some places it's just too thick and too penal.

But who knows, it would be great for them to come back here. We've got a Ryder Cup in 2020. PGA coming back anytime soon? So I guess Ryder Cup is our next thing. So three more years.

Q. Do you feel your better in any way for having this young guys out here doing what they're doing?
STEVE STRICKER: I sit back and look at their games and I'm in awe of a lot of their games. I mean I never -- Tiger Woods came out and he showed us that style back in the '90s. But now it seems like more and more of these kids are coming out all the time with that firepower. I never had that firepower. And it gets me into trouble when I think that I do.

So it's something that I just sit back and marvel at, really. These guys just take on everything, no fear, like I said, and they play very aggressively. And it's fun to watch. Sometimes it gets them into trouble, and sometimes they make eagles like Justin Thomas did on the last hole yesterday. It's kind of feast or famine at times for them, but it's sure fun to watch.

Q. As you look back at this week, is there anything that stands out?
STEVE STRICKER: I don't know. There was so many cool moments, walking up to every tee box on and every green. Just the qualifier, itself, was a huge thing for me. Just that I made it. It was a relief, that I wanted to be here so bad. And then the reception and all the support I got all week long was unbelievable. So it was really cool.

Q. Where did this Father's Day rank for you?
STEVE STRICKER: Oh, I don't know, it was -- they're all special. I don't feel like any one day, Father's Day, is different than any other day that I have with my kids or my dad. But it was -- it's cool that they want to be with me and be around me and have fun with me. So that's the cool part. Every day we do that. It's no different today than any other day.

But it was cool to have Nicki on the bag this week and experience that. We had a lot of fun doing that. She loves that, too. She's hurting, I don't know if she'll be able to caddie next week. But she did well. We had a lot of fun together again.

Q. Do you have obligations for your tournament starting tomorrow?
STEVE STRICKER: Maybe, yeah. Tomorrow night, maybe. But it will be a busy week. But good stuff. Like I said before, this is about playing this week.

Next week is more about doing -- raising some money, giving back to the community. And obviously playing, too. I'd love to play well next week, and see if I can't win one on the Champions Tour. But it's a totally different feel and atmosphere than what I just did here this week.

Q. Do you think those guys look at you like you look at Fowler and those guys?
STEVE STRICKER: I am long out there. That's the cool part. I got some length out there. But, no, I doubt it. I doubt if they look at me like that.

Q. You've got to get through Am Fam, but any thoughts on the Senior Open? What do you know about Salem?
STEVE STRICKER: I'm not sure I'm going to go. I'm not sure if I'm going to go. I'm kind of focusing more on out here, I think, at the time being. Being the Presidents Cup captain I want to make sure I'll be around. I may add another event somewhere down the line, but I think I'm going to need a couple of weeks off and then adjust from there. But I don't know if I'm going to go to the U.S. Senior Open.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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