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THE 146TH OPEN

July 20, 2017

Steve Stricker

Southport, England

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I think we teed off at 7:41 and by that time it had stopped raining. I had watched the first few groups the first couple of holes. And it looked like it was very difficult with the rain and the wind. And it's very playable out there now. It's actually gotten a little nicer as the day went on, but still a challenge. A lot of crosswinds, hard to start your ball. For us it's hard to start it far enough out to the one side or the other with that crosswind.

And it's still a challenge. A lot of bunkers to manoeuvre around. And so it's very fair, very playable, though, right now. And it's gotten a little bit easier -- not easier, but more playable as the day went on.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah. It's just really each condition, each shot. The ball goes a long ways downwind and doesn't go very far into the wind. And it's big variables, there, that we're not used to. So you've got to try to adjust and think about it. It takes a little bit of extra thought, usually. And I hit a 9-iron to start with and felt like I just had to hammer it, so I just went back to make sure I could get it back there to the pin and hit an easy 8.

It's a lot of fun. The conditions make it a challenge. And conditions that we're not typically used to, that exposed conditions, the wind. But, again, the course is very fair, very fair.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it was important getting that one at 10. It's tough. I just got over here Monday and it was tough -- didn't feel very ready to go this morning. Getting up at 5:30 here, which is still 11:30 at home. And you still feel like you should be sleeping. And my body didn't feel very good. I warmed up and like, geez, we've got our work cut out for us today. So I just managed my way around there. That's another part tough about only coming over for a week is trying to adapt to that time and your body and your legs are more are fatigued, usually. So it's all a challenge.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: I did. Yeah. I was in having breakfast and it was raining and I'm like I can't -- I didn't want to get out in the rain. And I looked at the --

Q. And you studied what they did.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, and guys are were having a hard time keeping it out of the right. I think out of the first six guys, a couple of guys hit it out of bounds. Oh, yeah, I was watching and knew the first couple of holes were going to be playing pretty tough. I escaped with a par on 1 and then a bogeyed 2. But 1 is a very difficult hole with the wind coming off the left.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I've had a couple of good finishes here, I finished 7th here back in I guess '08, after like a 77 the first round. The first couple of rounds were very difficult here ten years ago, nine years ago. It's just about moving forward, staying out of those bunkers and playing it forward, getting it on the green, making your pars. It's a major championship, so pars are usually good. So you end up hitting a lot of little knockdown shots, feel shots in there, and that's the kind of player I am, I guess. It's always been a challenge for me to putt these greens.

I did okay today; missed a couple, but that's another challenge over here, the speed of the greens. We've got to hit it so much harder than what we're used to; everybody does. It's a challenge for everybody. But it's fun. I enjoy coming over for this week and try to figure it out.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it depends. Ask me that when we look at the weather, when we get out here tomorrow.

But, yeah, I don't know what it's supposed to be. I think tomorrow is the bad day, from what I hear. I don't know, maybe it's improved. Yeah, again, it's going to be a challenge. It's just about letting your short game, and that's what I do well at times over here is if I miss a green, just rely on my short game, try to get it up and down, just keep plugging forward.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah. I think it's already my wife's and my anniversary always this week every year. So there's a period of time there where I wanted to stay home. We did some things, vacation, did other things. And then it gets to the point of I don't know how many times I can play in this again kind of thing. And take advantage of it when I do get in, to come over. Last year I had a great time going to the Scottish Open and prepared for this week. That was probably the way I should do it, but I've got John Deere the week before, which I can't miss. So it's like these last few opportunities that I want to make sure that I can take advantage of playing.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, not so much this week. The course is very -- I was telling them that the course is very fair. You do some homework, I played nine, 18 and nine, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I played here two other times. So that helps, even though I didn't remember clubs and all that kind of stuff, but it still helps. Like I was saying to him, it's the fatigue part, waking up this morning at 5:30 and feeling like you shouldn't be playing golf. You should be just going to bed. And I go to the range and my arms don't feel right, my legs don't feel right. And that's the challenging part is try to get through that just kind of manage your way around. I did that well today.

Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE STRICKER: There's some definitely key holes out there. 1 is a key hole. 6 is a key hole. And then depending on the wind, you know, 8 played downwind, 13 played downwind.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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