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THE 146TH OPEN

July 21, 2017

Bubba Watson

Southport, England

BUBBA WATSON: Well, let's not get it twisted now, I wasn't reluctant because I wasn't happy with my round. I just didn't want to come up here. It's the same questions every week. "Hey, how do you feel about your round?" It was good.

No, I'll take it. I told Teddy, even though I was 2-under early, if I could shoot even par for the tournament for two days, first of all, I made the cut, and second of all, it means I'm playing pretty good. We knew the first couple of holes, because we played this kind of wind in the practice round, in this direction. So I knew the first few holes were gettable. If you look at the leaderboard, not leaderboard, but the first groups teeing off, they made a couple of birdies on the first five holes. And then getting a chip in on 6, it's one of the most demanding holes out here; that helped me. So I got to 2-under.

But I knew turning to the holes into the wind were going to be very difficult. And that's what they were. They were a little too difficult for me. I'm happy. I'm very happy with it.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, there's a handful of holes. And then the wind direction really changes, it really throws you for a loop. No. 9. 16, I can think of right away. Those are the two blind tee shots I can think of right away. But then the wind, downwind or into the wind changes, your sightlines, as well. But those are the two I can think of right offhand that are very difficult for me, because I can't see the target when I'm trying to land it.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BUBBA WATSON: Well, wayward, that's a tough word to say. There's a lot of wind out there. I don't know how you played that hole today but it's very difficult.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BUBBA WATSON: Right. No, it was one of those -- so 17, you have to trust that the wind is going to push it back on the second shot, and I didn't trust it. So I kind of smothered it. I hit it over there because I was worried what's on this side. I was worried about that side, I hit it on this side. Then when I got my line, my line was decent. But at the same time there's out of bounds, and this rough, normally you pull it because it will catch the grass and pull it. So I was overcautious about that. So it went in that front bunker. The distance was perfect. The wind pushed it more than I thought. And I was trying to make sure that I didn't pull it.

And then on 18 I had 159 to the hole and I chipped a pitching wedge, because we knew we were going to catch a flier, and the wind still drifted it over. It was probably better on the bunker on 18 than over the green, because that was where that ball was going, because it was hot. It was into the wind bunker shot, pretty simple, routine bunker shot.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BUBBA WATSON: I made a couple of double bogeys. The middle stretch for me into this wind, not just for me, everybody into this wind. A couple of those holes are 500 yards and then it's dead into the wind. So you're playing a tough, tricky golf course when the wind is like this. That's all I tried to do. The only thing I wish I could do back is those two bunker shots. Two shots better, we're talking 2-under par. But would I have concentrated and fought and fought to get it back and stay at 2-under, who knows?

So even par, like I said, I was very happy with that for two days.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BUBBA WATSON: No. There's never a point of that. It's about trusting your numbers, trusting your abilities. When you don't do that, then whatever -- but I made a double bogey on 14, I think it is, the par-3. I think 14 is a par-3. I hit a perfect 5-iron. And then a wind gust and it ballooned. And then the next two guys hit cuts, and I was hitting a draw. And they went all the way to the hole because they hit it lower. Normally you think a cut would go higher than a draw. And then I bladed out of there. So it's not controlling your golf ball. It's a lot of luck involved.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BUBBA WATSON: I hope so. I hope so. No, it's just -- I don't think -- the difficult part is just trusting and believing that you've got all the right numbers and the right wind directions, so that's the key. And then putts, making six-footers. I made a lot of five- and six-footers, it felt like, today for pars, for bogey, and a couple for birdie. That's what you've got to do on any of these championships.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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