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THE 146TH OPEN

July 21, 2017

Austin Connelly

Southport, England

AUSTIN CONNELLY: Same game plan. Obviously there's some holes where you have to play a bit more conservative. The course plays much longer with this wind direction, at least for me it does. There are some bunkers I can't carry. It forced me to stay short on some holes. I feel like I hit a lot of 5 to 3-irons. Probably more than half the holes I was hitting more than a 5-iron.

Yeah, it's just nice to grind through it and be in the position I am heading into the weekend.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: No, I've said all week I'm very comfortable on this golf course. I enjoy links golf. I like playing links golf. And I'm just very confident where my game is at right now. I've been trending in the right direction for a while. It hasn't shown up so much in the results. I've had a couple of good ones throughout the year.

I'm very happy where my game is. And I think this place really fits my game well.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Well, I had two goals starting the week: One was to make the cut, and one was to rise up the leaderboard the weekend. So that's my goal.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: It would be great. It would be so nice to be able to plan my schedule from the start of the year, and not have to book plane tickets a week out. Yeah, I can't really look at it like that. It's just one shot at a time, one stroke at a time. I'm very happy with my demeanour out there. I don't feel nervous at all. I'm very comfortable, relaxed. More than anything, looking forward to the weekend and looking forward to being in position.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Actually today was very similar to Jones Cup weather. There was a lot of swirling, strong winds out there. It's usually a bit colder than that there.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, I think it plays into my hands. When the guys are forced to hit long irons and hit shots from a long ways off, my direction control, I think, really comes into play. And I feel like I can hit 3-iron very straight and still make pars and grind through the holes, as hard as they are, just because I know where it's going.

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the weekend. I think the more the wind blows, the better it will be for my game, exactly.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: I mean, Jordan is a friend of mine. He's obviously a great player. He's probably in some of the best form I've ever seen him in. He was hitting it exceptionally well in the practice round. So, you know, other than just course mapping and figuring out kind of where we want to hit it, not a whole lot other than that.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, yeah, we both live in Dallas. So we have the same swing coach and the same agent. So I see him quite a bit.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, in both. Two passports. So I've got very close family up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and I've got very close family in Dallas, Texas. So I'm both.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, I'm very proud to be able to represent the people of Clara Nova Scotia, they've been exceptional to me. They've treated me so well over the years and they've supported me so long, it's really nice to be able to support them. And it's nice to have them in my corner.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, it's obviously my first Open experience. So I'm just kind of learning how you have to play out here. It's a bit different than some of the courses we play on the European Tour. You can be a little bit more aggressive. You have some shorter clubs in the holes. But out here you really have to golf your ball. And you have to be very strategic in how you attack the course. Sometimes you're better off missing the green in the right spot as opposed to hitting the green in the wrong spot. It's knowing where you can and can't miss it.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Very excited. It's nice to have him here. Yeah, very.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, both my parents and my granddad are here. So it's nice having them here.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Yeah, I would say that there's almost no advantage to being really small. But I don't think so. I got asked that question just a second ago, if it helped being shorter. But I've never been taller, so I can't really comment (laughter).

It's just something that -- it's just golf, like anything other week. A bit more going on outside the ropes but other than that it's the same game.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: You know, I'm really enjoying the European Tour right now. At some point in the future I might transition back over there. It would obviously be nice to be able to -- it's just so comfortable in the U.S. But for now I feel like the European Tour is the right place for me. I think that's my pathway forward. I really, really believe that I'll come away a stronger player after spending a few years on the European Tour. So I'm very content with being out there right now.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: No, not really. I mean there's only a few ways to do it, right? This is a pretty good way right here, if you play well enough this week. But other than that it's just -- I guess my goal is to get to the PGA Tour through World Ranking, is the long-term goal.

Q. (Inaudible.)
AUSTIN CONNELLY: Correct.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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