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THE 147TH OPEN

July 19, 2018

Sandy Lyle

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

SANDY LYLE: You know, after nine holes, I was very happy. At level par, and I just got in a little bit of bunker trouble. I wasn't very happy with the last nine holes. That was a disappointing 75.

But with any hope, maybe tomorrow we can shoot a low number, a couple under, might have a chance.

Q. Were you nervous this morning?
SANDY LYLE: I was nervous last night, never mind this morning. I woke up about 1:00 this morning with one eye on the alarm clock thinking. Then your mind starts thinking about the opening shot and things. I would say it was playing pretty docile today. For a pro, it wasn't too bad hitting a 4 iron off the tee peg with no wind. It was a pretty nice opening tee shot for The Open. It was a pretty nice way to have the opening tee shot for The Open.

Q. How did the course play? Was it a lot firmer than you are used to out here?
SANDY LYLE: It's one of the top three of the firmest I've seen it because there's always been a bit of water and a bit of softness and playing long. This time we've got like we had at Muirfield about four or five years ago when Mickelson won. It was about as dry as that.

You've got to -- mentally, you've got to be very careful what you choose, what club, and a little bit of hope as well at the same time. I've always said this is a wearing golf course, on the mental side of it. Is it an iron? Is it be aggressive? Can I hit driver?

A lot of times, if you guess well and it comes off, it feels really good. And other times you can curse yourself, like really catch one of those bogus bunkers you've forgotten about kind of thing around a hill somewhere.

Yeah, the bunker is obviously penal, and I've been in a few of them today. I was in five bunkers on the back nine, which kind of wore me out a little bit.

Q. The one that you got the double bogey. Tell us about that. I saw your tee shot, but I didn't see the rest.
SANDY LYLE: I was kind of debating between clubs, and I did an outing for Nick on there about a month ago. I played that hole for nearly 2 1/2 hours and never missed a green. I thought, well, let's just be easy. I've got an 8 iron and a 9 iron. Is it a 9? Is it an 8? But the yardage kind of dictated an 8 iron. I thought, if I hit a draw what I'm trying to hit and the ground is hard, the 9 iron should be enough club to at least put me in the middle of the worst.

I hit the 8 and of course pulled it, and goes straight into the bunker pin high. But it was up against the face. So I had basically one foot out, one foot in, and club face closed. I caught the lip of the bunker on the way down, and it just skidded the club. I didn't miss the ball, but I only moved it about three inches. So I've got virtually the same shot. But I left it in the bunker and then come out to about a foot from the hole and made a very easy five. That's what can happen on a links course. It's just unfortunate to have that kind of lie against the wrong side of the bunker really.

Q. How was the crowd this morning?
SANDY LYLE: Pretty good. I was very impressed. I was hoping I'd get away with maybe 20 people out there, and 15 have been probably part of my family. Yeah, they were great. I think it was about 80 percent full on that 1st hole. Very good. Very impressed.

Q. (Inaudible).
SANDY LYLE: The course is up for grabs today, I think. There were a lot of irons off the tee just for position and medium irons for second shots. Hit driver a few times when I'm hitting probably an 8 iron or a 7 iron and he's hitting a little sand wedge in. So it can be done. I would have said it's got to be somebody shooting 63, 64 out there today. I would be very surprised if there isn't.

Pins are tucked away quite good, mind you. That's the main thing. They've been pretty heavy on some of the pins at the edges and back of the greens. So you've got to be careful.

Q. (Inaudible) maybe tell me about those.
SANDY LYLE: The putter?

Q. Yeah.
SANDY LYLE: I used to use a big putter called the Swan, and I call this one the Ugly Duckling. I've had it for a year and a half now. It's like the Matt Kuchar style where you lock it into your left arm. It's about 42 inches long, and that's what I do there. I had another one made by Tad Moore, a custom-made one, which I liked that one a lot. And (indiscernible) a long putter. I lasted about a week.

Q. (Inaudible).
SANDY LYLE: It was made in Florida. BioMech or something like that. They're in West Palm area somewhere. I really don't know much about them. A friend of mine said, "Phone this number. Here's a putter you might like." I just met him on a Pro-Am on the putting greens, and he came up with a couple of putters. I looked at it and thought, oh, boy, this is interesting. But once I got a couple of hours with it, I've stuck with it.

Because what I was working on at the time with Dave Stockton, just some of the things he told me a few years ago was putt with your left hand a lot more. So I was doing a lot of one-handed putting on my left side. So I was always doing this without my left shoulder going up. So this putter comes in like that. So it almost matches what I'm trying to do in the first place. So it was kind of an instant sort of love affair, I suppose, with your putter.

And I've kept using it, and it's good. It doesn't do me any harm. I made some putts out there today. It's done me no harm. That's one of the areas I felt I was lacking in was it was starting to make some putts out there. But I am making the putts. I need to get the ball on the green now. That's the trouble.

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