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THE 147TH OPEN

July 19, 2018

Pat Perez

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

Q. A lot of different thoughts on how to play this golf course. Some guys talked about drivers. Some guys talked about laying up. Which option did you go with?
PAT PEREZ: I've only got one option. I've only got the driver. I tried to get it down to as close as I can to it so I have a chance. I think it's fantastic how the setup is. It's great. I wish a lot more courses were like this. It doesn't really favor the long hitter for once. For once in a major, it doesn't favor the long hitter because everybody kind of hit it down where they could get it. Like if they challenge 6, most guys in the field, if they challenge with a great drive, they can get it there in two. I played that hole into the wind, it's soft, and I've never had a chance. I hit 3 iron, 3 iron, 6 iron on that hole before.

So I think it's awesome. I don't know. It's awesome.

Q. What did you hit today, and did you get there?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah. On my stretch, I hit driver right, and I didn't like it. It was off to the left, but I didn't want to lay up with a 3 iron and miss that and be out in the rough and try to scatter out. I hit a bunch of drivers. Obviously, you've got to be straight, but you can hit a 4 iron. You can hit 4 and 3 iron 300 yards here.

The key is I try to get it down and run it. That's it, just low and straight. I've hit driver on holes I've never really hit driver before in the Dunhill tournament. So it's actually nice.

Q. Does it ever feel like the ball is not going to stop rolling when you're standing there watching it go in?
PAT PEREZ: Sometimes. I hit a 4 iron on 9, and it ran out to about 290. Yeah, you just don't know. Julian Suri hit a perfect flyer in the middle of the fairway, and it kept rolling and rolling and kept watching, and it rolled right into the bunker. It was just unlucky.

But it's pretty cool. It's nice on 10 to hit driver 100 yards. I think it's awesome.

Q. Knowing what you know now, that basically you can hit your second shot from places that other guys, longer hitters are hitting their second shots, do you feel like you're -- I don't want to say "driver's seat", but you feel like you really have --
PAT PEREZ: I didn't really hit my second shot that great today. I was in position a lot. I didn't really hit any good irons. I don't know what it is. I can't get my iron in the ground. It keeps coming off squirrelly. But I putted great, so that saved me. That's been most of the time the last couple of years. I could have easily shot 75 today if I didn't putt well.

Q. Were you surprised how receptive the greens were?
PAT PEREZ: No, because they do it right, like the USGA. They've got the opposite here -- I told them, you guys have it right, let the course get baked, but you've got the greens soft. Not soft, but they're receptive. They're not going to run and be out of control. They could have easily had the greens just like the fairway, but they didn't. The course is just set up perfect. It's awesome.

Q. I think you were on the list for the guys who had their drivers tested this week.
PAT PEREZ: Yeah.

Q. Were you curious how the numbers were going to work out on that at all?
PAT PEREZ: I was interested to see the list. I asked the guy, you've got three days. Why don't you just test everybody's driver? What's the difference? "Well, you know, time." I said, "You've got three days. How long does it take?" "Five minutes." I said, "Well, everybody's got five minutes."

Q. Did you understand why they were testing?
PAT PEREZ: I don't understand, no. I don't ask questions anymore because for one, you never get answers, and it's not worth my time to bother. But, you know, my driver was well inside. My driver was 238.

Q. 257 is the threshold, right?
PAT PEREZ: 238. So I didn't -- you know, these club companies, I don't know what they're trying to find. I don't know anybody -- these club companies aren't going to make and release clubs that are illegal now. All the talk that everybody is hitting it so far. It's the ball that's the reason that everybody is hitting it so far. It has nothing to do with the driver.

Q. And your physique?
PAT PEREZ: Yes, my physique, of course.

Q. The fact there's so much bounce and roll on the fairway, but in the green the ball is kind of stopping dead. Is that kind of a contrast in styles? Does it mess you up at all having to play differently?
PAT PEREZ: No. I love it. But I've been over here so many times now. I've played courses that are this firm and this hard. This one I've actually played the most of any. I played The Open in '17 as well. I played the Dunhill a few more times. So it's been -- I like it. I enjoy this place.

I think it's awesome.

Q. The way the conditions are now, are these the most enjoyable in your mind?
PAT PEREZ: For over here, yeah, definitely.

The U.S. Open could have been like this more if they wanted to. They could have made the greens a bit more receptive. These greens are really flat compared to Shinnecock. So that was kind of the problem there is they let it get out of control and they made the greens too hard. Those greens aren't made for that type of speed. They just aren't. These, they could have the speed, but they don't. I think it's just awesome.

Q. Tomorrow we're supposed to get some rain, maybe some more wind, and I think the weekend maybe some more wind as well. Do you see that as an advantage or a disadvantage?
PAT PEREZ: Neither. It doesn't matter because it all depends on what direction. You know how this tournament is. You know, we got a great draw this morning. The scores were good this morning. I don't see any different this afternoon because the wind's not really going to pick up, and it's starting to get cloudy.

I think this course is going to be great today. It says there's rain in the morning, so we'll see. I don't want to say it's a disadvantage or an advantage. It's pretty hard -- there's certain shots out there that are very hard. Depending on what the wind does, it could make it easier or harder. I haven't seen it yet.

Q. Did you hit driver on 3?
PAT PEREZ: No, I hit 5 iron. Julian Suri hit driver and it went into the scoreboard, and he was lucky because it would have been in the burn. Most guys tried to go left and have it bounce over the burn, but I didn't really see that as much of a bonus either. There's certain places to hit driver and certain not to. I would say that 3 definitely wouldn't be one of them. I could see guys, if somehow it switched and went down, I could see someone driving to the green on 1.

Q. Pieters did.
PAT PEREZ: Who?

Q. Thomas Pieters.
PAT PEREZ: Easily.

Q. And Rahm and Woodland, they were over the burn at 3.
PAT PEREZ: Oh, were they? Yeah. It's not necessarily that far. It's just I didn't see that shot being that easy from over there.

Q. Not the smartest maybe.
PAT PEREZ: Maybe not. You get lucky, though.

Q. What are the toughest decision? Are there any tees you have to stand up and really think about what you're going to do?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah, there's a bunch. Like 6, 7, those two off the tee. Julian's hitting a driver; I hit 3 iron. You know, it's --

Q. 7?
PAT PEREZ: On 7, yeah. There's just not much there -- I hit the bunker on 11, it's so stupid. I just missed it, and it flew right in. It's a very hard par. If I miss it by two yards, I've got 40 yards to the pin. That was a bad bogey. It's just you can't miss it in these bunkers. They're just so penal. You'll see guys in them, and they're not obviously trying to hit them. You've just got to get away. You've got to stay out of the bunkers.

What's nice about this long stuff is that it's so dry that it's coming out nice. It's coming out great. I don't really mind being in that too much. You don't want to be -- it's still angles. They've got the pins in some pretty tough spots, and you've got to be on that right angle.

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