	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE 147TH OPEN

July 20, 2018

Tom Lewis

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

TOM LEWIS: I did a lot today well. Hit one bad drive on the last. I'm sure I'm not going to be the only person that does that. Unfortunately, I thought it probably carried the water, but it didn't. So I did the right thing by laying up and giving myself a chance. Unfortunately, I hit a good putt. It just didn't really break on me.

We'll just have to hope. I think it's 70 and ties, is it? If it stays like this and gets a bit windier, great for me. I don't know. I think it's going to dry up and not going to get any windier either. So it's 50-50.

Q. How much would it mean to you to be here for the weekend?
TOM LEWIS: It means everything. Would like to have a shot, especially the way I played today. I don't know. Just have to hope, and if the luck's with me, then I'll be here.

Q. You said yesterday, "I haven't quite got going." You thought there was a score out there, particularly the way you played that first nine as well. It must have given you a lot of confidence.
TOM LEWIS: Yeah, I didn't do a lot wrong. I holed out very well as well. I holed a lot of four-to-six-foot putts for pars. It was a nice one to hole on 9. And then I played solid coming in as well. I probably made one bad swing, and that was on 14 where I missed the green right. But other than that, I can't really complain about this round. If someone had said to me go out and shoot 1-under par, I'd be happy. But when you're 4-over par, you're kind of disappointed.

Q. How challenging were the conditions out there?
TOM LEWIS: They are challenging because you've got the rain, and there's dew on the ground with the rain, but it's consistent; it's been like that all day. And there isn't a lot of wind, which obviously helps. Never been a great rain player even though I'm from England, but it was good today. I was pleased. I'm not too angry. I'm not too bad. I'll probably get angrier the more I realise what I just did.

Q. So what are you going to do now, just have some lunch and a rest?
TOM LEWIS: Yeah, I think so. I'll probably go in and get something to eat. I don't think I'll be practising for sure.

Q. Last hole aside, tell us what it means just to be back here. It's been a long time between, hasn't it?
TOM LEWIS: Yeah, it's been so long, too long. Hopefully, this is the start of me again. Hopefully, I can come and play many more in a row, really just keep building on experience. I think that's the thing, being out here and knowing what you need to do helps. Today, like I don't think it mattered really if I had experience or not. I hit one bad swing, and I don't regret hitting the driver. You know, it's a tough hole if you don't hit driver. The guys I played with, they hit it in close. I wish I could give them some money for where they hit it for, you know.

I had a good draw. The guys were nice, and the crowds have been great.

Q. Do you look back to your first, your only sort of experience at The Open and think I expected it was going to be like this every year because it was such a flying start.
TOM LEWIS: Yeah, I probably just thought that's what was normal, win every three weeks and get some good experience. But I learned a lot over the last seven years. I think now I'm probably a better player than I was then, and probably my confidence was just a little better then because I was able to have more success as an amateur.

But when you come out here, the guys are stronger players. It's harder to win even in the last five, six years.

Q. Because it's such a confidence game, is that a big part of it for you?
TOM LEWIS: I think I probably didn't -- you know it's the guys -- especially, I don't know if the guys from outside of golf look at it, but when you're inside the ropes and you see the guys, they struggle, and they're struggling for weeks and weeks and weeks, and they have one good week, and all of a sudden their year kicks off. I think what's going to sort of have to happen to me at some point. I'm going to have to have a good week. If I make the cut here, go out and play like I did today and not double the last. All of a sudden, this week could start off my career again, do you know what I mean?

But just going to have to have a lucky break here and there, and then if my confidence picks up, then my game will hold up.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297