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THE 147TH OPEN

July 20, 2018

Jordan Spieth

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, 1-over on the last four certainly beat yesterday. I didn't know at the beginning of the week that I'd take that. I thought maybe have an opportunity to hit a couple good shots there, but I don't hit any long irons until really the last four or five holes. It's kind of swing just got a little off there. But it was a phenomenal up and down for bogey. I thought that was a huge save today.

And then giving myself two putts on the last two holes was all I could ask for. So very happy to be back in the tournament.

Q. You were obviously a little bit disappointed with how you finished yesterday, and rightfully so. How did you regroup? What did you tell yourself?
JORDAN SPIETH: I don't know if I actually regroup. It more kind of fires me up a little. The frustration to get it back with the combination of knowing that you have to be patient out here. We also got really lucky with the conditions. So being in this wave was huge. Seeing the cut line move close to 3 before we teed off gave me some leeway to not really have to worry about that and to be able to play the golf course the way I wanted to.

I hit a lot of drivers today. Even though I wasn't driving it very well, I was at least hitting short irons into the greens out of the fescue. I was able to make a couple holes. I stole 10 and 11. I could have ended up a couple over there and ended up a couple under. And then played smart from there on out.

Q. On the 10th tee shot, you hit a driver. The best way to describe it (inaudible). The angle, is that your chance to see it yet?
JORDAN SPIETH: I thought it hit the tree. And it just kicked over to the left there. I saw Zach on the left further back on coverage this morning. I also know that on the line I hit it on, as long as it doesn't hit the tree, it's all trampled down, and there's no trouble over there, and it's actually the best angle.

I wasn't trying to go over there, but I knew that, if it came off, I was trying to hit kind of a low hammered cut, and that miss can sometimes be just kind of a low heater, which is kind of what I hit.

I thought it would be okay. Walking up, I thought I was in big trouble, no swing, right in the trees, based on the way the crowd was moving around the tree, and was able to work something with it. I didn't know it hit anybody. Nobody said that either.

Q. (Inaudible).
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, that was Zach Johnson that kicked it over. But I was watching.

Q. (Inaudible).
JORDAN SPIETH: It ended up leading to a 3. So it ended up being a fortunate break looking back on it. But, again, if it doesn't hit anything, it ends up in actually a pretty good spot there. No, I just -- I'm upset I don't have an opportunity to say sorry for hitting the guy. We always try and sign a glove or a ball.

Q. What did you hit there?
JORDAN SPIETH: I hit an 8 iron. I hit about 155 front. I don't know what the pin was on. Something like 195 hole. I hit an 8. I was in between 8 and 7. And just because I wasn't sure if it was going to jump or not. If it wasn't going to jump, a 7 was good, but I played for it, and it came out luckily. It actually took the wind perfectly, and I was lucky to get it up there pin high.

But in the air, I knew it was on a line that was going to be on the green and most likely a par, which is all I was looking for.

Q. Speaking of the house, you've got several guys that are in contention, two of the co-leaders. Does the dynamic of the conversation change at all this weekend?
JORDAN SPIETH: I doubt it. I doubt it. I'm just looking forward to getting back and getting a meal, talking with the guys. But, yeah, it was --

Q. There's nothing you talk about?
JORDAN SPIETH: It's not totally different from last year. I guess last year -- this is the third year in a row. So last year I guess we got separated with Kuch a little bit prior to Saturday, but we still had other guys there that had an opportunity. See how tomorrow plays out. Maybe tomorrow night, Sunday, it gets a little quieter, but I doubt it.

Q. Your confidence level the same as Augusta in this event?
JORDAN SPIETH: No, I would say it's higher. In this event? Just overall? Probably very similar, yeah. I look at Augusta and The Open Championship as probably my two best opportunities looking at every course in a year. The best tournaments for me, which I feel very happy about it because they happen to be majors and my favourite two tournaments. So I don't think the fact that I like them has anything to do with it. I think it's kind of lucky.

But I love the imagination needed over here, and the golf courses we've played have been a lot of fun.

Q. Jordan, does it seem like everything is starting to click with your putter?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I made a change even from yesterday to today on the practise green that allowed my arms to do more of the work, which is what I'm looking to do. It's getting there. It's not quite -- maybe 60, 70 percent of the putts I'm hitting are set up exactly like I want them to, and there's still a few where it looks kind of weird to me, and I feel like I have to manipulate it. But, no, it's come a long way in the last few months, no doubt.

Q. You made that change this afternoon?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, after the round yesterday, and we kind of worked on it in a couple different sessions today.

Q. Do you enjoy scrambling golf, especially on the fairways. But when you have fairways to enjoy that sort of invention?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I do. I think rough proximity has always been a strength of mine. I've kind of -- I'd certainly rather play boring golf, but missing in the right places, I kind of take pride in, okay, I miss that, but the hole opens up for me here, and it makes it not too bad.

I think, if I focus more on the middle of the fairways, I'd probably hit more fairways, but I'd also end up, probably if I did miss it, in the wrong spot.

Out here with the firm fairways, you've got to really pick and choose what you're going to do. Are you going to trust down the centre of the fairway, or are you going to protect a little bit? I think tomorrow and Sunday are going to be two different scenarios based on the forecasted conditions.

Q. You mentioned the confidence, what was it coming in versus where it is right now?
JORDAN SPIETH: I felt like the work over the last couple of weeks put me back -- like it wasn't cut-line golf. Even in the practise rounds, keeping score, and I'm shooting under par on each 9 holes I played. Versus I was getting 2-over and then I was getting 2-under. It was separation. There was just more consistency, which is why I was so disappointed yesterday at the finish because that's what the year's kind of looked like a little for me, and I felt like I was really working away from that.

I made one bad decision, and it cost me. But it's getting close -- I know that my swing's not exactly where I want it to be. It's nowhere near where it was at Birkdale, but the short game's on point, and the swing's working the right direction to get that confidence back.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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