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THE 147TH OPEN

July 22, 2018

Bernhard Langer

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

Q. Good round in difficult conditions.
BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, it was tough today. The wind was blowing pretty good. Played a little different clubs, like 17, I went with driver, driver, which was a new experience. So just got to play the wind and try to calculate the bounces and all that kind of stuff. Not easy out there.

Q. Did you hit a bunker?
BERNHARD LANGER: Not on 17, no.

Q. No, during the whole round.
BERNHARD LANGER: Oh, yeah, I was in the bunker several times. 18 in the greens. Two or three times I was in the greenside bunker, never in a fairway bunker. So that was good.

Q. You obviously know Carnoustie well. Is this the most benign it's been, or was this a tough round?
BERNHARD LANGER: Today wasn't benign. The first three days wasn't the most wind. There was always a little breeze. There were times when it was 10, 12 miles an hour, but nothing like today and nothing like it can be. But the course still played tough with the bounce.

Q. You were using some big drivers here, clubs off the tee. You obviously had to think your way around the course a lot more than you have the past couple of days.
BERNHARD LANGER: To think your way around every single day because of the fiery fairways and just where you want to be, where you don't want to be. Basically, you had to make choices on every hole. Do you want to be short of the traps? Do you want to take the traps on? Or do you want to fly the traps if you're long enough. And take a chance of being in the hay somewhere or on the fairway.

So some of the bombers, they took on bunkers when they hit the fairway, but if they didn't hit the fairway, they were playing, they had to go over the long rough. Sometimes that was the right strategy because, if they missed the fairway, they just had a lob wedge or a wedge into the green, and they could still hit the green. Somebody like me, I can't do that. I can't carry most of these traps, and I'm hitting 3 and 4 irons into greens that are fairly firm and tough pin positions.

Q. Happy with your game today?
BERNHARD LANGER: Not bad. Yesterday I played brilliant, really good yesterday. Today was a mixed bag. I had some good ones and a couple I wasn't happy with, but managed to get around without making a lot of putts. That's the thing. My approach putts were good, but I didn't make enough 15, 20-footers that you have to make.

Q. You're coming back to The Open because you're Senior Champion. Does that change the way you approach each of these Opens? This could be my last?
BERNHARD LANGER: Well, just as I holed my last putt, I was thinking, yeah, this could be my last Open Championship. You just don't know at my age. The only way for me to get here is through the Senior Open because I'm not going to go through the qualifying stuff that I tried a few times when I was younger. I'm not going to do that anymore. It could be my last one unless I win the Senior Open.

Q. But there's still a desire to come back and play?
BERNHARD LANGER: Oh, yeah. If I win the Senior Open, I'll definitely be back for The Open again, wherever that is.

Q. Is this more of a preparation week for the Senior Open or really the bigger tournament week for you?
BERNHARD LANGER: They're both big for me. In my mind, they're both majors. Obviously, this is a major for everyone, and next week is the major for the senior guys. So they're both important tournaments for me, and I prepared well, and I want to do well at both. Is it a preparation? Yeah, of course. I think, if you play a week on links, it's good preparation for the following week when you play a links course again even though the conditions may be a little bit different.

I heard it's a little greener, not quite as burned out as this one. We'll find out.

Q. What would you have been doing if you hadn't played at this event prior to the Senior?
BERNHARD LANGER: I would have taken a week off, maybe go to Germany and visit my folks, since I have to come over anyways. I would have had a week off. I would have gone to Germany and spend the time at home.

Q. So you wouldn't have prepared by playing any links golf?
BERNHARD LANGER: No.

Q. So you're assuming, which I assume too, that this is beneficial for next week?
BERNHARD LANGER: We'll find out, but it should be. I felt I played the last six days on links grounds and windy conditions, some more, some less, firm terrain and all that kind of stuff. You get a feel for the bounce and all that kind of stuff, which is good. The guys will do that the next three days. Many of them played today or tomorrow already, so they all have three or four days to get ready.

Q. This looks like a competition between Tiger and Spieth. Who would you bet on at the moment?
BERNHARD LANGER: That's a tough one to say. Tiger is on his way back. Spieth has been struggling a little bit over in America lately. I think it's his short game. But he likes these types of greens, I think. He's putted extremely well, and he's got amazing touch. I would probably have to go with Spieth.

Q. You said last year that the body is beginning to creak a bit sometimes when you wake up. You're wondering how the day's going to go. How have you felt this week?
BERNHARD LANGER: It's creaking right now. Time to put the feet up instead of putting the weight on them. Yeah, every day there's something. You just feel it. I'm not 20 or 30. Those days I could have played 36 no problem. But right now to play 36, it will be a real challenge. I mean, I could do it if I'm mentally prepared for it, but I'd rather not.

Q. Do you feel as good today as you did Thursday?
BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, very similar. I got some good people here with the physios and all that to help me with stretching, massaging. German guys here. So I got all the help I need. It's great. It's good to have that for a few days.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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