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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 14, 2019

Jordan Spieth

Pebble Beach, California

Q. Not the way you want to finish (indiscernible) position and how you played today?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I made up one shot on the lead. It felt like more, but Rosie -- that's the best I've seen somebody get up-and-down around the golf course for two rounds maybe ever.

So, yeah, I mean, today was a kind of "could have been" round. Obviously don't want to paint as many bogeys on the scorecard as I have this first two days, and that's eight bogeys. To be under par at the U.S. Open with eight bogeys in two days means things are in a good place, just got to limit those mistakes, and they really come from iron play, iron and wedges. Just got to fine tune.

Q. The bunker on 2 --
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I mean, the ball was above my feet in almost a little downslope, and I was trying to hit a 6-iron 200 yards. So in the first place it was a really, really tough shot. But I had a clean lie. Thought I could clear the lip. And when I hit it, all I heard was like the rake. And I guess it slammed into the rake and came back and kind of buried down into the tall grass.

So if it didn't hit the rake, I don't know if it had enough to get anywhere near the green or if it would have been way short or what, but certainly it would have been in a better position than it went to.

And that's on me. I just got to look at all options ahead of me. And if there's rakes in front of the bunker, typically we pull them out. But when I was in it, I couldn't see it. So it was kind of a weird set of events.

Honestly, the only upsetting part was where the ball went after that, because it's on me to hit the rake. Sometimes it'd hit the rake and pop up and be on the fairway, right? But it ended up in a pretty bad spot. I was -- I did well a make a 5 for sure.

Q. Your relationship with Michael, how important is it to your success to have someone that you can speak your mind to, bounce ideas off of?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think our communication has been very successful over the last six, seven years. It's kind of all the stuff I used to hold in my head before I'm able to kind of just fall out now. And it's -- it's very important, especially when you're trying to hit small greens in kind of (indiscernible) here at Pebble Beach, it's nice to have (indiscernible) somebody looking out for you (indiscernible).

Q. (Indiscernible)?
JORDAN SPIETH: I've made a lot of bogeys. So it's kind of a good thing at least (indiscernible).

Q. (Indiscernible)?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, it's -- if I were 1-under with two birdies and one bogey, it wouldn't be -- I wouldn't be as optimistic about the weekend. Making that many birdies is really nice. It's easier for me to limit the mistakes than it is to try and force birdies.

I'm rolling the ball really well in the greens. Still haven't made anything in the mid to long range and I've burned a lot of edges from that distance, my speed control is fantastic this week. And I feel really solid inside of 10 feet. So just where I've been with the putter, just about getting those looks.

I mean, yesterday it really should have been a 3- or 4-under round, I just didn't dial in wedges and short irons. And then today I just put myself in tough spots with iron play, which is normally -- and historically has been a very big strength of mine.

So it's not far off, it's just a little click here or there to start trusting it more out here.

Q. How firm can they get it this weekend?
JORDAN SPIETH: Hopefully a lot firmer. Yeah, I mean, I think they can. I think there's probably a few holes where you can't. 8 downwind you can't necessarily firm up a lot. 5 you can really firm up a lot. What else? 14 would be tough. That got a little out of hand in the 2010 U.S. Open here.

So there's certain holes where they probably got to watch it. But it can firm up a bit more. It's a short enough golf course that you hit a good tee ball way up there, you hit short irons and wedges, and we should be able to throw those up in the air and stop them even on really firm surfaces. So you'll see a premium on driving this weekend if it firms up, for sure.

Q. How would you describe the way Justin played these last few holes?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, solid. I mean, he's a solid player. He's got to be up there in first around and on the greens by a mile I'd imagine in (indiscernible) game. He's chipping and putting beautifully, and not hitting it probably as well as he'd like to, and he's still leading the U.S. Open. So that's scary for Justin Rose. That's going to be -- he starts hitting it even better over the weekend with the same on and around the greens, you know, he's not walking away with -- I think he's made two bogeys this week? So I've made more birdies than him, and he's leading, beating me by six. About the same amount of birdies as him. So it's -- it just shows you how important it is to really do that solid on and around the greens here.

Q. Talk about the mindset going into the weekend.
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I mean, the same as today. And it's just less bogeys. And the less bogeys, again, just coming from better iron play. Meaning some of it's decision and shot, like what shot I'm picking and what club I'm choosing, and some of it execution.

But the combination, I hit more greens in regulation yesterday and made one or two birdies and today hit less and made seven. So the putter will go in, I just need to be able to find the greens.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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