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THE 148TH OPEN

July 16, 2019

Gary Woodland

Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

STUART MOFFAT: It's my pleasure to welcome the U.S. Open champion, Gary Woodland, to the interview room.

Welcome to Royal Portrush. It's been a successful year for you so far. How confident are you feeling about your chances are as you start your bid for the The Open?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, obviously been a little whirlwind the last month. It was nice having two weeks off coming into here. Got a lot of work at home. Got here Sunday. Played twice now. Played eight holes this morning. The golf course is phenomenal.

I think it sets up great for me. I think more than typical Opens that I played, you've really got to ball strike it. A big emphasis on controlling the golf ball into the greens. Not a lot of run-ups, you're going to have to fly it on the greens, which I think sets up pretty good for me.

Game is feeling really good. I'm excited for this week.

Q. Where does this golf course rate of all the golf courses you've played? Just how great is this golf course?
GARY WOODLAND: The golf course is really, really good. Obviously the views are spectacular. It's in unbelievable condition. It's very lush, very green, I would say, compared to last year it was so firm and fast. This one a little softer, I would say, right now. And if the rain comes in we'll see what happens.

But it's been a little different because the wind has been opposite direction than we're expecting this week. I've hit a lot of drivers so far. I don't anticipate doing that much this week. But the golf course is in perfect condition and I really have enjoyed it.

Q. How has life changed as a major-winning champion? What's the craziest thing you've been asked to do since the U.S. Open?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, it's a lot more demand, a lot more attention, I would say.

But being off, I've been off three of the four weeks since the U.S. Open, since winning. But it's been nice to be home. They had a big day for me at home where I'm from, which a lot of people showed up, I was a little surprised by that. That was pretty cool. Especially for my family, growing up there, my family has been there forever, they still live there. That was special.

But it's just demanding time, learning to manage the time, learning when to say no, when to do things and still be able to get my work in. That was the big deal. I wasn't prepared to play probably in Detroit the week afterwards.

But it was nice to get home those two weeks and get some work in and be prepared for this week.

Q. (Inaudible.)
GARY WOODLAND: 3500 probably, just a little deal downtown, it was pretty cool.

Q. This is your first time here?
GARY WOODLAND: It is.

Q. What changes or what's the difference on getting ready for a course you've never seen before as opposed to getting ready for Pebble and other courses? What have you done differently?
GARY WOODLAND: For me it's just getting comfortable. Obviously I put a lot of work in the last couple weeks on ball-striking, hitting the ball a little bit lower. Typically you run the ball up on the greens on a lot of these course. Here we're going to be flying it. I think that's more suitable to back home a little bit. Flying the ball into the green. It's a little different than your typical Open setup, I would say.

But for me it's getting the speed of the greens down. At Pebble it was more, when I was practicing earlier in the week it was more getting feel of the lines on the greens. This is more speed for me. I've struggled putting over here in the past. So I've put a lot of work in the last couple of days on speed. And just typically this is a lot slower than what we see back home.

Q. You said 3500 people. How many people are in your hometown?
GARY WOODLAND: I don't even know, to be honest with you. It's changed over the years. I don't know the population, to be honest with you.

Q. Probably close to 3500 would be my guess.
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, close. It was pretty cool.

Q. The other question is, we've gotten two answers to this question about Brooks seemed to think this was going to be the normal where the power players have the advantage like we've seen over the last few majors. Tiger seemed to think it opens it up to guys that can control their golf ball. Which side of that fence do you come in on?
GARY WOODLAND: The last couple of days power has been a huge deal. I've hit a lot of drivers. I've played with Kuch and Zach Johnson yesterday. I think I had a huge advantage playing with those guys yesterday just by carrying the golf ball a long way. There was some bunkers I could cover.

Now, the wind hasn't been blowing. If we get any wind and rain, that's going to change, and I think you'll get more to what Tiger was talking about. If the conditions stay like they are right now, links is going to be a huge advantage.

Q. Nine out of the last ten majors have been won by Americans. This could be the first year in a long time the U.S. goes four for four. What do you make of that recent trend?
GARY WOODLAND: I like that trend, it's obviously good. The game is in a great spot. You have a lot of young guys, Justin, Spieth, all these guys that have won. But you've still got a lot of Europeans and people from all over the world. Rory, obviously this is a huge week for him. So I anticipate there will be some fireworks out there for him this week.

Q. How much variety is there in the ways you decide to attack it off the tee with the number of dogleg holes?
GARY WOODLAND: Huge. There's a lot of -- this, too, the rough is brutal. It's lush. So usually -- last year it was so burned out you could hit driver and there wasn't much thought. You were just going to play aggressive and hit it.

There's a lot more thought going into this year, because if you miss it off line, if you find the ball, it's chip out sideways. I think there will be a little bit more conservative approach for most of the players.

Q. Can I ask how your wife is doing and whether it was a difficult decision for you to come play this week?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, definitely difficult. She's doing all right. She's semi-bedrest right now. Our girls are supposed to come in two weeks. So it was a decision, we sat down and we talked about it. And she was the one pushing me to come. Pretty confident they're not going to come this week, but you never know. I'm hoping that's the case.

Next week Memphis is only an hour away from home. I can get home pretty easily. It would be a little tough if they came right now, I'm not going to be able to get home.

But she's hanging in there.

Q. You talked a lot at Pebble about your improved short game. I'm just curious when you already are one of the best players in the world, how do you actually go about improving that area, which is a lot of hand-eye coordination and finesse?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, I had a lot of work to do to begin with. Pete always says I was the one out of ten when I started working with him, and now I'm a three out of ten. So I'm getting better.

But it's a lot of technique to begin with. And then it comes confidence. Because my technique has got to a point where it's pretty good. And with that I build confidence. I'm able to hit some of the shots I was able to hit at the U.S. Open, and that saved me.

Technique was the big deal. We changed my technique completely, from setup to grip to the way I attack the golf ball, the way I address the golf ball. We changed everything. We started from ground zero.

It took me a while. I went backwards for a while, it was frustrating. But once I got it, I started to see results quickly, and that translates to everything. I started hitting the ball better, I have more confidence with everything. The short game has really transformed everything.

Q. Have you given much thought just to the timing of it all, of your U.S. Open win, such a significant achievement, right about the time your life, as you've said on many occasions, is about to get really real? I don't want to say to get that out of the way, but it's a pretty significant achievement and how much that either takes pressure off you or just frees you up from a lifestyle, with life about to get really different?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, definitely frees me up from the standpoint where I'm able to take a little bit of time off. I can take some significant amount of time off after The TOUR Championship, after the playoffs, just to be home.

Last year my biggest break was three weeks in between tournaments the whole year. I plan on taking some significant time to be home. And that win definitely allowed me to do that, because we have so many tournaments now for us back home after The TOUR Championship. Our season starts right away. Sometimes you feel like you've got to get a jump start on everything.

I'm getting to a point now where I'm confident enough in my game, that gives me a lot of confidence winning a major. But I don't have to play every week. I know I can take some time off and show up and still compete and stay where I want to be.

Q. Where physically exactly is the trophy, and what goes through your mind when you see it?
GARY WOODLAND: It's been very close to me for the last month.

Q. On the nightstand?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, the nightstand so I can see it. You want to wake up and make sure it's not a dream. You want to make sure it's real.

So I was thinking about letting my parents have it this week, but I ended up keeping it. It's at home. It's right next to Gabby, she's on bedrest. She is looking at it all the time. I don't know if she's excited about that. But it's been pretty close to me.

Q. Did you come here with the experience of having played on other Irish courses?
GARY WOODLAND: This is my first time to Ireland.

Q. First impressions?
GARY WOODLAND: Beautiful. Portrush is amazing. The town, went to dinner the other night, it's very busy, but the weather has obviously been spectacular. The golf course, the views, everything has been very, very nice.

I was Graeme McDowell's neighbor for eight years in Orlando. I heard a lot about it. I hadn't been over here yet and I'm glad I did, because it's a beautiful place.

Q. (Inaudible.)
GARY WOODLAND: A little bit. I went to dinner -- Kuch and I went to breakfast yesterday. And I took about 20 pictures for him. Nobody knew who I was, they all knew who he was. He loved every second of that, I can tell you. But definitely probably more than it would have been maybe a couple of months ago.

Q. Just curious what you hit on the 17th on your days at practice?
GARY WOODLAND: I've hit driver. I mean just short of the green. Today I hit it right in the junk and I had to punch out. It's one of those, it was downwind the last couple of days, too, and the wind is supposed to switch back into us on that hole. I think it's a tough wedge shot from the top. I plan on hitting driver. Worse case it gets down in the bunker and you can at least get it on the green. A little different, I would say, of a golf hole that you typically see, especially coming down the stretch. It will be interesting, maybe knock it on that green and make eagle. I plan on hitting driver on that hole.

Q. What did you hit on 16?
GARY WOODLAND: Today I hit 5-iron, and it wasn't enough. The last two days I've hit 4-iron. That's one, too, if the wind is in, I could be -- you do have a bail-out area left where you can get it up and down to pretty much every pin, I think you'll see a lot of balls going left. Right is no fun. And that's obviously weather dictating. A 5-iron is not the end of the world, it's a pretty big green. But if the wind is blowing and it's coming into you and it's raining it's going to be a brutal hole.

STUART MOFFAT: Gary, thanks very much for your time and good luck this week.

GARY WOODLAND: Thanks, guys.

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