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THE 148TH OPEN

July 18, 2019

Jordan Spieth

Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Q. Talk about your round today.
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I thought we had a true Irish day today. It was all the seasons in one day, which is kind of cool to play The Open in that situation on such a beautiful track.

So I hit it in, I think, four pot bunkers off tee balls. Other than that it was pretty solid today. Four birdies is nice around this place. And just trying to control the ball a little bit better off the tee throughout the week.

Q. When you get to 3-under, what's the mentality to keep it going?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yes, you know, after 5, with this wind that we had today, that from 6 through really 12 you have one kind of easy tee ball on 10 where they kind of give you the tee shot. And other than that you've got to keep it in play into the wind.

It's more like you take the course in spurts. The first five holes, then the next through 11, then 12 in. That's kind of the way I think about it. So you're trying to hold on with this wind from 6 to 11. Unfortunately, made a double and it could have been a bogey hitting it in the fairway bunkers.

All in all the way I hit the ball reflects kind of how I feel about it. I'd like to certainly improve on this score to continue to stay in contention.

Q. Can you tell, I don't know what your studies in history were, but the events in the country, not having this event here since '51. Can you sense what it means to people here having it here for the first time in so many years?
JORDAN SPIETH: I think more off the course, when we've run into people in town or the volunteers, more so than the crowds. The crowds are just phenomenal, they're the best of anywhere in the world for us. But it's the same with any Open venue. They're just fantastic.

Q. What have you heard in your interactions with people around town?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, they're just -- they're elated to have it. They're so excited.

There are some places you go for certain tournaments where it's kind of like -- I don't want to say a bother, but certain places, members of that club or in general just seems like it would be a bother just having all the extra stuff, having to shut the course down early, and keep it closed later, and all the cleanup. And here it hasn't been that way at all. Everyone is just so excited to have the tournament here. And we're excited to be here.

It would be amazing to continue to put this course on the rotation.

Q. Is this course going north on your all-time favourite list?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think it's awesome. I've now seen it with just about every wind that you can see. I think tomorrow will be one that maybe we haven't seen in the last three or four days.

But no matter where the wind comes from, the easy holes play some of the hardest but they're still fair. The greens are fair, the pin placements. Today you could get at just about every single hole with the wind that was forecasted if you hit a great shot. But you could also be in big trouble if you missed on a certain side.

So it's got a lot of character to it that maybe won't be recognized by just seeing it on TV, which makes it I think really special.

Q. Players talk about they can only play a course well if they like it. Do you have some of that?
JORDAN SPIETH: No, there's very few courses I don't like, though. Just in loving the game, I'm not a very good critic when it comes to golf courses.

I appreciate certain designs, certain holes, maybe more so than other holes. And when you pile a few of those on the same golf course it makes it pretty fun to play, yeah.

Q. Is this a different test than maybe the other links courses in the rotation? If so, why?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think it's played more from the air. But it's still very, very links. Birkdale was played from the air. You could only bounce it up on maybe half the holes, which is pretty similar to around here, with all the fall-offs and false fronts.

It's unusual you have to play the links style on your tee balls, but a lot of the approach shots you have to fly the ball, hold the winds, and hit it up in the air to land it on the surface and keep it there. When you have the long holes where you're hitting 4-iron into the greens, the greens are reacting like links golf, you can't land it short and bounce it up.

That's what the challenge is out here. Obviously the tee shots are very, very important. But hitting those approach shots on line is massively important with trouble on both sides of a lot of the greens.

Q. You are pretty passionate, and have known to put a little too much pressure on yourself sometimes. Rory comes here, I don't know if you saw what he did on 1. Can you imagine how difficult that is, when you've got the nation behind you and try to fight back from that?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think just starting I can imagine. I don't know what it's like. Let me first say that. I truly have no idea what this is like for him.

I guess the easiest I could say is if they played a major championship in Dallas, but at the same time it's still not the same. Because this is a country, right?

So I imagine he certainly felt like he really wanted to do a little extra. It's just harder to be free starting out that way. Obviously if you get off to a good start it can be used to an advantage.

But just being a friend of his and knowing how much it meant to him, I certainly felt for him on the start. I don't know what he finished up at. You get a little bit off out here and it's there. It really is. I think Tiger was 6-over or something.

You don't have to be far off, because there's just trouble on both sides of every hole.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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