ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS SCOTTISH OPEN

October 1, 2020

Lee Westwood

The Renaissance Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Bogey-free round. You have to be happy with that.

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I didn't put myself under too much pressure all day. I played solidly. We got the good end of the draw, there's no doubt about that, in the afternoon lot.

But you've got to make the most of it when it does happen to you. That's links golf, and you know you're going to be on the wrong side of it often enough, so when you're on the right side of it, you've got to try to make the most of it.

And I played solidly. Drove the ball well. Iron shots were good. In a good groove since U.S. Open. U.S. Open, had to be disciplined. I took that discipline from there to here today. Aimed away from flags when I needed to. Left myself a lot of nice looks uphill for birdie today. And distance control was good, which, you know, could have been one of the few things to trip people up today. It wasn't quite going as far as normal.

And the greens are nice. And you feel like if you put a good roll on it, it holds its line. So, yeah, obviously very pleased with the round.

Q. The early eagle, did that set your mind right and think, yeah, here we go?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, little bit unlucky on the first. I drove it down the left-hand side and hoped to sand iron in on it, finished right on top of the ridge, you know, like another foot and it runs down there stone dead. So, you know, I was feeling like I was owed a shot after two holes.

And two good shots down 3. Good 3-wood in there, landed it pretty much where I wanted to, just on the front edge of the green, was turning in, and rolled down there. Close. Obviously, you need a bit of fortune to get it as close as that to a pin like that. But I played the right shot and got the right result.

Q. Were you keeping an eye on the weather this morning?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, obviously, I opened the curtains this morning and thought, oh, that looks miserable. But that was always the forecast. It was to be chilly and damp this morning and then clear up as the day went on.

So like I say, you got to make the most of it when you do get the good breaks like that.

Q. (Indiscernible)?

LEE WESTWOOD: I think you've still got be patient. If you're not, if you're not 3- or 4-under par early, then you can start chasing and being too aggressive and not thinking clearly.

So, yeah, you just got to break it all down and play the golf course on its merit, really. And that's the way I've been playing golf for a few weeks now, just starting off on the tee, trying to hit the fairway, then trying to hit it in the right place, which you've got to do at like U.S. Open, or you used to have to do at U.S. Open.

You know, and playing in the U.S. Open, was my last tournament, taught me a lot, and my game's been disciplined the last couple of weeks.

Q. You've played a lot here.

LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, lots of times. Yeah, no, if I got a full day to practice, I would come out here and spend all day. So that would involve hitting balls for two or three hours and playing nine holes or just getting in and hitting balls for an hour, playing 18 holes. So, yeah, I know the course pretty well.

Q. And you were here before you went to U.S. Open. How beneficial was that, just the different conditions to last year?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, myself and Sam came up and played it, obviously with one eye on this week, if I could get a round out of the way, practicing kind of with nobody here and then after play, just in case if the weather -- but I played 18 holes yesterday as well.

So I enjoy playing this golf course. There's not a lot else to do, is there? Not rushing back to the room to sit in the room for another five hours.

So, yeah, I know this golf course well, and it's going to help if conditions change, obviously.