U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 8, 2021

Mike Ketcham

Omaha Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. The competitor in you is probably not extremely happy, but what was today like?

MIKE KETCHAM: Obviously, it was a thrill, first time to play in a major championship and have your family and friends out here supporting you. In an Open, any major championship, it's -- you hit a ball a little bit offline, it's so penal.

I wouldn't say I was extremely nervous on the first tee, but I wasn't comfortable, and it took about four holes in for me to get comfortable. I bogeyed the first four holes and actually made a couple good bogeys, four- or five-footers on the first four holes, and kind of settled down. Hit a good tee shot into the par-3 on No. 5, almost made birdie. Hit two really good shots on the par-5 No. 6. I still don't know how the eagle putt didn't go in.

Kind of started battling and settled in. Had good birdie putts on 7, 8, and 9, and 10 just got away from me. I need to re-evaluate tonight how I play that hole off the tee. I think my line, I did push it ever so slightly, but I think my line's a little too far right off that tee. We'll think about, depending on the wind, maybe a 3-wood at the bunker on the left-hand side. Made triple bogey there, and then you're just fighting it the rest of the round.

Lay it up in the rough, hit a beautiful drive on 16, the par-5. Lay it up in the rough in the bunker on the right-hand side, really have nothing. That was just kind of the way the day went. Hit it right down the middle on 14. Get up there, I'm literally in a divot sitting -- half the ball is below the ground. But that's part of golf.

Looking forward to tomorrow and see if we can't put a good round together tomorrow.

Q. What did you learn about this course today that you can use tomorrow?

MIKE KETCHAM: You have to keep the ball below the hole. You have to stay patient out here. You have to drive the golf ball in the fairway. The driver actually wasn't that bad today. I don't know what my driving stats were. I lost a couple on the last couple holes coming in with the driver, but it exposes any weakness that you have. I just need to re-game plan for tomorrow and come back out here and give it my best shot.

Q. How about the support you're getting from your hometown and how about some of those people maybe you haven't seen for a while?

MIKE KETCHAM: It's been a long time. We had an opportunity last night to get together for a while, had dinner with about 25 people. It means a lot. Like you said, I haven't seen maybe five or six people for, I don't know, 10, 15 years. To have them here, I just wish I could play a little bit better for them. There's tomorrow. You never know what could happen.

Q. Your wife is the organizer of the whole off the course?

MIKE KETCHAM: Not only is she the organizer, but she's the brains behind it too. She's awesome. Stays out of my way with my job. Some days I work seven days a week, and I come home and want to go to the golf course after work, no problem. She's one of a kind.