THE 149TH OPEN

July 15, 2021

Lucas Herbert

Mixed Zone

OLIVIA McMILLAN: Lucas, thanks for joining us. Even par round to start the 149th Open. How are you feeling out there today?

LUCAS HERBERT: It was good. I felt like I was half asleep the front nine. Just three weeks in a row now playing, and then not that it was a super early tee time, but just setting an alarm, just, yeah, felt like I was half asleep until the back nine and then things started to kick off and got myself back into it.

Feel like I've done no damage with that first round, but would've liked a couple less. Can't be too upset.

Q. I know that even when it is a morning tee time you like to get out, your routine starts a number of hours before your round tees off. Have you changed that routine or will you need to change it to try and get off to a faster start?

LUCAS HERBERT: This morning was a bit thrown out. I mean, it's already going to be tricky here with so much going on around the tournament. You've got to get shuttles from here it there and there is long walks between putting green and whatnot, so you've already got to factor in a little bit more time.

And the traffic was horrific this morning. We had to get a police escort in the end to get here and I was still really late, which is pretty much how I operate anyway.

Yeah, being later than normal, sort of a bit of rush around to hit shots and get ready and feel like I was ready to go. Yeah, that might have -- might not have helped with that slow start, so tomorrow try and keep that on time.

I think we're at 1:15 or 2:15 or something like that tomorrow, so that should give me more time to get ready and I should be prepared to go on the first tee.

Q. Let's talk about the back nine, because you did make quite a number of birdies. Can you talk us through some highlights of the day?

LUCAS HERBERT: Yeah, made a nice putt on 10 there, and then -- yeah, so I started that back nine with four threes in a row, I think, which was really good for me. I thought that 11th hole is playing quite tough. I hit 3-iron in there off that middle tee, so if they put us back this week that is going to be brutal.

Yeah, just holed a couple putts, which was sort of nice. Felt like I didn't really do much with the front nine. And, then, yeah, just made a poor swing off the tee on 14, had to it layup, and then hit a nice 9-iron in there to like two feet.

So, yeah, it was sort of good to get that going. I felt like I've not really had a great day, and all of a sudden I was under par and not far off the leaderboard. That was quite pleasing.