THE 149TH OPEN

July 15, 2021

Viktor Hovland

Mixed Zone

Q. A very solid start, 2-under, 12 greens in regulation, found four birdies. It's a solid foothold for the rest of the tournament.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I think as a whole -- obviously you never want to finish with a bogey -- but as a whole, I think 2-under par today is pretty solid. With the wind and some of these pin placements, it was not easy, and I felt like when I was out of position, I was able to come out okay. I hit some really nice iron shots and wedges that set up some pretty easy birdies.

Tomorrow I feel like I need to hit it maybe a little bit better off the tee. Had some sporadic drives in there. Other than that, I feel pretty confident.

Q. As you said, it was not good finishing with a bogey, but how do you sum up this round?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: It was obviously always nice to get off a nice start with a birdie on No. 1. Gave one back at No. 5, but I felt like I was playing pretty solid. Hit a lot of greens and just made easy pars, and that's kind of the key out here. You just don't want to be pressing too much.

I felt in all in all, it was pretty solid. Could have made a couple more putts, especially I missed a couple short ones, but other than that it felt pretty solid.

Q. How was it to play links golf again? How was that?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, this is my first time playing links golf as a professional. It's been a while since I've played it, but it takes some time to get used to. That's why I came here on Saturday, just to get adjusted to the weather and how the ball was bouncing and just getting to know the course (indiscernible). I really enjoyed it.