THE 149TH OPEN

July 16, 2021

Danny Willett

Mixed Zone

Q. Danny, give us some thoughts on today's performance.

DANNY WILLETT: A little scrappy in places. Some lovely iron shots throughout the day really, but yeah, a little bit scrappy off the tee. Made four or five holes really tricky for myself out there. Didn't hole anything of note.

Some lovely putts on them last four holes. I had a naughty horseshoe and then a couple of lip-outs, but could have been a nice day from not as good a golf as yesterday, but still under par and still somewhere in the hunt.

Q. As you say, you're still very much in contention. How do you approach tomorrow?

DANNY WILLETT: By the looks of it, I think unless the wind really gets up, I can see this tournament being one with quite a lot of low scores. I think you've got to -- we've played the golf course now in a few different winds, generally in the same direction out of the north, but flickering between the west and the east.

I think you've kind of got to -- you've just got to play some good golf and shoot some good scores. I think level par in normal Opens is good scoring. With the strength of the field and how good guys are these guys and the golf course just being that little bit softer, you can see the guys really taking on a few of them tricky greens and being able to make them areas on the greens a bit better if you're in the fairway. I think we're probably going to need a couple of good ones over the weekend.

Q. How much of a lift does it give you to have English fans cheering you on?

DANNY WILLETT: Yeah, it's brilliant, it really is. You forget it; I've not played -- obviously I hosted British Masters early in the year, but we weren't allowed fans unfortunately, and this is the first time I've played in front of home crowds for a hell of a long time, and it's amazing. Like I said yesterday, to be clapped on to every tee, every green, the ovation you get on the first, down the last, I did really get goosebumps, and that's what the Open is all about.