THE 149TH OPEN

July 16, 2021

Marcus Armitage

Mixed Zone

Q. Marcus, thank you so much for joining us. Nice finish at the end there I would imagine to make the cut. Looks like you're in.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Well, we'll wait and see. I did say I play in loops of three. I did say to me caddie, If I win this last loop of three I won't grumble at anything. I'll definitely be happy.

So I'm happy, and we'll just see what fate brings us.

Q. Did you feel a little bit of pressure as you were closing out the round there? Obviously at Carnoustie we know you missed cut, but you were injured with your shoulder there.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, Carnoustie was a bit of a an experience for me. I wasn't really going to contend due to the injury, but it was just gathering experience. I've had a great year. I've struggled where the big events, like the U.S. Open and stuff.

So if can make the cut here and get a bit of experience over the weekend of playing major golf at the weekend, it would be great moving forward and just instill a little bit more belief in my game.

Q. And just in terms of the round, how did you reflect on it as an whole? Were there a few more birdie opportunities/ out there compared to yesterday?

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, I struck it really well today. I just could not get the putter to work. Couldn't get it to drop, you know, like cling film over the hole. I hit it a lot better than what I did yesterday. I just didn't hole-out well, and that's one my key things when it comes to big events. I need to hole-out well inside ten-foot.

When you're on the usual tour events your chips around the green, your approach shots, you just hit it a little bit closer. With the major championship conditions and setups you end up just being a bit further away than what you are normal tournaments. So holing out from inside 10-foot is massive, and today I just couldn't get it into the hole.

I think my longest putt I holed were three or four foot. I'll go and work on that this afternoon and hopefully get a chance over the weekend to improve and climb the leaderboard.

Q. How you find it with the crowds? Obviously big crowds watching The Open.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, I've got quite a view sponsors, you know, traveled a long way, my sponsors, and some friends and family. So fantastic for them to be walking round; on top of that, to have 36,000 people here it's amazing. We're entertainers at the end of the day. We do this for crowds. We don't do it for money, as much as the money is good and gives us luxurious things. We do it for entertainment, crowd, and just the enjoyment of the game and growing the game.

Q. Obviously nice to have a few people there. It was your birthday yesterday, wasn't it?

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, I'm a bit brutal when it comes down to it. I'm like, Right, just put it onto Monday. I'll deal with it after this week.

My fiancée, Lucy, she's just crazy. She just wants to do everything and blow me out of park every birthday. I have to calm her down a little bit every now and again just so I can focus on the golf.

But she got me some balloons and a cake as a nice surprise. She keeps me grounded for sure.

Q. I guess the real birthday present will be getting through to the weekend and playing well.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Well, yeah. I mean the putt on 18, the three-foot putt on 18, great tee shot middle of the fairway. Three quarter 9-iron, the perfect, perfect shot for me.

It's funny, I just come out of it a little bit too early trying to guide it in there and I missed in the worst spot. Andy Sullivan's caddie, he said, Oh, no it's gone right after we played the hole.

But I got back to three and I actually said to me caddie, It feels just big as the putt at the Porsche. He said, Don't be silly.

But a big part, and hopefully get me through to the weekend.

Q. It's interesting you say that. Obviously winning on the European Tour not too long ago and coming into a big major like that, psychologically that must be quite a big thing was well. To win is a good feeling and mentally gives a big lift.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, I mean, it knocks a few barriers down that I didn't believe I could achieve. You always dream of it, but when I achieve them, it still surprises you a little bit.

Again, with the cut, just making the cut and just getting experience at weekend golf, you know you can do it but just get in your own way and make it difficult for yourself.

Like I said, hopefully I can play the weekend and then that is one more box ticked and I can move on to contending in these championships.

Q. So we seem to be getting all the birthday boys today. We had Marcel Siem yesterday and it was his birthday too, and Adam's Scott's birthday was today.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, yeah. He's a big name, isn't he?

Q. The difference between yesterday and today seemed to be that you got a bit -- you had a better round yesterday on the scoreboard, but today you seem to be hitting it better but not converting. Would that be a fair reflection?

MARCUS ARMITAGE: 100 per cent, yeah. I actually felt like I hit it a lot better today. Obviously I have probably three or four shots in there that I would like to eliminate from my game.

But, yeah, I did strike it a lot better. Just didn't get in the hole.

Q. And with the weekend coming and +1 seems to be relatively secure at the moment. Maybe heading towards +2 if a few guys drop a few shots. Would you hope if you can tighten up the putts that you can maybe press ahead and move up the field? Relatively little pressure starting early tomorrow and it's a good chance of making a run in front of the home crowd, giving them something to cheer about.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Yeah, I mean, obviously I hope to just slightly improve every element of the game. I'll do a bit more work on the putting this afternoon. Just try and work through a few things.

But I don't think I really hit bad putts. I just think I was trying so hard and getting in my own way. It's the old cliche of one shot at a time and things will come.

But, you know, it's a funny art, putting. You can be feeling bad with the putter and go out there and hole everything. You can feel like you can't miss on the putting green before you go out and then you go out and hole nothing.

I felt good on the putting green. Felt nervous about the long game. It switched when I went out there. So go and do some work. I just want to play the weekend. Whatever comes, comes. I'll just enjoy ever little piece of it and just relish in the fact that I can compete at the weekend at The Open.

Q. Hopefully the ball turn into a magnet tomorrow and give some of the home crowd something to cheer about again and we'll talk again.

MARCUS ARMITAGE: Okay. Thank you.