U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2022

Steve Stricker

Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course)

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Steve Stricker, 3-under 68 today. Can you talk us through the round.

STEVE STRICKER: Some scrambling, what you have to do in a U.S. Open. Drove that one fairly well. Couple of loose ones here and there. Just try to get them on the greens, make my pars and that kind of thing.

It was good. I had a few more opportunities I let slip by and took advantage of a couple of shots that weren't so good. So pretty much evened out, I would think.

Q. Do you feel lucky being in the afternoon wave today?

STEVE STRICKER: Wow, did we ever catch a break today. The guys in the afternoon, the morning wave played, it looked like their whole wave played in the rain. We caught a break for sure.

Q. Weather is supposed to improve the next three days. Do you think it will change at all or play similarly?

STEVE STRICKER: It's still in great shape. I think, as we move forward with better weather, it's going to dry up, get a little bit firmer. It played as long as it could play today with the soft conditions and the greens really not rolling out.

It was long, but a tough challenge.

Q. I know you made a long putt at 17, but were there any other key shots that you thought held you together today?

STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I bogeyed 18. I don't know. I just -- I don't know if there was one specific shot. Maybe 3. I drove it in the left rough, caught it, and I was just about a foot in the rough but caught a really good lie.

Had a good number with my sand wedge and hit it in there to four or five feet above the hole; ended up making that. That kind of felt like I stole one there.

That was a nice added birdie there.

Q. And talking about Jay Haas shooting 4-under today. Do you have any idea how he's doing this? Last year he played well also in Omaha the first couple of days.

STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, he's still very competitive. He still plays a lot. He's a straight driver of the ball, which you need to be here, and he scrambles well still.

That's what you need at a U.S. Open, whether it's a regular -- on the regular TOUR or the Senior Open. He's a good guy, a friend of mine, and good to see him up there.