U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2022

Jim Furyk

Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course)

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Jim Furyk, 5-under 66. An impressive and speedy round of golf. Talk us through what was working well today.

JIM FURYK: The putter for one. Yesterday I felt like I hit a lot of good putts and struggled just kind of with the reads and had a lot of putts that weren't real definitive, maybe breaking two different ways, burned a lot of edges.

I really wasn't hitting the ball that well. So put a lot of stress on the putter to start with; then I didn't knock a lot of putts in.

Today I kind of got off to a good start. Made a good save at 2 with the putter.

Long putt at 3.

Pretty good long -- good save at 5.

Pretty good putt at 6.

Just saw some stuff go in.

And a long putt at 10 for eagle.

Really I think that took a little stress off the rest of my game. When you see some putts going in you feel like you can make a mistake here or there.

The putter might clean it up. I think relaxing like that allows you to hit the ball a little better too.

It was nice to see some putts go in early and kind of keep the pedal down on the back nine, to go birdie 15 and 16.

Hit a great putt at 17 that could-a-should-a.

Left the first one at 18 short, but kind of the rest of the day knocked in a five-footer to finish it off.

I hit the ball a lot more solid today. I hit a lot of fairways. I put myself in good positions. And then the putter -- it wasn't the crisp or the most clean round, but the putter definitely was the story today, as it was yesterday, to be honest with you, just went the other way.

Q. Can you talk us through the eagle at 10?

JIM FURYK: It's playing about -- not counting the uphill, it's about 260 to the front today. For me a little uphill. Just kind of a good solid drive. I thought I could fly it right around the front edge.

I think I flew it two or three yards on. It had some height to it, so it actually stopped on the green about pin high, about 30 feet right of the pin, about two-foot break right to left and was able to kind of pour one in and sneak it in the right side.

I bogeyed 7; stalled in there.

Pars at 8 and 9.

Then to kind of get that momentum is always nice. Didn't make another birdie until 15, but made some good putts at 15 and 16 as well.

Q. What have you kind of learned throughout your career when you have a late round like that that doesn't go well, then you have a quick turnaround, early tee time?

JIM FURYK: Good news-bad news. The good news is you get right back out on the golf course, so you can kind of put it aside and go play golf.

Bad news is you want some time to think about what went wrong and what I need to work on this morning on the range. I got up a little early this morning. Got to the range early and was the first one out there. Wanted to make sure I hit some shots and kind of worked through some things.

I didn't like the way I drove the ball yesterday. I didn't like much about yesterday. I made some bad decisions; didn't hit the ball very well. I thought I putted well, just didn't make anything.

The good news is you get that quick turnaround.

If you play a bad round in the morning and you have to wait until a late tee time, like Thursday, Friday, bad news is you have to sit on it for a long time. Good news is you have time in the morning to work on it. You look at the positives and get back out on the golf course.

Looked to where even par was when the morning started and thought about, if I could work my way back towards that over the weekend, have a good finish, whatever it may be. To kind of knock that putt in on 16 and get back to even, I put myself in pretty decent position for the tournament.

Q. Did you know where you stood the last couple holes yesterday with regard to the cut?

JIM FURYK: It was on all the boards. They had a projected cut up there. I wasn't sure how much I could trust it, so I was really hoping to get to 4, but I let my guard down on 18. I missed that little one. It was probably two feet.

I was just hopeful when I went to the scoring tent that the lack of concentration wasn't going to cost me missing the cut and playing on the weekend, especially here so close to home.

Q. Did you get a good night's sleep? What was it you were working on on the range this morning? Was it the driver?

JIM FURYK: A little of everything really. I had been making some swings I wasn't comfortable with and didn't feel real consistent. I kind of had my dad with me. I actually aimed -- it's kind of alternating draws and cuts, and working on them a little bit more and hit a couple down the right side of the range with a draw, a couple up to the left side of the range with a cut.

I did that with both my irons and my woods.

Just trying to get some timing back and kind of get a feel of the club. I just felt yesterday everything wasn't working well together. I felt like my timing was off, my rhythm was off.

Getting out there and seeing shots and shapes for me kind of gets my rhythm and timing back. I was just trying to figure that out and feel a little more comfortable with the 3-wood and the driver, because I didn't feel I got those in play as well as I needed to.

Q. Despite the early hour, did you find a lot of people out there following you today?

JIM FURYK: There was. Even on the 1st tee there was a ton of people out. Great reception this morning, and really cool to come back to Pennsylvania and see all the folks. Kind of the crowds have grown.

I thought we had a pretty decent crowd for as bad as the weather was on Thursday. I kind of felt bad. They had a nice crowd yesterday and I didn't play very well and give them something to cheer for, so it was nice to get out here today and hit some good shots a shoot a good number.

Q. What type of golf course will the leaders today encounter, and what holes could have an impact on who's leading today?

JIM FURYK: 10 could be significant just because of the opportunity. You could have a big turnaround there. Guys going for it. You could see a bunch of birdies. You could see some bogeys as well. I made a 2, so get on there and make a putt.

There's some very difficult pins. Right now the golf course is still receptive and the greens are receptive, so if a guy gets out there and is hitting good, solid shots, you can go out and shoot a good round.

I see it out there because of the conditions. I want no parts of this golf course right now firm. If these greens got really firm, it would be a whole different ballgame. Even-par would be an incredible score.

Some of the pins, that one on the top shelf at 11, you could see some crazy stuff happen there.

12 is no bargain.

13 is in a -- wow spot. I played with Gavin Coles, and he hit it like that. I had a 20-footer and I was trying to cozy it up there as much as I could. I was thinking, if I hit a putt anywhere near his hybrid up there, that would be awesome. But that one is a wow.

16, that's a pin where you'll see some threes. If you get it on that little shelf, you've got a short birdie putt. If you don't, you have a 70-footer, and you can see some 3s and 5s there. I think you're going to see some big swings. 17's in a good spot.

There aren't many flat spots on these greens, so I think the guy who has the most difficult job of the week is the guy who has to set up the golf course and put the pins on. There are greens like 16 that are massive, but there really aren't four pins on that green; there's three.

So kind of curious to see where he goes tomorrow. He's covered all three so far.