THE 150TH OPEN

July 14, 2022

Seamus Power

Mixed Zone

Q. Seamus, an education of St Andrews, one step back, as they say around here, one step forward, one step back kind of day.

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, it was strange. I did a lot of good stuff, but just I hit it in one bunker on 12, probably cost me 2 1/2, 3 shots. Then a couple of three-putts. I mean, they were long, long distance, but that's kind of the difference between shooting 1-over and maybe 3-, 4-under.

Q. What was the general feeling? Obviously you started with a lovely birdie down the 1st. But of course you have the three-footer on the 2nd, brings you down to where?

SEAMUS POWER: I hit a good putt, kind of bobbled it a little bit. It's one of those ones that you can't believe it comes out. But that happens in golf sometimes.

It was kind of a funny story. It was kind of like that then for the rest of the day, kind of doing some good things and not getting much reward for it.

It's like that this course, the way it's playing. Going to try to stay patient and hopefully something breaks my way tomorrow.

Q. Did you learn a great deal about St Andrews, how different it is to play in an Open versus when you played as an amateur?

SEAMUS POWER: This is particularly different. I don't think this is normal even for here. I just hit 2-iron past pin high on 18. It's bizarre.

But it's different. It's going to be more of the same. Tomorrow you're going to try to do your best, land it in some good spots, and hopefully the rolls and breaks go your way.

Q. Did it test your frustration? You're a very equal, calm, and very sensible on the golf course and don't like to waste shots, but did it test your frustration levels?

SEAMUS POWER: It does, definitely. You're going to hit some good shots. Even on number, what's that, the par-5, I love to drive a lovely 5-iron that lands probably more than 10, 15 feet from the hole. And you have about a 120-foot putt coming back. And then a three-putt for par. You kind of know that going in.

It's just a case of trying to leave it on the correct side, which I didn't do a couple of times. That was more the frustrating part. You battle away, and obviously today, not ideal, and three more good ones, and this will be a good tournament.

Q. Obviously tomorrow you go out and you feel a little bit educated about what the task is?

SEAMUS POWER: You do and you don't. It's difficult to judge stuff out there. You learn some, but it's kind of tough to explain. I mean, like on 15, like 3-irons and 3-woods are ending up in the same spot. And on 18, 2-irons. It's really, really fiery. If you can hit something running down the fairway, there's not really much to stop it.

So it's just trying to judge as best you can and hopefully eventually the ball doesn't run into a bunker. That could lead to a good score.

Q. To kind of sum up the way the course is playing, pins very close to the edges of slopes. You ended up on a very difficult spot there. You had to chip it?

SEAMUS POWER: It was. It was a very odd spot. Yeah, they've obviously put some pins in tough spots knowing it wasn't going to be as windy today and with it playing so short. It's still tough to get close to some of the holes. You've got to take advantage of -- it gives you obviously opportunities, 1 in particular, but 5 is obviously reachable.

You're close to 9. You're close to 12. You're going to drive 18, and you can reach 14. I didn't plan those particularly well.

Like I doubled 12. I doubled 12 and parred 14. You're looking at three, four shots there quickly, and that's the difference in the round. That's kind of what it's going to be. You can take advantage of those ones.

And some other times, a good shot can be 40 feet, and just trying to get down in two from there, which again I failed to do on 17 today.

I played it smart, did everything right. Just on the front edge but took three to get down. Got to be a little sharper with some of those putts tomorrow and hopefully get a couple breaks.

Q. 9 and 10 to get the putt there were lovely and 11 you hit a great shot.

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, almost made the birdie on 11. So I was really feeling good. Hit probably my best driver of the day on 12, to be honest. The bunker is three yards by four yards and it's anything but there, and I hit it well, and it just never moved. It's like two boys may be missing by two yards on the left and they have pretty easy shots over the back of the green.

That's the course, you know. It's the same on 9. You've got to miss that one bunker. Days you have a good score, you're going to miss them. Days you don't, you're going to hit it right in.

Q. How does this compare to other majors.

SEAMUS POWER: It's a totally different type of golf. It's a different atmosphere. This is unusual with the crowds. Sometimes you're hitting a pot, and no one actually knows how close it is or anything like that, so it's a little different. It's an extra special feel coming up on this.

The golf today is totally different. I've played a lot of links golf, and I've rarely seen links courses play like that. I think it's going to be different for everyone, trying to figure out the best you can as you go.

Q. Do you adjust to a different type of terrain to here?

SEAMUS POWER: You really are. Some of them, it's so bizarre. Keep saying this, but even like No. 7 fairway, it's so hard to hit it. It's normally not a particularly difficult tee shot, but you've got to hit it high and try to hold it into the wind so it will land over the rough and short of the bunker. Normally it's not really a problem, but it's just playing so fiery and stuff.

It's fun, and it's difficult because then you're trying to figure stuff out on the fly when you get out of position and trying to hit it to a place where you can have a chance of getting up and down. That was the most disappointment.

12 can happen on St Andrews, but a couple of spots on 14 and the 4th I was kind of disappointed. Hit it in a poor, poor spot where I didn't give myself much of a chance. They're the more frustrating ones.

Q. Tough to kind of swallow 73? You know, could have been?

SEAMUS POWER: Could have been. If you put me on 12 tee and just told me the shots I hit coming in, I'd be very disappointed, but it just happens.

I mean, where it ended up on 12, you couldn't put it in a worse spot. The last thing you want to do is come out left because you have no angle for that pin. It was up against the front lip so I couldn't stand to get it out right. Just have it in a horrible spot.

It just happens sometimes. The holes coming in, they're playing so unusual. I think Brooks hit it probably 440 yards down 14 or something. He ran out of fairways. I didn't even know it was possible.

It's so difficult to pick the lines. Your lines, you're moving them 25 yards from where I would have hit them before. That's probably the trickiest part because I played the course before.

As you kind of figure it out today, I think the wind is going to be playing the same direction. There's no real excuses the rest of the week.

Q. That shot into 4 or 5, I can't remember where it was, did you get a funny hop or something to end up with that really awkward pitch?

SEAMUS POWER: I thought I hit a good tee shot, and it rolled into like an odd spot. It looked, like I said, we were both looking and said this is definitely coming out hot. And it came out and went short, landed 15, 20 yards short of where I thought it would.

For that pin, I was playing for it to end up over the green and end up short. It was a poor misjudgment. So that was kind of disappointing. Left it in a poor spot.

Q. When you see the scoring today, it looks like Young is coming in with 6-, 7-under par. Are you looking to do better tomorrow?

SEAMUS POWER: Very much so. I don't know exactly, but there's going to be some low ones out there. It's going to be interesting, like over the four days, but there's definitely going to be some individual low rounds. As I said, if you're -- there's like five, six key shots out there, and if you hit them well today, you can have five, six very easy birdies. I didn't do that today.

I think that's going to be the difference. I know Cam Young, he's a good driver of the ball, and he's pretty long. I don't know, but I'm guessing he's obviously birdied or eagled 5. He's going to be pitching onto 2 and 3 and not a long shot into 4. You're going up around 7. You're driving 9. You're driving 12. You're reaching 14, and you're driving 18.

It's one of those courses, the faster the fairways are running, if you can hit solid ones landing on the fairways on certain holes, you're going to make easy birdies. It's going to be interesting. I can see some certainly low individual rounds.

Over the course of the week, though, it's going to be interesting. I think eventually the breaks will go against you and you will hit it in a couple of bunkers. Normally obviously try to take them out of play, but it's so hard this week with how fast the fairways are playing.

I can't obviously. That's definitely got to be by far my worst round of the week to have any sort of chance.