THE 150TH OPEN

July 15, 2022

Brad Kennedy

Mixed Zone

Q. Tell us about the emotions?

BRAD KENNEDY: I was just trying to get through the day. The breeze switched on us on 7 and the back nine. I'd only experienced that probably 15 years ago playing the Dunhill.

So a couple of practise rounds and walking, playing out of the breeze, I sort of had to really change some lines and I was just really focusing on just really trying to hit my lines and finish lines.

And there were certainly some couple of things floating in my head, but I had to dig deep and managed to dig deep on 7 and 8. And I think I was comfortable through the middle of the round. Early on I tried to press a little bit too hard with a couple of holes into the breeze. And managed to make a nice birdie on 7, which sort of settled me down a little bit and played really nicely through 8, 9, 10, 11.

And yeah, just a couple of fairway traps for me. Like the fairway on 13, those fairway traps -- knew they were there, and I was trying to sort of guide it off of it but hit it straight in. Just got penalized there and managed to get my way through.

Q. Walking down 18, just take a moment to soak it in, what you've achieved --

BRAD KENNEDY: I didn't really soak it in until -- I just looked at my second shot and I could have hit eight different shots. And I chose one that I thought was going to get it the closest. And I thought I hit a perfect shot and just hit the downslope.

It was, I think tonight with a cold drink and just sort of understand what a place like this is, but at the end of the day I've still got a job to do. I've got 36 holes. Sure, I'm a fair way back, but this place can do anything.

I'll be out there probably sometime lunchtime. I'll be trying to -- the key for me around any tournament I'm playing now is to how far can I push myself mentally to be able to hit the shots that are required to play under pressure and felt like I've probably taken another step this week.