THE 150TH OPEN

July 16, 2022

Scottie Scheffler

Mixed Zone

Q. Could you first just assess your position at the moment. Seems like you have to keep pushing, even in these tough conditions?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I mean, guys are pretty good at golf. There's a lot of talent out here. And I'm hanging in there. Outside of a few putts going in today, I could have been a lot closer to the lead. But that's how it goes.

I hit a lot of good putts out there. They're just dodging the cup. But looks like I'll probably be about six shots back going into tomorrow. Never know what can happen.

Q. The conditions for you guys compared to what you saw earlier in the day or yesterday?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It definitely got firmer. The pins were tucked away. It was pretty close to what we were expecting to happen. We knew the pins would be in some really hard spots.

Q. Do you think that you can make up that kind of ground?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think so. You can get rolling around here in a hurry. I was rolling it pretty good today and I could have taken it really low. The putts weren't going in. I got a really bad break there on 12, which probably cost me two shots. Instead of the ball running out in the green, it ends up in the lip of a pot bunker. That's what happens on this golf course. At the end of the day, you hate seeing that happen to yourself.

Q. Any guess as to the winning score?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No idea. Depends on what they do to the golf course tomorrow.

Q. What did Rory's shot on 10 look like to you?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I couldn't really see. The cameras were in the way. We saw his ball roll into the bunker, so we were wondering what part of the bunker it ended up in. It was really loud there for a minute or so, which was pretty funny.

Q. Do you think it's a real help if both players are playing lights out like the two were?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: What do you mean?

Q. That pairing, they're both 16-under par, as opposed to a pair not getting the breaks and playing quite as well. Did it help both of them?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Oh, like them feeding off of each other?

Q. Yeah.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think for sure. I think definitely you see a correlation with that out on TOUR. It's not easy to shoot 9-under when the guy in front of you is shooting 4-over. It's always nice seeing good shots and then be able to judge off those and stuff like that.

I think there's definitely something to when guys kind of -- you can even look at D.J. and I's round today. I felt like we played really good and then kind of struggled and finished with birdies on 18. We kind of were going hand in hand out there. So, yeah, maybe a little bit.

Q. Did he top that ball on 18? What happened?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No comment. (Laughter).

Q. A number in mind for Sunday that you're going to shoot?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No, I'm going to go out there and try to get off to a good start. We'll see what happens from there.

Q. Seriously, did he say anything?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, he walks away and he's, like, wow, tried to hit it low but didn't mean to try to hit it that low. I don't know if he topped it or not. We were walking off the tee, and D.J. looks at me, and he goes, man, I forgot to get the cover there. I didn't think about that.

It carried the burn by like 10 yards. Honestly I felt like it got one kick up in the air. If it hadn't got that kick up in the air, it still would have gone pretty close to the green with how firm everything is, but still able to make birdie.

Q. Hit an iron off the tee?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No, it was 3-wood. Maybe it was 7-wood, whatever it was.

Q. Seemed like you guys had a pretty good rapport out there?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yes, D.J. is obviously very relaxed all the time. I'm pretty laid back myself. We've been buds a decent amount of time. Had a lot of fun at the Ryder Cup last year. He's definitely an easy guy to get paired with.

Q. Does it feel like there's a crowd favourite? Can you feel that?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yes.

Q. Who is it?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Isn't it Rory? I was like, they're chanting his name out there. I think he's definitely a crowd favourite. How can you not root for Rory?

Q. Has there been a steep learning curve for you here this week, or do you feel like you've figured it out quickly?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think you just gotta get used to the golf course and the firmness. And I think links golf kind of suits me where you're hitting all different kinds of shots and creating and seeing, versus playing numbers. So for me, I don't have to change too much. Just gotta get used to the conditions.

Q. You hadn't seen it until Monday?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I came here Sunday.

Q. Sunday?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, saw it Sunday, no wind. A little different now.