THE SENIOR OPEN PRESENTED BY ROLEX

July 21, 2022

Paul Broadhurst

PGA Centenary at Gleneagles

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you assess an opening round 5-under 65 out there this morning?

PAUL BROADHURST: A shocker, yes, after the start. 3-over after five. I hit one bad drive off No. 4. I hit it left in the rough and we couldn't find it, and that's the way the course is. If you hit the fairway, you can make a score. But if you start spraying it, the rough off the course is thick.

I was thinking I was back down the M6 after five holes to be honest. But you never know. You learn to grind it out in this game over the years, and made a nice birdie on 7, and sort of got it back to par through 10. I guess the tee shot on 14 setup a really nice eagle there. Couple of birdies to finish the last three.

5-under, delighted. I played with Stephen, as well. He played awesome. Played just how you should play. Just hit the fairway, get on the green. Hit it close and you can hole the putt. It was good to watch him play and tried to make a few on the back nine.

Q. What clicked?

PAUL BROADHURST: It was just, I mean, I started off okay. The first three holes I played pretty good. I missed it from like five feet on the first birdie. Just a case of trying to get into the round really.

Hit one bad tee shot on 4, a pull draw into the thick stuff. Then reasonable tee shot on the par 3, gets a big bounce, goes to 40 feet and I 3-putt and thinking, oh, here we go, what a great start to the tournament. Biggest one of the year and you're 3-over after five.

It was an important birdie I made on 7. I just sort of got the one back and I'm thinking, turning, can get there in two and that's a good birdie opportunity. On 14 and 18, still got chances to rescue the round, and I did.

Q. How important is experience not panicking in that situation?

PAUL BROADHURST: Absolutely. I don't think I've ever shot 5-under from being 3-over but I've shot 2- or 3-over from being a couple over.

So yeah, it's possible. You just have to stick in there. Everybody makes mistakes; it's how you react to them. Perhaps one more bogey and that might have been it. I'm not sure how the brain would have coped at 4-over. Woody Austin got it to 5-under, he was struggling and around the back nine he's played lovely and got it back to even par.

There's birdies out there, but if you hit a few loose ones, then you can rack up a few numbers as well.

Q. How important is momentum after the birdies on 7 and 9?

PAUL BROADHURST: I think 14 in, I played really nicely. The tee shot on 14 was big. I had just come off birdie on 13. Hit it close there and hit it to about eight or ten feet on 14 and rolled in for eagle.

Suddenly you go from level par to 3-under in two holes and you're thinking, I'm on top of the leaderboard nearly. It just changes mentally. But you know, you just have to stay in the present and play each shot as it comes, basically.

Q. You mentioned Stephen playing well. How much did that pull you along?

PAUL BROADHURST: It does, yeah. If you get a couple of guys playing well on the same group, it pulls you along. It's a relaxed atmosphere rather than looking for balls on every hole and three-putting for bogey. In a good three-ball, no question it helps you.