U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

June 16, 2023

Harris English

The Los Angeles Country Club

Flash Interview

Q. 4-under 66. Great round today. Obviously course conditions a little tougher. What did you think?

HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, appreciate it. Yeah, it was tough out of the gate. My putter kept me in it on that back nine. Didn't hit it very close to the hole, but sometimes you've got to grind it out like that and then finally started swinging well making the turn.

Reeled off a good many birdies. I didn't realize I got 30 until the scorer in there just told me. The front nine is obviously easier and you can get it going.

But still, hit 3-wood on 7 into a par-3. I don't think I've ever done that before. 290-something today.

It's one of those, drove it on the green on 6, which I hit it right where I wanted to, but it's hard to do.

Yeah, started getting it going. I like where I'm standing, and we'll see what those guys shot this afternoon.

Q. How did your game feel coming into the week, your prep? The course set up well for you?

HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, I had played the course a couple times before this week and really enjoyed it. Felt like the game has been trending in the right direction. Didn't play great at the PGA. Hit it in the rough too much out there.

But I've played good at some good hard golf courses this year. Bay Hill and Quail Hollow are some of the toughest tests on the PGA TOUR and those are my best finishes this year. And played good at Riviera out here in February. I like playing out here and happy with the start.

Q. I was going to ask you if something clicked there with the top-5 finish.

HARRIS ENGLISH: At Bay Hill?

Q. No, Wells Fargo.

HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, I had played well at Bay Hill just a few weeks before that. Just getting more and more comfortable on the golf course. Off the tee -- I don't know, I've been working at it pretty hard and working with Justin back in Sea Island, and sometimes things just start clicking.

I felt like I really started playing well after Riviera, played well on Sunday to finish 12th at Riviera and then kind of jump started me. I felt like I played well at Honda. Just didn't make the cut. Just putted poorly.

And then the next week at Bay Hill played really well.

It's been coming and going, but I've felt good coming into this week. I had a good week off last week, and obviously like this play. Play good on Bermudagrass and bent greens, and it's felt good so far.

Q. Based on the scoring more so yesterday than today, does it feel like a U.S. Open test?

HARRIS ENGLISH: It does a little bit. I mean, the crowds aren't as big out there. A couple tee shots and a couple greens there's really nobody around because the fans can't get around a whole lot.

I saw the 8-unders right before I teed off yesterday, and I was like, well, it's out there if you're playing good golf.

Obviously Xander and Rickie were in control of their ball, and you can get it. But that makes a good test out here where it's not unfair, and if you're playing well, if you're hitting fairways, if you're striking good iron shots, you can get it decently close to the whole. There are some tough pins out there off where if you are a little off, it's going to be really hard to get up-and-down.

We'll see if those greens firm up this afternoon with the sun coming out, and maybe that wind will blow a little bit.

Yeah, I like how they're not setting it up to force us to a score. It's just kind of setting it up as it is, and whatever you shoot, you shoot. I think the players are really liking the setup.

Q. I was just talking to Sahith who has played here a bunch, and he said because of how much rollout you guys are getting this week that he thinks the course might be playing shorter. What are your thoughts how it's playing this week versus how you've played it in the past?

HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, it definitely is firm in the fairways, but I had never played some of the tee boxes we're playing this week.

Like No. 1, teeing off from the putting green. I remember hitting 6-iron in when I played it before. A couple of the par-3s, like No. 7, I didn't play it from 292.

But yeah, if you're driving it well -- I watched Wyndham Clark all day behind me. He's one of the best drivers in the world, and when he's on with driver, he's flipping wedge into almost every hole.

You start hitting it in the rough, and you lose total control over the ball.

Yeah, it's playing firm and fast and I like it. The fairways are playing smaller than what they say on the card. People were talking about 50-, 60-, 70-yard fairways, how wide they are, but with how much slope and how fast it is, they don't really play that wide.

Q. How much more difficult can they make it on the weekend do you think?

HARRIS ENGLISH: They can make it as difficult as they want to. We saw some with the pin locations today. I don't do AimPoint, but at least 3 percent slope.

They can get them as firm and fast as they want and put those pins in some tough spots. It's going to be fun. The rough is still going to be penal, and I'm excited to see -- I think everybody is going to get the U.S. Open they've been wanting to see.

I don't know what Xander and Rickie are going to go out and shoot today. They could post a low number. But I think the weekend if you stick around even or even a couple under, you're going to be -- for me, shooting a even or a couple under I feel like I'll be right in the mix.

Q. John Bodenhamer said last night that they could make it stupid hard if they want to and they're not going to do that. If you had heard that, A, would you have believed them, and B, what were you expecting today based on what happened yesterday?

HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, of course I believe them. I didn't play Shinnecock, but I saw how dicey that place got. Some tees were moved back today, tough pin locations. I knew it was going to be a little harder today. I know going into the week they're not basing it off scores. I know they didn't sit there and see two 8-unders yesterday, two 62s breaking the U.S. Open record.

They didn't make the pin harder or move the tees back. They kind of had it in place -- I felt like Thursday was going to be the easiest day and it's just going to get progressively harder.

Q. You had 14 clubs in the bag today?

HARRIS ENGLISH: 14 clubs.

Q. How many did you not use, if any?

HARRIS ENGLISH: Wow, you always ask deep questions like that. I'm going to have to go through -- man. You know what? I felt like I hit a lot of my clubs today. I bet I hit 12 of them, which is pretty cool. That makes a good golf course if you're hitting all your clubs. Hit a 56 into a par-3 and a 3-wood into a par-3, so you don't really get that disparity on the TOUR.

Q. Which par-3 do you find more difficult?

HARRIS ENGLISH: I think 7 is harder. Well, they're both really hard. I hit the green on both. I think 7 is harder. Standing up there knowing you've got to stripe a 3-wood to get to the front is kind of intimidating.