U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

June 16, 2023

Charley Hoffman

The Los Angeles Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Good round. 2-under going into the weekend at a U.S. Open. How were your first 36 holes?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yeah, had a lot of opportunities early on the front nine that I didn't capitalize. Then I made some nice putts in the middle of the round and then sort of scraped it coming down the stretch on the back nine.

But obviously never want to make bogey on the last hole you're playing, but obviously if you would have told me I would shoot 67 at 6:45 this morning I probably would have taken it.

Q. How much have you missed these major championships the last couple years?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: A lot. I really enjoy the mental grind. I really enjoy the toughness of the golf course. I just, I think that sort of fits into my game, just sort of grinding it out out there. And I have.

I've been banged up the last couple years and still don't feel great, but just sort of going through it day by day.

Q. Speaking of grind it out, it seemed like there was less grind at least scoring average wise yesterday than we've ever seen at a U.S. Open. I'm sure you saw some of the complaints from the trolls on social media and all that.

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I don't pay attention to any of that. So to be honest with you from the start --

Q. Yeah, what's your thoughts on it?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I think it played fine. I thought -- I said from the start, the forecast we had with a little bit of rain and overcast the first couple days, scores are going to be low.

But if the forecast -- hopefully if it comes through with sun and some heat on the weekend it's going to -- everything's going to sort of come back.

But I've never been a fan of like trying to make the golf course too tricky. I mean, if someone goes out and plays good golf they deserve to shoot 8-under.

And yesterday morning it was real soft because I would say the marine layer and mist and the so-called rain that you were able to get in the fairway, you were able to attack.

And fairways got a little bigger because they were a little softer. These fairways are huge, but once they start bouncing they don't play big. So I expect it will probably be a little different golf course this weekend.

Q. What was tougher about today? What did they do setup wise, and is there anymore room --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: They played most of the tees back, which make it's harder. The pin placements were pretty good. I mean, what I like is they haven't tricked anything up yet.

They have good pin placements, and if you're in position you can attack. If you're not, you are sort of trying to make par.

But reality is they played a few more holes back, which longer irons into holes, which make it's play a little bit tougher. Obviously played much easier for me today (laughing.)

Q. Do you remember more names of U.S. Open champions or more winning scores of U.S. Opens?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I don't think winning score really, it's always names. I never been a fan of trying to make even par score be it. I think it's what nature gives you and whatever it happened to be.

I mean, I think fans enjoy watching us struggle, but they also enjoy watching us make birdies and hit the ball close. So I think this golf course has been extremely fair so far and I assume they're going to push it a little bit more on the weekend.

Q. How did you view this golf course growing up? You're from San Diego area, but I'm sure LACC had a lot of prestige to a young Charlie Hoffman.

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I never really came up here and played really any golf in L.A. until after college. I had some friends that became members and came out here and played a few times. It's one of those golf courses, it's just far enough, just far enough away from San Diego that you don't come up and play with traffic and all that stuff.

But obviously when I heard that it was going to be here back X amount of years ago I remember I started doing math and I started with my fingers and I'm like, how old -- I'm going to be 46. I'm like, dang, I'm probably going to be a little bit too old for this because I think it's going to be an amazing test of golf at an amazing venue, because obviously it's in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, obviously a major city and prime time coverage on Saturday and Sunday.

So I was really look forward to it, if I wasn't in it watching it. I sort of had it on the calendar and obviously was sort of something I wanted to qualify for and I was able to do that in a playoff right across the street at Hill Crest.

Obviously it's -- anything -- any time you can play a major championship in your home state it's an added bonus and really cool to be here.