U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 2, 2023

Steven Alker

SentryWorld

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: Steven Alker, 6-under 65. Low round for the championship. What was working for you today?

STEVEN ALKER: Well, kind of all started yesterday to be honest. I just started getting my swing where I wanted it. It's kind of taken about three or four weeks actually.

I don't know why it happened yesterday. Just kind of fell into place. Started hitting a lot more greens and fairways, and today the difference was just made some putts.

Kept the three-putts off the card and made some nice birdies. Yeah, as I said, it kind of started from yesterday and swing started to click.

Fairways and greens.

Q. Looked like today your driving distance was significantly higher than the first three rounds. What was the change in decision off the tee?

STEVEN ALKER: I'm not sure what holes the driving holes were, but I probably hit a tree somewhere. Took my yardage down or something. Yeah, normally I am a 285, 290 hitter, so I hadn't looked at that. I just drove the ball better the last two days. That's what you got to do at a U.S. Senior Open.

Q. There was one bogey-free round until today and you get the second one. Is that going through your mind coming down the stretch that after your days of grinding...

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, it was. It was. It was not so much the bogey-free about the my goal today was to get back to par, and I did better than that.

So that was -- you know, where that left me, whatever. Just nice to get a good round under the belt, get some momentum going.

Yeah, it's always nice to keep bogeys off the card, especially at a Senior Open.

Q. As we look at your scorecard and the birdies on it, were those mostly holes that you thought you could score on? Any birdies in there that might have been bonuses today?

STEVEN ALKER: Made a nice putt on 1. Kind of a curler, 20-footer. Nice start to the day.

Then, yeah, birdied 5, knocked on in two and two-putted and then wedged it in there pretty close.

10, birdie hole.

11 as well actually. Just those holes that you got to get after. And made a really nice putt on 13 I think it was.

And then now I'm thinking, well, few more wedges coming in, maybe get a couple more. Just didn't quite give myself good chances down the stretch.

Q. And I'm not sure in the you've been on the PGA TOUR Champions if you've really gotten the full effect of Bernhard Langer. As you look at what he's doing out there today, what immediate thoughts come through your head?

STEVEN ALKER: The guy is a class act. He works out, he's still got the vision, the drive to try and win events.

He's been what, 15 years on the Champions? That's impressive. That's all I can say.

Q. How would you summarize this week and course and how you thought it played.

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, when I got on the property I liked it. Park land, just lots of rough. Kind of up my alley. I drive it pretty good.

So yeah, I was thinking, you know, it's kind of suits my game a little bit.

And the golf course itself, yeah, it was set up good. There were birdies out there, but at the same time, miss it off the fairway, you're just struggling. Just a typical USGA, U.S. Senior Open. You got to golf your ball.

Q. And to follow up on that, absent of the infrastructure things like airports and hotels, could the course itself host a U.S. Open in your mind? You played in what, three of them?

STEVEN ALKER: I think it could. It's got a little bit of room to stretch out a little bit more. You know, you play the back tees. You know, I played only two U.S. Opens, but I seriously think it does. Just little tweaks maybe, shaping the fairways differently. Setting tees up so you can get good lines off the tee.

I think so. Yeah, why not.

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