THE 151ST OPEN

July 20, 2023

Alex Maguire

Mixed Zone

ALEX MAGUIRE: Definitely the most nervous I've ever been in my whole life. I've been under sort of pressure situations before, like sort of at the end of a match, but the first tee shot is usually okay for me. Today it was a struggle to get the ball on the tee.

Once the ball sat on the tee I felt okay. Me and my coach worked on committing to a tempo, a target, and wherever the ball goes just follow it.

In the past I always sort of -- sort of swinging away from fear, so swinging away from a left miss. But yeah, just stood up on the first tee and hit it in the fairway.

Q. A round of 1-over; happy with that?

ALEX MAGUIRE: Sorta, yeah. I felt like I played a lot better than that. I hit it really well off the tee. I was in a lot of fairways. I hit a lot of greens, too, but I just made a mental mistake on 14 and I pulled out driver after a few good drivers on a hole where you can't hit driver.

Hit it into a bunker and then had one bad swing from there and that's where -- a costly, because I felt like I was playing great the whole way around.

Yeah, obviously it was nice to finish up the way I did, birdieing the two par-5s on the way back and a great up-and-down on 17. I was in a could have inn bunker short and hit it to a few feet.

Yeah, proud of myself for sticking in there and getting the round back close level par, but sort of stings a little bit with that tee shot on 14.

Q. When do the nerves go away or do they go away?

ALEX MAGUIRE: I would say after the second tee shot the nerves went away.

The first shot, sort of first iron shot and first putt I was sort of nervous. Hit an 8-iron into the first and hit a really good putt, and sort of after that you get your bearings and walking up the second hole I felt fine.

Like I wasn't going out there to play perfect golf. I was going out there to try to shoot a good score. If that meant hitting it in bunkers, hitting it in the rough, getting up-and-down, you can make a score all sorts.

I think I put some pressure on myself earlier in the week to be flawless, and then when Donald Scott came over, my coach we worked on hitting good shots and see where the ball goes.

Q. 1-over. You're definitely going to be in contention to make the cut. Overall can you reflect on the day? Are you satisfied with your play?

ALEX MAGUIRE: I mean, if I'm not happy at 1-over then I'd be happy with pretty much any score better than that. I have high standards for myself and I feel like tomorrow I can go out there and shoot a score under par. Definitely the way I played today I can definitely shoot a score under par if I hole a few putts.

But yeah, I'll go out tomorrow at around noon I think it is and keep committing to the process and keep committing to shots where I'll be accepting of where the ball goes. Then if I make the cut, great, if not then I can at least go home with my head held high.

Q. Christo Lamprecht, an amateur, have you played with him?

ALEX MAGUIRE: We played the last two holes on Tuesday. I was on my own, and then him and Branden Grace came up on 17 and we played the last few holes.

I actually met Christo years ago. He came over to Bettystown and one of the members knew one of the head coaches. They brought the guys over and we played a Senior Cup match with them. I played with Christo that day and he drove the fifth green in Bettystown, which is like 350 or something.

So I was very, very impressed by what he was doing there, and then obviously the last five or six years he's come into such an amazing player. And at the British Am I loved to see him win. To be honest it's no shock he's at the top of the leaderboard. He's so fearless. He hits the ball an absolute mile. I'm sure the bunkers that are sort of 310 or out of reach for him, like he can sort of fly them.

But yeah, we're in the locker room together so whenever we see it's friendly. Sort of handshake and a hug and wished him the best of luck this morning. I think he's doing okay at the moment.

Q. (No microphone.)

ALEX MAGUIRE: Yeah, I had a really nice feeling on the range yesterday. Me and Donald were working on a few different wedges I was going to use.

Then I went in the bunker on a chipping green there and I felt like a move from the top of the swing was throwing the club out, and worked on -- I got up-and-down on 6 from that front right bunker to a back left flag and I felt really good.

The strike of the ball felt really good. Then you see that ball spin back into the bunker on 17 and I was a little bit annoyed and the crowd was going ooh and aww. To stand up there and hit that shot, it sort of kept me in it because if that shot goes wrong back worst spot you could stare 6 in the face. To get up-and-down for 3 was massive.

Q. To birdie two of the last four holes after doubling 14, how big was that?

ALEX MAGUIRE: To be honest, I'm delighted I birdied those two holes. I didn't birdie 5. I hit a really bad second shot on 5 and just made a standard 5, so I knew you had to be under par on the par-5s here.

And then I had a little talking to myself after 14. I went off to the tee on my own. I didn't speak to my caddie for a few minutes just to sort of psych myself back up, get back in the zone. Hit a lovely tee shot down 15. I really like that tee shot. It suits my drive very well.

Yeah, to birdie that and then up-and-down on the last I was no man's land at the last -- shortly after that bunker and hit probably the best pitch of my life to two, three feet.

But yeah, very, very proud of myself today for sticking in. You make a double and you go 3-over through 14 and you're playing 16, you're playing 17, even 18 is quite tough.

You could easily shoot 78, 79 out there if your head gets in the wrong space. So turn around after that double and make two birdies on the way in, I'm very proud of myself.

Q. (On the first nine holes.)

ALEX MAGUIRE: I played great. That's what I was saying. It's probably the best I've played in a long while. Probably since St Andrews I was hitting every single fairway. I was hitting every green beside maybe 2; had to pitch that one. Yeah, the front nine was great, and then I got unlucky on 10. Hit driver down 10, and I hung up on the rough, really bad shot spot and I made bogey there.

Hard to say this when you're an elite golfer, but if you take out the double, I played probably as good of golf as I could have played out there, minus holing a few putts.

Q. (No microphone.)

ALEX MAGUIRE: I actually slept quite good. I was so tired. It's so tiring being out here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Playing golf isn't tiring, but it's so new to me that doing this stuff, going to the tour trucks, going to the range, doing all that stuff makes it very tiring. I knew yesterday I was going to be up at 4:30. Usually I don't sleep very well, but I slept like a baby. Yeah, pretty happy with that. Pretty happy (indiscernible) was on the green today, as well. Yeah, it was an early morning, but looking forward to a little bit of a lie-in tomorrow.