THE 151ST OPEN

July 22, 2023

Scottie Scheffler

Mixed Zone

Q. Quite a few birdies, quite a few bogeys. What did you make of that round? What was it like in those conditions?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: There was just a lot going on. Rain, sun, but yeah, it was a fun day.

Q. Do you enjoy those conditions?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I definitely enjoy the conditions. I think days like today are fun days to go out and play.

Q. How much did it mean to you to make it through on the cut number? How important is it to keep that run of cuts and make it to weekends?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I definitely don't like missing cuts, so anytime you can birdie the last to avoid that is definitely a good feeling.

I obviously wish I would have played significantly better today, but fought back a little bit at the end, and maybe I'll have a great day tomorrow, see what happens.

Q. Can you still do it tomorrow?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Win? Unless a hurricane happens this afternoon. (Laughter.) A hurricane and then some I think is what it's going to take for me.

I'm just going to go out tomorrow and do my best and move my way up the leaderboard and try and have a good day.

Q. On the 5th when you stood back from your shot you could hear the commentary from the --

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, that was strange. I was standing over my shot and they had the TV going full volume over there and it was commentating my shot.

So I heard my name in the distance and I was like, all right, I've got to back off. I've never heard a distraction like that before. Usually something that loud it's music or something. Hopefully they turn that down as the leaders get back there. It was very -- I've never been so distracted by something like that before. It was pretty funny, just hearing your own name on the coverage. It was a weird moment for sure.

Q. On the last, when you hit your second there were people crossing the fairway. Did you lay up in front of them or did you go over them?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I hit it over them. Yeah, there was only a few people crossing and I didn't know when they were going to stop, if there was anybody on the green. I knew I was hitting it over them, so I was just trying to get it up there somewhere before it started raining again.

Q. You wouldn't have hung back there and wait to take the shot?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: There was nobody there, and when I was getting ready to hit my shot they opened up the gates, and so I didn't even think they knew we were back there. I knew the walkway was pretty far back where I was trying to hit it, and so just hit it over them.

I hit it way further right than I was trying to. I was basically just trying to hit it over there by the grandstand anyway.

Q. How do you think the rain has changed the course for the leaders going off this afternoon?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It's just a lot softer, very soft out there. You get that big skid when the grass is wet here. That's something that I'm still trying to get used to. But just depending on -- sometimes you get the soft bounce where it digs in and if there's still moisture you get a big skip when there's moisture on the ball.

Q. Do you think there's a low number out there?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, definitely. Not for me, but yeah.

Q. The commentary on 5, it said look out for the bunker, and then your shot went in; is that right?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I didn't hear look out for the bunker, but it was so weird because I heard my name, and that definitely put me off for a minute there. That was weird.