THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2024

Connor Graham

Quick Quotes

Q. A lovely round out there on The Old Links to start The Amateur Championship, 6-under, you must be a very happy man.

CONNOR GRAHAM: Definitely. It's nice to get off to a good start on quite a tricky golf course and some pretty tough conditions. Nice to get off to a good start.

Q. Is it five birdies in six holes that you had out there?

CONNOR GRAHAM: On the front nine, I got off to a dodgy start but started making a few putts and fired off four in a row on the front nine which helped.

Q. What does it feel like when you're going low and you're hot like that?

CONNOR GRAHAM: I think it's make more birdies and try to get as low a score as possible.

Q. Can you talk us through the birdies? Which one stands out as a highlight?

CONNOR GRAHAM: The highlight for me would have been on 14, the par 5. I chipped in for eagle. That definitely helped.

Q. You got ahead of me there, I was getting to the eagle. Tee-to-green, what did you do on that par 5?

CONNOR GRAHAM: I hit 3-wood because it gets quite tight, the driving distance downwind. I hit 3-woods, which left me kind of 250-ish and I hit 4-iron just short of the green and chipped in, which was nice.

Q. How far would you have been?

CONNOR GRAHAM: It was just front of the green, 20 yards.

Q. Was there any celebration when you saw that one go in?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Yeah, it was more relief to see it drop which was good.

Q. It's all about the match-play stage. What stock do you put in a solid opening round?

CONNOR GRAHAM: It's more of a confidence booster knowing you're playing good golf. The first two rounds don't really matter much if you make the top 64. So it's more building confidence and playing good golf.

Q. Secretary of your club, past champion of this event. Will you go out and give him a watch?

CONNOR GRAHAM: I may not watch but I'll definitely have a look at the scores and see how he's getting on.