THE 152ND OPEN

July 18, 2024

Nick Taylor

Mixed Zone

Q. Kind of a tough front nine, but you sort of seemed to get things going better on the back. How would you assess the whole day?

NICK TAYLOR: Not a great start. A couple like -- I think I had some water on the face when it was raining a little bit hard on that tee shot on 7, which I hit in that bunker. Just compounded a little bit there with the second shot.

Hit some nice shots, just wasn't able to make anything today. That was frustrating. It would have been nice to make that four foot on the last to make birdie. Yeah, just can't make the putts today.

Q. According to like the stats, were you only in one bunker today?

NICK TAYLOR: Off the tee, I guess, yeah. The 7th hole, I was in two bunkers.

Q. So it was mainly the greens where the speed -- is it challenging to try to adjust to some of the speeds of these greens?

NICK TAYLOR: With some of the wind, you've really got to hit it. Just slight misreads, hit quite a few hedges. I don't think I was necessarily hitting a lot of bad putts, yeah, just nothing went on the green. If I can make a few more tomorrow and see the ball going in, but it doesn't want to go in the hole currently.

Q. It sped up the greens a little bit when the wind changed. Did that affect things?

NICK TAYLOR: No, again, my speed was decent. Just kind of rolling over the edges with slight misreads. They're very subtle breaks. Trying to factor in some wind when it started gusting a little bit. Even the last hole, we played it straight with the wind off the right, and it somehow broke right a little bit.

Just one of those days where we were off a little bit, and the ball just wasn't going in.

Q. With more variables in links golf, there can be more bad breaks. Is it hard to control the emotional side of golf when so many things seem to be happening?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it wants to test you for sure. I didn't have that many today, where I hit good shots that ended up in bad spots. We hit all good clubs off the tee.

Yeah, it takes patience for sure. You can't really tackle a lot of pins even when you feel like you maybe have a scoring club, and the practise round wind to today has been very different. The front nine was playing almost tougher essentially off the tee.

When you've got more downwind holes, they're tougher holes. The last hole was just a 3-iron and a pitching wedge. On the first day, it was a driver and a wood. You've got to pick where you can attack.

Q. The approach into 16, what was that like? You put that one really close for a birdie.

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it was nice to make a birdie. Again, I don't think I made a putt in my own shadow today. If I can do something like that tomorrow, we can get a good round going.

Q. What is the challenge of this particular golf course so far?

NICK TAYLOR: Definitely positioning off the tee. Like I said, with this wind, the toughest holes, 10, 11, 13, were down off the left. Such different holes than the practise round was.

I hit short irons into 10, 11, and 13. If that switches a little bit and comes in off the left, it just becomes a lot more difficult.

Just getting in position, that's what the first three to seven, eight holes is. That was more challenging today because it was into the wind. If you can get it in play, you give yourself chances. You've just got to roll the putts in.

Q. Was it positive the way you steadied the ship there in that little part? Looking at the scoreboard, there's only 13 guys under-par?

NICK TAYLOR: I would have felt better making that -- I got to 3-over with two to play and really -- hit three great shots coming in just to get 1-over. It leaves a sour taste.

No, I fought. I still need to get a good round tomorrow. Again, if I can just roll putt in, see it going in, hopefully get some mojo going in.

Q. What's the rest of the day look like? You going to get some work in or rest?

NICK TAYLOR: I don't know. I might throw my putter in the ocean or go work for three hours. We'll see.