THE 152ND OPEN

July 18, 2024

Brooks Koepka

Mixed Zone

Q. I assume you're pleased to be under par today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I am. I didn't think I hit it very good. I putted pretty well today, which kind of kept me in it. But wasn't too excited about the ball-striking.

Q. Talk us through those four birdies in a row there, especially coming off the two bogeys.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, just made a bunch of bad swings early the first three holes. Then just kind of found something there, and when you get hot, you get hot. It was nice to roll that putt in, see an actual birdie, and then the 3-iron, believe it or not, I actually mis-hit it a little bit, and it just found its way close to the hole. That's links golf. You can get a good bounce. It ended up all right.

But yeah, happy with the start.

Q. How were you able to adjust to the wind shifting from the last couple days in terms of game plan?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It is what it is. Everybody has got to play it. It's not anything we haven't played in before. Just go out and go play.

Q. Some guys don't adjust to it well, though. Why do you think that you do?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I have no idea. Look, there's a lot of good players, and when they play well, you can control your ball. Links golf, if you're creative enough, you can find different ways to get it near the hole.

Q. What do you think the best shot you hit was today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Probably the 3-iron that went to like a foot. You don't make many birdies on that hole.

Q. You said you didn't hit it well, so...

BROOKS KOEPKA: There's a lot of shots that we mis-hit that just end up really close and look good for TV.

Q. Rahm said 14 and 17 were brutal.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, 17 was quite tough. Obviously you're aiming at the left side of the green, and if you hit a straight ball it's going to fall off the left side and you don't want to miss it right. Then 14, I can't even remember 14. What was that, the other par-3?

Q. Yeah.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, they're tough. I mean, every hole is tough out here.

Q. You said it looks green, but everything is firm.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's links golf. It is firm.

Q. You didn't play here in 2016. Is this the first week you've seen this course?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's the first time I've seen it.

Q. What did you think?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's a good golf course. Obviously it's links. You know it's going to be blowing. I don't know what the weather says for the rest of the week. I haven't even looked at it. But if it blows like this the next -- I think this is a weird wind direction if I'm right, isn't it? I don't know if it'll switch back, but I know into the wind on those last hole nines would be pretty tough.

Q. Would you rather have these conditions or have it play a little tougher?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know. It doesn't really matter. You've still got to go out and go play, so just go play.