THE 152ND OPEN

July 19, 2024

Abraham Ancer

Mixed Zone

Q. 6-over, that might well be enough to make the cut with how scores are going at the moment. How do you feel you played? And if you do make it through, what do you need to do tomorrow to improve?

ABRAHAM ANCER: It played very difficult. It's a true Open for sure. I feel like I played pretty good. I was grinding out there. The front nine played very tough. It was definitely pumping. The whole day was.

Yeah, just need to make more putts. It's tough to really make putts out here with the cross-winds, speed and stuff. You can definitely finish in some really gnarly places in these bunkers for sure.

Q. Obviously you've had a very good year so far, but not anything on links golf. How do you prepare for such a different test to what you've played on the LIV Tour?

ABRAHAM ANCER: I love playing links golf. I feel you've got to be extremely creative. It is tough to prepare. We don't really play any links golf. Wish we did a little bit more. I think it would be -- it's really cool. I truly enjoy it.

Yeah, you just have to understand them. Through the years -- and this is my sixth Open, if I'm not mistaken -- so you start to learn how to approach this kind of golf. Like I said, I truly like it.

Q. I just want to look ahead a couple weeks to the Olympics in Paris. We're only 10, 11 days away from that. How much are you looking forward to representing Mexico in Paris with a chance to win a gold medal?

ABRAHAM ANCER: Me and Carlos are extremely excited. We feel like we're playing really solid golf this year. We've been preparing as best as we can physically, mentally, obviously golf.

It's always an honour to wear the Mexican flag and to represent my country, and it's going to be, I think, an incredible event. Last time I was there, it was during COVID, so we didn't have any people. It was kind of strange.

I'm really looking forward to see how it's going to be. I know the venue is amazing. I've never been there, but everybody else told me great things about the course. I'm just really excited. Can't wait to be there.

Q. Compared to a typical PGA Tour or LIV setup, what do you have to do differently on a wind-swept links golf course like this?

ABRAHAM ANCER: It's tough, man. You have to -- for example, 17, it's a really long par-3, but it's just howling downwind, and to keep it on the green, you have to pitch the ball probably 20 yards short of the green on the upslope. On the book, it looks like you just can't pitch it there, but you have to. I hit a good shot there, where I thought it was going to be perfect, and it ended up long of the green.

So it's just stuff like that. You just have to know it. You just have to prepare. You have to have experience and just trust that the ball is just going to go that far. I mean, there's really no other way to prepare for it, I don't think.

Q. You guys are so precise. What does it do to you mentally when everything is out the window, your yardages, your shot shapes?

ABRAHAM ANCER: Like everything changes. Out there you're just being creative. On any shot, you can hit three, four different clubs, to be honest. It's just trying to pick the one that you feel most comfortable with pulling off the shot and just eliminating really the big number because in any hole you can make a big number.

It is tough, but I love that. I love that aspect of it. I think you have to be, like you said, extremely precise, but also extremely creative.

Q. Is the test more mental than physical as far as making the right choice and committing to it?

ABRAHAM ANCER: I think so. Mentally, I mean, it can drive you crazy. It's just so tough. It's tough to make putts. It's tough to leave the ball where you want to put it, you know. Usually you feel like you hit a good shot and you know where it's going to end up. Here you have to have a little bit of luck as well.

Also the draw, the tee times play a huge part of The Open, and it's always been a part of it obviously.