THE 152ND OPEN

July 19, 2024

Scottie Scheffler

Mixed Zone

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I definitely made a few more putts than yesterday. I think the golf course was more challenging today than yesterday. I'm not sure what the scores say, but it definitely felt to be a bit more challenging.

Q. Are you frustrated by obviously a lot of your putts were 10, 15 feet just shaving it. So would you say you're putting well with being unlucky? How would you assess it?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I feel like I holed a good amount of putts today. I'd be interested to see what the statistics are because I felt like I holed a good amount of putts. I hit a lot of good ones, some up around the cup. It can be really challenging with how windy it is out there to hole a bunch of putts.

So I'd be interested to see what the stats say after today because yesterday was one of those days where it felt nothing could fall, and I think I was down maybe half a shot, which I would have imagined when I walked off the course it would have been worse than that. So today being able to hole a few, especially some important ones on the back nine for par, those always feel good, keeping the momentum.

Q. And the one at 14, that was --

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, like I said after yesterday's round, sometimes it's a numbers game. Just keep getting the ball up around the hole, and the more I can get it closer to the hole more often, the more putts I'm going to hole. If I'm hitting good putts and they're going up around the edge, I think it's almost more likely that I'm going to make more putts here in the future.

Q. Was Teddy dealing with anything on the front nine today?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, he had a bit of food poisoning last night -- well, could have been food poisoning, could be some sort of stomach bug. But he seemed to feel better as the day went on. The doc here took good care of him. But he did not sleep very much last night apparently.

We didn't know if he was going to be able to go this morning, but he fought it out. You saw him laying down probably quite a bit out there, which was pretty funny.

But it's just one of those deals, you're used to him being in one position, standing there by the bag, and then all of a sudden on No. 9 today he was literally sitting on the 10th tee for like 10 minutes while we were putting out over there. I didn't even see him, which was a bit unusual.

He's a fighter. He did a good job today and battled through it.

Q. What do you think is the most difficult wind out there and why?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: What do you mean?

Q. Difficult wind, wind direction, down off the left...

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I would say just based on wind changing a hole, I think it changes 12 the most with it being straight in. The angle it was on today, it's nice to be able to play a touch of an angle into the wind just based on which direction it is. But that one, that hole specifically being straight into was pretty challenging.

Q. Five shots back from Shane Lowry. Is that a big gap? Do you think the two rounds with the conditions, is it really quite reasonable?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, it's five shots. I really don't know how else to put it. Yeah, it's five shots back.

Q. Would you have settled for that let's say before you came into the championship? Would you have thought that would be quite a good position to be in?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I would have liked to be leading (laughing), but it's just one of those deals. I've played two solid rounds and it put me five shots back, and I'll continue to try to execute and just continue to try to hit good shots and hit good putts out there.

Q. Do you think you've reached the stage where your name appears on the leaderboard and it has an effect on the guys around you? Have you felt anything like that?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not really. I just try to stay in my own little world out there, just continue to hit good shots and just try to execute.

Q. Would you like to have that effect?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: That's up to those guys. You'll have to ask them. It doesn't really matter to me what those guys are doing. I'm trying to do my best to hit good shots and put myself in position, and going into the weekend, like you said, five shots back, I feel like I'm in a decent position.

Q. This is just your fourth Open; how or why did you learn to hit some of the creative shots that you seem to have?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think it's just how I grew up. I always loved practising and playing. I always loved being able to curve the ball. That's just something that I always loved to do. It kind of fascinated me a little bit. To me that's kind of the fun part of the game, and out here it can be challenging. It can be challenging at times to pick the appropriate shot just because the bounces can be unpredictable and stuff like that.

But overall, it's been a fun couple days and looking forward to the weekend.

Q. Would the aspect of having to be such a thought-provoking win mean more than any others this year, in the conditions like this? Would it stamp your season in a different way?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I really try not to think too much about the past. I'll try to ride a little bit of the good momentum, but at the end of the day, if I show up with a good attitude, I show up prepared, which I am prepared and I've had a good attitude the last two days, that's a successful week for me. So far it's been two really successful days, keeping my head in it nice and taking the good breaks and the bad breaks in stride and just continuing to grind. So that's what's most important to me.

Q. Do you think your preparation last week not playing the Scottish Open has been beneficial?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah. I mean, I've played the Scottish the last few years and it's a great tournament, and I was sad not to be able to play the event this year, but it was important for me just to be at home and rest. I hadn't had a good stretch at home since Bennett had been born, so it was nice for Meredith and I just to be at home, enjoy time with the family, go on vacation and rest up for the rest of the season.

Q. Plus you enjoyed playing at different courses rather than just one?

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, I only played one other course and we had a fun day. I mean, it was definitely a nice start to the week. Sam, Travis, Teddy, me had a nice time out there, gambling a little bit, having fun and enjoying links golf. It was definitely a fun day. But my prep work started on Sunday.