THE 152ND OPEN

July 19, 2024

Matthew Southgate

Mixed Zone

Q. How would you reflect on the round today?

MATTHEW SOUTHGATE: I need to lie down in a dark room. It's brutal out there. That's one of the toughest experiences I've had on a golf course. It was cross-winds everywhere and pins on the same side where the wind was coming from. It's just so, so difficult. It was like survival golf really.

It's so difficult just to make a par. The first nine holes were just -- you're sort of making the best educated guess you possibly can as to what club you need and where to aim. It was so tough.

Q. Is it your toughest Open experience, would you say?

MATTHEW SOUTHGATE: I think really weather conditions are -- I think the natural elements in links golf are what make the courses tough. I think most of the links golf courses around the world, if it's flat, calm conditions, the scoring is always very low. When you get a wind like that and the certain wind directions that you get, it's so difficult to judge the bounce and what the ball is going to do when it's on the ground and putt -- even just the putts in that wind. You've got front left edge putts that you're on outside right edge and hoping that the wind blows it in. It's so difficult.

It's definitely probably the toughest round I've ever played in an Open, but I don't think that necessarily has anything to do with Troon as a golf course. You just had a brutal day of weather.

Q. Obviously not here for the weekend, but what's coming up for you next?

MATTHEW SOUTHGATE: I've got three weeks off now, and I haven't had a break for a long time. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do to get through that time. Probably practising in bits and pieces and then back for the Czech Masters after that. Hopefully showing some good promising signs really. I've hit buckets of good shots this week and last week, it's just not come together.

I have played well, so hopefully dust myself down, take a bit of a rest, and come back and finish the season as well as I can.