THE 152ND OPEN

July 21, 2024

Matteo Manassero

Mixed Zone

Q. Matteo, reflections on the week. How was that for you?

MATTEO MANASSERO: It's been a good week. Obviously The Open with tough conditions brings a lot of different moments, but overall I've had a good week.

I didn't finish playing the best golf I could play, I didn't have my best, but still I managed to fight my way through Royal Troon better than last time. So it's good.

Q. 15 years since you won the Silver Medal. You played today with Calum today, who won the Silver Medal. Any conversation between the two of you about that?

MATTEO MANASSERO: No, obviously during all the round, I never wanted to mention any of that. I wanted to let him play. I don't know which frame of mind he was, if he was happy to speak about it or not.

So I left it until the end to congratulate him. Just enjoy the ceremony and all those things that are really, really cool. At the end of the day, most probably you're going to be Silver Medal once and you will play as a pro again. That's something to embrace and enjoy.

Q. It's also a special championship for you, The Open, never mind just the Silver Medal, but you haven't been playing here for a few years. How special was it to be back?

MATTEO MANASSERO: Very special. The Open is very special. The walk on 18 is the best. There's nothing like it, with the huge stands and the clubhouse in the back. It's golf at its very finest. It's pure.

I'm happy that I managed to do that walk again, and everything that was from Thursday and on, all the fights, all the great shots, all the good moments and the tough ones, it's The Open, and it brings a lot of different things, but I'm happy that I'm here. It's a great sign that I'm here.

Q. As everyone knows about the struggle that you've been through, was there ever any point where you doubted you could be back on this stage, or did you always believe?

MATTEO MANASSERO: There was times, yes. There was times which I doubt. Obviously this is one of the biggest stages in golf, and you never know if you're going to come back to that level.

So, yes, I doubt it, but at the same time, I was going through a nice process and nice work, so I was hopeful, but also I had doubts. You never know. You just never know until you are.

Q. What led to those moments?

MATTEO MANASSERO: The process and the work I was going through. I knew it was the right one, I had the right people around me, and I was doing the right thing. I would say that, and also the fact that I wanted to live these moments again probably, those two.

Q. You've won earlier this year. You're back playing in The Open. You're on a good trajectory. What's next?

MATTEO MANASSERO: I think I need to just try and keep improving. Hopefully one day I will be teeing off around 3:00 in this event. Why not trying to think of that and stopping before it? I don't know, I've had a lot of different things in my career, so I might as well try to look forward to some big stuff.

But at the end of the day, my feet are well on the ground, and I know that I have to go through my work, my process, and those are the things I can control. The rest is going to be impossible to control.

For sure, next will be try to get better.

Q. A PGA Tour card at the end of the season, is that something in your sights?

MATTEO MANASSERO: For sure. It would mean that I had a really good season. Yeah, that's definitely -- it's a goal. We can say it's a goal, yeah. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. It's one of those goals that there is plenty more guys like me trying to do the same.

I will try to do well from here to the end of the season aware that there is so much golf to play. From September all the tournaments have really big points, so you can shuffle the rankings quite a lot.

I have definitely until now given myself a good chance.

Q. What were your impressions of Calum's game?

MATTEO MANASSERO: Calum was obviously a very modern player. He hits it really far. He's very quick, very instinctive. He's a good player. I think it's shown that -- the amateur war now has gone really up in level. So if you are contending at the highest level there means you can do something with us too.

Q. What about the 19-year-old Matteo Manassero?

MATTEO MANASSERO: Very different game. I used to hit it much shorter than I am. Probably I had my own skills, he's got his own, and he's got a good skill set to do well in professional golf as well for sure.

Q. Do you know Thriston Lawrence at all?

MATTEO MANASSERO: No, I wouldn't say a lot. I know him because we play in Europe.

Q. What do you like most about his game?

MATTEO MANASSERO: I think he's very aggressive, he's fearless, very like plays around with the ball but is a very good driver of the ball. He's a very solid player, and he's showing it.

Q. For us, we haven't seen him too much. Is this not a surprise, when you see him every week, that he's got this kind of gear?

MATTEO MANASSERO: It's not a surprise that he's not afraid of staying up top and doing great things. I think -- I don't know exactly, but in the last two years he definitely won at least three events on the European Tour.

Q. Four, yeah.

MATTEO MANASSERO: Four. He's a guy that, when he's up there, presses the foot on the pedal and goes.