MEN'S OLYMPIC GOLF COMPETITION

August 1, 2024

Alex Noren

Le Golf National

Sweden

Quick Quotes

Q. Did the course play as easy as you expected or easier?

ALEX NOREN: Well, I just think there are enough guys that are good, so the scores are low but it's not -- I wouldn't -- if you ask us, we shot 4- or 5-under, I don't think it's easy. But it is, you know, if you hit a good shot, you're going to get it close. Some courses we play when it's firm, you hit a good shot and it's 25 feet, 30 feet. Here, if you actually hit a 5-iron straight at the pin, it will stop. So the softness of the greens after the rain helps tremendously.

But I think everybody is underestimating the toughness of the actual course. So if you start seeing more wind, more firmness, it's a totally different course but today, it's probably the easiest I've seen it.

Q. Were you nervous? Did you feel anything different out there?

ALEX NOREN: A little bit in the beginning because I had three good practise days, I felt like. Coming off two decent tournaments, and I felt like even better the first three practise rounds. But it's sort of a fallacy because the pins are in the middle of the green. You try to not make it a birdie competition with the guy you're playing with. It's very different. My expectations were maybe a little bit too high, and instead of just calling it a new day, new tournament.

So it sort of hit me a little bit. Then started playing better after maybe six holes, six, seven holes, I got into it.

Q. Trying to figure out where golf fits, where Olympic golf fits in the golf landscape, as far as meanings to the players, to the game, how do you answer that question?

ALEX NOREN: Well, I think it's good that golf remains global. I'm more for keeping great tournaments in the United States and out of the United States. So this is huge for us in Europe, and you know, when it's in Asia, it's huge for them.

I think it's going to be good, and I think it's good to showcase a course like this to the rest of the world. France has an unbelievable course, and then you play Wentworth is great. Maybe getting back to a few more tournaments on the PGA TOUR over here, like we do with the Scottish.

I'm all for global golf, a bunch of tournaments.

Q. Have you thought about what a schedule like that looks like in reality?

ALEX NOREN: No, I'm just happy when we have big tournaments. If it's on the PGA TOUR I love, it if it's on The European Tour, I love it. I'm just really happy to see this, and coming off a good summer of great tournaments here, and then we go back to the U.S. So it's great.

Q. When you were asked about feeling nervous for this round, if you talk to other Olympians, what are your nerves like before your big swim, it's a four-year buildup. For you guys, is it inherently always going to be different or what?

ALEX NOREN: Like less nervous for us than others? Yeah, I mean, the whole idea of like our schedule is that we have another opportunity, and that's the beauty of the game, I think. Nobody else tells us if we are able to play or not. We don't have a coach that picks. We just have our own game.

Yeah, I think it's just going to grow. I think the more players see, like we are getting friendly with the handball team and the equestrian team, and they are like wondering when we play and I wonder when they compete.

I think it's great when other sports meet up. It's just like all of us love sport, all of them love sports. We just play different sports. I think that this is by far one of the coolest events I've been to.

Q. Would you rather begin a Gold Medal or a PLAYERS Championship?

ALEX NOREN: Right now, I want to win THE PLAYERS Championship but I think it keeps growing. You know, THE PLAYERS Championship has been around for a very long time, and I mean, I think this is just getting better.

Q. Gold Medal or a Race to Dubai?

ALEX NOREN: Well, I don't think I can choose. That's the beauty, all our tournaments are huge now. I want all of them to grow. It's hard to pick-and-choose because we tend to see who is in the field, and right now, I think maybe we should have more players here as well.

Q. To the point of other Olympians waiting four years, has there ever been an event you've thought about for months and months?

ALEX NOREN: Yeah, my first British Open was like that and first Masters. But this one, because I've got two kids at home and I'm gone a lot, so I'm not super happy to leave them. But once I'm at the tournament, I'm happy that I'm there. But this one was the easiest to leave the kids, ever, I think because they were rooting for me. They see people on the golf course and they are watching the Olympics on TV. It's like, Dad is actually going to play. They are involved and that's the coolest thing is the whole world cares about the Olympics.

Q. Were you at the Opening Ceremony?

ALEX NOREN: No.

Q. What is the atmosphere like out there? How does it compare to like a Ryder Cup or a PGA TOUR event?

ALEX NOREN: Well, it's probably comparable to other sports in the Olympics. You know, it's not all golf fans. It's like Olympic fans or Gold Medal fans. They root for us so they can root us on for medals. It's cool. It feels like they care a lot. I was making a couple of bogeys, and I could see the Swedes were saying encouraging things, and they understand golf but maybe not like people that usually know golf.