THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 19, 2013

Charl Schwartzel

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Yeah, I played very well today. Changed a few things, changed the putter, and it really gave me some confidence. It made some nice birdie putts. So it's definitely easier in the morning. Can't wait to see the guys explode this afternoon. I'm going to love watching them sword fight around this course.

Q. You mentioned it was easier this morning. Is there a number about of shots that are the difference between morning and afternoon?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No, it's the golf course gets -- our last four or five holes are starting to show what it was yesterday afternoon. These guys really are going to struggle.

Q. Did you change one or two things, what was it?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I just changed the putter. I went to -- the same putter but one of those long grips, a bit more weight. And it made quite a bit of a difference.

Q. The 380-yard drive on the par-4?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I hit a few over 400.

Q. Nice. Which holes?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I had a 6-iron 280 yards.

Q. Where did that happen?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Which hole -- on 9.

Q. Where were these 400-yard drives?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: 2nd green, 15 went into a bunker, 380 at speed. But it's like hitting down a runway.

Q. How about today's performance?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Lee definitely surprised me. The way that he's played. I thought he putted beautifully. The putts that he needed to make he has made. And then that's been the difference with him this week so far. He's made a whole bunch of par putts that just keep the momentum. Around this sort of golf course those par putts are birdie putts on other tournaments. And he's done that and that's definitely kept him up in his confidence. You can see the way he's walking and the way he's playing. Definitely a danger, man.

Q. (Inaudible).
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Well, it went by the side by the flag.

Q. Was it a two-putt?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Chip and a putt.

Q. (Inaudible.)
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: It was just an instant thing. I didn't think what I was doing. I'm not really proud of it. I didn't really mean to do it. It was just -- when you're playing under so much pressure, and you're expecting so much of yourself, it's just a reaction that just comes. I've done it a few times in my career, but never, ever broken a club that way. So it just shows you how hard the ground is, the vibration that obviously went through it. But, anyways, you know, not very proud of it.

Q. Did you bring a different attitude to the round, trying to be more patient, more accepting of what this course will give?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Well, I mean, for a couple of months now I've played well, and my putter has let me down. And I just figured -- I went and I put one of those long grips, Justin Rose was using it. It just adds a better weight to the putter. Change is never a bad thing in this game. But like I said, it's definitely playing easier in the morning. You can control your ball a little better. So we needed to take advantage of that.

Q. Did you put pressure on yourself?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Not really. The situation I was in at 4-over par, it's going one way or the other. So you can't back off. You've got to attack it, if you want to try to win this golf tournament.

Q. (Inaudible.)
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Tough to say, but it's going to be pretty much a U.S. Open scenario, I think.

Q. It's not much fun? Is it torture? Is it misery?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No, you know, I don't like it when it starts becoming that much luck, because that's what it is. Because when it gets this crusty and you're working on balls bouncing, you know, with 6-irons going at 280, but they're bouncing at 210 in the air. How do you judge that? It becomes a bit of a lottery. You don't know what's going to happen. And you need to be able to play like we played in this morning. That way, you can still control your golf ball and quality shots get rewarded. But when it gets like this afternoon, you can hit good shots and going to get all sorts of results. And it's not that exactly fair, in my eyes.

Q. But if you win, you'll accept the trouble?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: If I win, I'll be kissing this golf course.

Q. (Inaudible.)
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I didn't do it today. Well, I do it because I practice with one hand on the putting green, and that's just the way I have my hand. I feel like if I have my hand outside my pocket or if I wanted to make swings, it gives me tension in my left shoulder. If I have my hand in my pocket, all the tension is gone. By the time I putt it, there is no tension.

Q. What if you putt one-handed?
CHARL SCHWARTZEL: I putt better one-handed. I'll go over that strategy on the weekend.