THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 20, 2013

Martin Laird

MARTIN LAIRD: Obviously not what I was looking for. With the exception of No. 3, I played pretty good until walking down 16. I got told I was going to have a penalty on No. 10. And then pretty much deflated me walking down that hole and bogeyed 16, double bogeyed 17.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MARTIN LAIRD: Because I identified my ball and didn't show over to Dustin and letting him know I was going to do that. I put the tee in the ground and didn't even lift my ball, just moved it quarter roll to see the number. And someone in the crowd over there saw it, and told the rules official that I hadn't alerted my playing competitor that I was going to do that. And I said I'm going to identify my ball, but I didn't shout it across the fairway loud enough so he could hear, so that was deemed to be a one-shot penalty.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MARTIN LAIRD: Yeah, you know, I mean No. 3 was just -- I had one bad decision on the third hole. I should have taken another drop after my fourth shot, and I tried to hit it out of thick rough and then I took a drop. Apart of that, I hit a bad tee shot. I hit the same tee shot as yesterday in the right rough, a terrible tee shot. Then I got a bad lie and I was trying to just come down as steep as I could with a 7-iron and come up on the green like I did yesterday, and hit it right out of the hosel. And from there it was one of those things, when you're in this rough, there's nothing you can do. And I said to my caddie, I had one bad decision. And I stood up the next one, probably hit the best iron shot I hit all day, 4-iron to about 10 feet. And birdied No. 5. And to be honest, I didn't think I was out of the tournament. It's so hard out there, I really thought if I could get two or three birdies coming in, shot a couple over two or three or four over, I still was in this tournament. And even when I was going down 15. I'm thinking of birdieing two of the last four, I was 6-over at the time, that putts me 2-over the tournament. Hell, even par might win this tournament. So I was still in it. Walking up 16 when I was told I got a one-shot penalty on No. 10. I don't even think of rubbing salt in the wounds would do enough to describe it. I explained the situation, I talked to the head rules official. And it's just one of those unfortunate things. I mean, yeah, I mean it was one of those things, and coming down No. 10, I missed the fairway left and this rough -- it's just perfect penal rough in terms of it gives you enough of a lie where you think you have a chance, and then rips your club over and you hit it left. It's one of those things, I just didn't shout over. And at the time I was thinking more about the golf shot I had coming up than -- I mean, about the ruling.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MARTIN LAIRD: If I had said, "Dustin, just went down to find my ball." Or, "Rules Official, I'm going to identify my ball." I said it, even if I said it loud enough for one of them to hear, it would have been fine. It's the fact that none of them heard it, even though I said it. So it's one of those lovely rules of golf that you're walking up 16 -- I can understand if I just threw my tee in the ground and picked my ball up. A spotter said to me, "There's a ball here. I'm not sure if it's yours." I said, "I'm going to identify it." And I put my tee in the ground. So, yeah, to say that deflated me I think would be an understatement.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MARTIN LAIRD: No, and even -- I mean, I said to my caddie, I hit some good shots that got horrendous bounces. If they land literally a foot or two left or right of where they did, they're probably inside ten feet, instead they kick straight in the bunker. . No. 13 was a perfect example. You're trying to bring it into the right of that pin, and my ball lands a foot left of where it did, kicks left and it's probably inside 10, 12 feet. And instead kicks straight right and I had a really good up-and-down to make par from there. Just one of those days, every time I hit a shot that could go one way, it went the other way. The last few days when I've hit it in the rough I've always had lies where I can hit shots. Even there on 18, I had a bad shot in the tee, and there was one clump of grass within ten yards of my ball and my ball was right beside it. If my ball was six inches to the right, I probably could have hit wood off it, it would've been such a good lie. That's what happens in golf. It's just one of those days. Obviously No. 3 was a killer, but even after that, I didn't think I was out of the tournament. And obviously coming down 16 it's not fun to hear that you're going to be given another shot on No. 10.

Q. Do you feel you played better today than last year?
MARTIN LAIRD: Not even close, this golf course is about ten times harder than last year. I was 1-over for the day walking down 16. If you take out my third hole, you know, 1-over for -- walking down 16 I was 1-over for 14 holes, and obviously one disaster hole, and that hole was just one of those things. I really don't remember the last time I hit a shot, trying to get steep and I did that. So, yeah, I definitely played -- last year I just played bad from the first hole through to the 18th hole, I had no idea where the ball was going. Up until those last couple of holes, I actually hit some good golf shots out there. That's the thing, walking down 10, I just missed a six-footer on 9 for birdie. I hit it in close on 7 and missed from about ten feet. Actually I was hitting some good shots and wasn't really making any putts.

Q. (Inaudible.) Would it be better if they told you at the end of the round?
MARTIN LAIRD: Yeah, I definitely would have preferred that. They said that's not their policy. They feel it's better to tell you as soon as possible. That's what they do. I guess that's the reason they came up to me on 16.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MARTIN LAIRD: No, I don't -- I obviously didn't know any of that. I mean, the golf course is brutally hard. It really is. An even par or -- it's so firm and fast now and the pin positions aren't getting any easier. And, yeah, you know, that wasn't the day I was looking for, about I definitely want to take more out of this. Last year I just played so bad, it was embarrassing. I'm not embarrassed about today. It's one of those things that's not to be.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MARTIN LAIRD: On No. 3 I hit 2-iron. I tried to hit it as low as possible into the wind and got ahead of it. Exact same shot as yesterday. I tried to hit it head height up the fairway into the wind and got ahead of it, and thin block in the right rough. It's one of those things that I had a similar lie yesterday and hit it in the back edge of the green. If I hit it in the back edge of the green, who knows how today goes. My warmup today on the range was the best all week. I striped it. I was feeling good, I was calm, I wasn't nervous, I was enjoying it, and one of those things.