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June 14, 2014
PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA
Q. Best round of the day so far.
GARTH MULROY: Yeah, that's what I just heard. Glad about that.
Q. How tough were the pin placements?
GARTH MULROY: I probably paid a little bit more attention to them because somebody texted me a tweet from Graeme McDowell who said, "It's moving day," and he showed a picture of the pin sheet this morning -- and that's probably old news to you guys, but I just -- then he said even par is probably going to be a good move. So just seeing that tweet just made me look at the pins a little bit harder -- he's obviously been here a few times -- and just maybe pay a bit more attention.
Q. With those pin locations, how were you able to navigate this course better than most have?
GARTH MULROY: I think it's one of those courses where even though you know, the other days, even though you may not be as aware of some tricky ones, you're still not really playing at them. So you're kind of defensive from the start. But today maybe a little bit more. Just straight from the start, No. 1 today was back left, almost on a fall off. It's just, standing in the fairway there and there's just nowhere to hit it. You kind of are playing to miss the green on a certain side and just trying to get it up-and-down. So it's very defensive. Just tough to -- I mean, every hole you're just trying to make pars.
Q. Do you walk away with a sense of relief or accomplishment having done this?
GARTH MULROY: Well, I guess I'm relieved it's done. But I did double 16, so I was kicking myself coming off the last two. I was under par before that, but I guess it is a U.S. Open, you got to play 18.
Q. Tell us about the birdie on 18.
GARTH MULROY: Yeah, I actually drove it in the waste area, got a half decent lie, and hit a wedge downwind today, so it's playing a little bit shorter, hit a wedge probably 20 feet, quite a bit of break on it, but up the hill, so you could give it a go.
Q. Do you live in Raleigh or have? I know you went to State you're kind of a world traveller. Take us through your travels and where you've been since leaving NC State?
GARTH MULROY: We don't have enough time. I do live in Raleigh. I have a house in Raleigh. I finished school there in 2002 and just never left. Didn't really come up with a better place to live. So I figured there's no point in moving anywhere. I played mini tours for a few years, played in Asia for a couple years, played a few years on the web.com, a few years in Europe, a few years on TOUR. Wherever they will let me play.
Q. (No Microphone.)
GARTH MULROY: Well, December I'm usually in South Africa for about a month. Maybe six weeks.
Q. Is this a little bit like home here?
GARTH MULROY: Yeah, definitely. Any week where you don't have to deal with an airport is nice. No delays.
Q. How many other people that are out there watching, did you think, have any idea about your affiliation with NC State and the fact you live here and did you hear any of that along the way?
GARTH MULROY: Yeah, I do hear it quite a bit. Probably a couple times a hole. So I think that there are people that are aware that I'm kind of local. I should have actually put an NC State Wolfpack head cover on this week. I didn't think about that.
Q. You've played this course probably during your time in Raleigh and NC State in the old configuration, you're now playing it on the new configuration, can you explain the differences, if you like it better, worse, any opinion on that?
GARTH MULROY: Well, I think when it's not set up for a tournament, you don't get that, the rough like you've had it at the past U.S. Opens here, so it's not so bad. But I think looking back at the U.S. Opens that they have had here, you hit it in the rough and you kind of just are hacking at it to get it back in play, I think. The way it is now, it's 50/50. You may get a lie and you may not. I think where it gets tricky is when you think you've got a half decent lie and then it's not quite, it doesn't quite come out and then you're in more trouble.
Q. What part of your game do you think was best today?
GARTH MULROY: The front nine I did hit a hybrid out of bounds on number 3. But apart from that, I drove it pretty solid on the front nine. Until about 14. Then I started hitting it in the waste area a bit. But I made some nice putts, so that's probably what kept my round going.
Q. Do you pay any attention to the rest of Wolfpack athletics, football or basketball or any of that?
GARTH MULROY: No, I do. I get a lot of -- I have a lot of informers when I'm not here, so I -- my neighbors are from Carolina, so, yeah.
Q. Do you keep in coach touch with Coach Sykes.
GARTH MULROY: Yeah, I saw him yesterday. I'm going to have lunch with him this coming week, so we'll catch up a little bit.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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