U.S. Open Championship 2017
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Tommy Fleetwood
Flash Interview
Q. What was working for you out there
today?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, we had the best of the conditions. This
morning the breeze was the perfect amount, it wasn't strong enough to have any
effect. And the course was as receptive as it's going to be. And I think we
just had a very good start through 11 holes. Not once did I -- I never really
tried to make a birdie, which you can't in a U.S. Open.
18 was a very
nice pin location. It was on the tee where you could reach it. And 1 was a
nice pin. There were a new nice pins. But towards the end, I holed some great
putts for par. No matter how fast you start or how many birdies you make the
pars ones are the ones that keep you in it.
Q. Very impressive
start, if someone said to you, you'd be 5-under par at day 1 at the U.S. Open,
two back right now, what would you say?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I wouldn't have
moved. That would have been fine. I'd have taken it, thanks very much.
Sometimes it is unexpected.
I think the one thing when you set up the
pairing for a U.S. Open course, you always are looking to plot it around and
you're looking at the places you can hit it where you're best going to make par
or the places in the scoring areas. You never look into the tucked pins. You
want the right mix all the time. That's kind of how you approach it. You don't
really think about shooting 5-under at the U.S. Open. 7-under is
ridiculous.
But it was clearly a very good morning for scoring. But,
again, it's just not one you think about, 5-under, you think about getting it
around as best as possible.
Q. You'll take it?
TOMMY
FLEETWOOD: I'll take it.
Q. What do you expect from this place
the rest of the week?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: The course or -- well, we'll see.
If they put any water on it, there's definitely greens -- 6 and 9 are so quick
from above the hole, the downwind. And I mean really quick. Particularly this
afternoon, now the wind is going to pick up, there are going to be some tricky
greens. But we'll see.
Today was -- it was a great set up. Overall the
course was set up very fair. Some long holes, some nice holes, some good pins
and some tough pins. So they can do things with the tees, they can make it as
long as they want. And the pins, there's definitely a lot of the greens where
they can put the pins in some tough spots, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Overall I think it's a very good test of golf.
Q. When do you
switch from thinking this is the U.S. Open, I'm going to make pars to needing to
make birdies out there?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I didn't, really, they just
seemed to happen along the way. Like I say, I was a couple under, and then 18
was the one hole that I stood on the tee today and hit a good drive. The pin
was front right, that's the friendliest pin you can get on that green. But, you
know, you never really think about it too much.
Even the 2nd, which is
kind of drivable, but you knock it just short, it's a really tough chip. There
wasn't a moment where I kind of thought -- you're still trying to make par.
Once the wind picked up, 3 played long. 4 is tough with that pin on the right.
And coming in, you had to make good putts, and it was playing tougher with the
wind. 5-under is very nice.
Q. Does this course lend itself to
a ball-striker, such as yourself?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Does it set up for a
ball-striker? Yeah. Definitely. I mean, it's long. You shouldn't hit it off
line into the fescue too much. It can happen. I think that the one thing that
happens is because it's such a big golf course and everything is wide and fast.
It's easy to sort of let your swing loose a little bit. And you hit an errant
tee shot, because you haven't been specific enough on your targets. But, yeah,
it is a ball-striker's golf course overall.
And I did well today, but I
probably missed a few par putts, or I'd be 1-under or 2-under after a really
good start. You still have to make the crucial putts.
Q. Did
you see the blimp go down on the course?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No. Did it go
down?
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev
#1 by #178 at 2017-06-15 18:36:00 GMT