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THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY ROLEX


July 24, 2014


Fred Couples


BRIDGEND, WALES

Q.  Tell me how good that was?
FRED COUPLES:  You know, obviously I made an 8 on one of par 5s, but I got in the round, and it was the first day I had actually played a round of golf that meant anything in two months.  I was a little edgy.
But the practise rounds that I played, the wind blew the other way so every hole we played was the complete opposite which in my opinion maybe helped me, because it was like playing a new course.  It was a good round.  I would take level par.  I did have one really nice stretch.  I went birdie, eagle, birdie and that was really the whole round besides the triple.

Q.  I suppose it's the very nature of links golf, the wind can turn on you on holes that are simple the one day and not the next?
FRED COUPLES:  The hole at the par5 that I hit 3‑woods and 6‑irons in the middle of green and made birdies look easy, I wish I wouldn't have hit such a great drive because then I probably wouldn't have gone for it.
Monty and Tom right in front of me hit two beautiful shots, maybe five yards short of the green and was out‑of‑bounds left, gorse right, and I hit first one to the left, second one to the right and third one right at the pin, luckily.  I could have made a ten.
I can't tell you, such a great golf course, one.  Happy to be here.  Wish them the best to great a British Open.  It's a great golf course.
I don't think there's really a comparison.  What makes these courses hard is like today‑‑ if tomorrow the wind blows the other way, you're playing a completely different golf course.
I understand it's rock hard and the ground is like concrete and when you're trying to lay up to a bunker that's 270 yards and you're playing a 4‑iron, it plays in your mind.  If the wind doesn't blow like this‑‑ Bob Tway must have had an unbelievable round.  You can still shoot good scores here because it's in perfect shape.  It's a lot of rough for us out there.  You could have a British Open next week easily.

Q.  Do you still relish the challenge?
FRED COUPLES:  I haven't played in two months.  That's why I'm here.  I've been with Rolex for 22 years.  I feel good but I haven't played a round of golf in two months and I waited for really the Senior British to come because it's such a great tournament.
Not because I won a couple years ago; just because every time you come over, you play a tremendous golf course and last year we played Birkdale and I won at Turnberry and we played Carnoustie and now here.  These are top‑notch courses.

Q.  What's your first impression of that as a championship golf course, playing in a championship?
FRED COUPLES:  It's a great course.  That's the first round I ever had where I kept score and I'm pretty happy with an even par.  Like I was telling him and whoever else will listen, the practise rounds, I played, the wind blew the other way and now it's blowing the opposite way.  It's like a new course and it's pretty hard.
The ground is like concrete and it's a hard golf course to play and hard to get the ball close to the holes.  But the greens are perfect.  I felt like I got the ball around nicely and I made, besides the one battle, I really hit a bad shot almost straight downwind on 16 with an 8‑iron.  That was kind of a salty bogey.  You know 17 is hard and 18 is a birdie hole.  I went par, birdie and kept up a good day.
If it blew 20 miles an hour, 72 or 73 would be a good score and that may happen, or it may just be hot and calm.  As the week goes on, it's going to get two things, harder on the ground and harder to shoot a good score.  These guys are all talented so you're going to see someone like Bob Tway shoot 67.  That's a phenomenal round.  I know he's early in the morning, so was I, but I didn't see many 67s out there.
Hoylake was unlucky that it rained and played soft.  It was still great golf and a lot of the bunkers didn't come into play.  Here the ground is so hard, because every time you hit a ball that you think you hit too far, you hold your breath it doesn't go down.  And holes where you think it goes into the bunker, I hit my best drive and holes played easier.  Today was a good day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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