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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


June 25, 2015


Jim Carter


SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Next up will be Jimmy Carter. He shot a 3 under, 67.

JIMMY CARTER: Feels better in here.

Q. Jim, how do you go around this place not making a bogey?
JIMMY CARTER: I hit a lot of fairways today, which was nice, and the couple times I got in the rough, I was able to get it around the green where I could save some pars. But spent most of the day in the fairway, which is nice. It's a great condition course, one of the best we've seen.

Q. This is your third Senior Open, the best round you've ever shot in the Senior Open. What happened in your preparation leading to this point that led to this round today?
JIMMY CARTER: Well, I've been working on my game real hard. The last couple years I've been nursing some injuries. So those are always tough on your golf game. But just been at home working hard and doing the qualifiers, chasing the Champions Tour around and getting in a few of those. Game feels good. That's really it. Just trying to enjoy it. When you get older, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. So it kind of gives you a different perspective.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your birdies on 1, 9 and 12?
JIMMY CARTER: Let's see. 1 was kind of just basic. I hit a nice drive down the fairway, laid it up, had a good number for my 52 degree wedge, and hit it maybe 15 feet left of the pin. Just had a straight putt. I was fortunate enough to knock it in. Always nice to get off to a start, to see a ball go in the hole right away. Kind of sets the tone for the day. Then I had some really good birdie opportunities on 2 and 3, didn't make them. Then I was kind of didn't really have much makable until I got to about No. 9.

Q. What happened at 9?
JIMMY CARTER: 9 just had a sand wedge in, laid it up off the tee, tried to get a good number and made about a 15-footer, which was nice. Actually thought I left it short, but it went in. The greens are so slick, you get a little bit extra. The ball rolls out a little bit for you, which is kind of nice. They're so true. They're really pure greens.

Q. The third one on No. 12?
JIMMY CARTER: 12th hole was really nice. Hit a 7 iron and almost made an ace. I think it ended up maybe two inches short, right in the jaws. So that was kind of exciting. Then that was it for birdies. We struggled on a couple of holes, made some pars. I think I had maybe only one real good opportunity on the next long par 3. What is that, 14? Yeah, had a good chance for birdie. After that, it was just kind of -- I got up and down out of the bunker on one hole and made a nice two-putt on 18, which was tough. Lots of break and a lot of speed, kind of like putting down the staircase. That was nice to get out of there with two putts.

Q. Tom Watson was here earlier, and he commented that he thought the rough around the greens were as penal as a U.S. Open that he's played?
JIMMY CARTER: I think so. I've been in a few Opens. It's awesome. The grass is very, very thick, healthy, really consistent. But the ball nestles down in it, and it's just tough to tell what's going to happen when you get it out of there. You kind of got three choices. It's either going to be short, perfect or long. You're hoping for the perfect one.

Q. You got out early, before the heat. Do you think the folks that played this morning are going to have any advantage at all?
JIMMY CARTER: I think it's always a little bit of an advantage going in the morning. You're just a little fresher. As the day wears on, you get a little tired, especially when the heat kicks up. You're concentrating real hard. So that uses up a bit of your energy. The conditions are really nice out there. The greens are still holding fairly well. So I expect them to shoot good scores this afternoon. Doesn't seem like it's going to be too windy or anything.

Q. How excited are you right now? I mean, you're one stroke off the lead. Were you expecting to play well when you came here?
JIMMY CARTER: I've been expecting to play well for quite some time, but I just haven't seemed to be able to put it together. I'm really excited on the inside. I'm trying not to be too excited. It's only the first day, and it's a long, long four days. But I'm really pleased and hopefully just continue to get better as the days go on.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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