THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Connor Graham

Mixed Zone

Q. How was that experience?

CONNOR GRAHAM: It was pretty good. I enjoyed it.

Q. What was it like up on the 1st tee? Just talk us through.

CONNOR GRAHAM: 1st tee, that was probably up there with the most nervous I've ever been, just getting up there. The nerves were kind of building. I got on that 1st tee, and it was something I never really experienced before, SO I was pretty nervous and just glad to be able to be in play after the tee shot.

Q. What did you hit?

CONNOR GRAHAM: 3-wood.

Q. You've achieved a lot of things in your life so far, but where does today rank in terms of the hype?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Definitely. It's obviously the biggest event I've played by far because it's The Open. It's obviously one of the most enjoyable experiences where I've been able to come here and play an event this size.

Q. The conditions were a bit changeable. How difficult was that?

CONNOR GRAHAM: It was really difficult, that front nine. It was blowing pretty hard, then the rain came down for the first seven, eight holes. You definitely had to play good golf or else it could get away from you pretty quickly.

Q. The birdie at 17, that started a nice boost late on?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Yeah, it was nice. I made a few silly mistakes on that back nine and almost holed out on 17, hit the hole, had a nice tap-in birdie, which definitely felt nice.

Q. What was the distance to that?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Just 70 yards. It wasn't too far.

Q. Just bounced the lip too?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Yeah, it did, just on one of its bounces and sat there from the hole. So it was a nice shot.

Q. Had you imagined beforehand what it would be like and did it live up to that expectation?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Yeah, I was definitely looking forward and then getting here, and it was definitely probably better than I thought. This week as a whole has been pretty special so far.

Q. Nice to play with Francesco, a stalwart of this tournament, former Open champion. Pick up a couple of tips?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Yeah, I got a good group, Francesco, and then Jesper, who's a really good player. Definitely picked up a few things. It's been good. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. Early start tomorrow, just go out and get through the weekend?

CONNOR GRAHAM: Yeah, early start, 6:45. It will be a nice early start. Hopefully try to get out early and shoot a good number and try to move on to the weekend.

Q. It seems like nothing fazes you at all. You're playing in this event at such a young age. You don't seem overwhelmed by it. Is that the case or just putting on?

CONNOR GRAHAM: To some extent, definitely. I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but I have had a lot of experience playing in big events. Not as big of crowds as this, but in front of a lot of people, and that's definitely helped.

Definitely today was something I've never experienced, so the nerves were definitely there even if they weren't showing too much.