THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Thorbjorn Olesen

Mixed Zone

Q. You're a links specialist, you know what I mean, having won Alfred Dunhill in the past. You get out here, what is the mentality like when you approach a course like this?

THORBJORN OLESEN: I've been here a few times, so I know the course pretty well. Like today, we get 2 1/2 hours there where it's pretty brutal and a little bit survival mode, I would say, but that's what you expect at The Open. I've played quite a few now, and you know you're going to get some bad weather at some point.

Yeah, it's pretty tough, and you've got to be patient and accept some of the bad shots in those conditions.

Q. When you say accept some of the bad shots -- I was talking to Lee Westwood about this -- in real time you're making decisions as it goes from firm to fast and gets wetter. Sometimes it skips, the ball skips on the second or third bounce. How do you process things in real time with these conditions?

THORBJORN OLESEN: Exactly. When you get all that rain, sometimes you would probably chip it normally but you know it's going to skip so much, so you would probably putt it.

Lee Westwood is probably one of the best around. He's played quite a few Open Championships. He definitely knows.

Yeah, you've got to lean on your experience and try to get the most out of it.

Q. Speaking of your experience, how do you feel when you take on a challenge like this? How much do you lean on experience? What does that look like to you in the minor detail?

THORBJORN OLESEN: Like I said, obviously, you're preparing the whole week for this. You're preparing for quite a lot of different conditions. So you know what you're going to face when you get out there.

Luckily I've played this coarse in some really tough conditions and some good conditions. That's always nice when you come to a place and you've seen both sides of it. There's some really tough tee shots when it gets this wind direction, especially there on the back nine when we have the rain. I think it's a great golf course. Definitely, yeah, you need to be on your game.

Q. Speaking of great golf courses, I'm curious because you're such a links guy. Have you played Royal Porthcawl in Wales where the Women's Open is going?

THORBJORN OLESEN: No, I have not.

Q. If you put yourself in the women's shoes in the best in the world, they're going to a links course in their mind they've never played. Knowing you're confident with links golf, how do you prepare for that challenge, if that makes sense?

THORBJORN OLESEN: Prepare for a new challenge, that's a tough question. I don't know much about the course, but I'm sure a lot of them have got a lot of experience on links courses. I think the mentality is one of the most important things when you come into an Open Championship because you're going to get some tough breaks out there and you've got to accept it, especially when you're playing really tough conditions. You know you're going to hit bad shots. If you know that before you tee off, it's probably easier to accept it and get on with it.

I think it's the mental side of things that you can prepare for and be in a good state of mind when you're going into an Open.

Q. When Scottie Scheffler talks about fulfillment, did you hear his comments a couple days ago?

THORBJORN OLESEN: I did not actually. I heard some rumours about it, but I hadn't seen the actual quotes about it. So I don't really know.

Q. Basically what he said is like his life is being fulfilled by his family and by his faith. Golf, that fleeting moment of joy when you win the big events, it goes so quickly.

THORBJORN OLESEN: It does, yeah.

Q. How do you view that? The way the fleeting moments of sweetness.

THORBJORN OLESEN: I think he's pretty spot on with the stuff. He's obviously winning a lot of times, but I've won quite a few times also. He is right, it doesn't last very long. Maybe a little bit longer than an hour probably, but I would say maybe a day or two. Then there's a new tournament next Thursday.

Yeah, it's a weird thing, right? You've got to love the practice and the work you put into it because, if you only love the winning part, it's going to be a pretty rough career you're going to have in golf.

Q. Your preparation overall for this course, what about preparing in the gym? What does that look like for you right now? How are your workouts these days?

THORBJORN OLESEN: Not as long as 10 years ago. I used to workout a lot. I still workout. I prepare for every round, like I'll be in the gym for about 40 minutes before every tournament round, but lifting heavy weights is probably only a couple of times a week.

Q. Mostly cardio before your round or stretching?

THORBJORN OLESEN: Just stretching, mobility, a little bit of weight but not too heavy. It's a mixture of gym sessions, but stretching, mobility, a bit of weights, and yeah, like I said, a couple of times a week some heavier lifting.