THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Jordan Smith

Mixed Zone

Q. Jordan, a smile on your face. How would you reflect on the round?

JORDAN SMITH: Really happy with obviously 18, finishing with bogey there, pretty tricky hole with that wind and rain.

A little bit disappointed I didn't play the bit easier holes that well. I found too many of the fairway bunkers and didn't quite hit enough fairways. Obviously stuck in there well, scrambled it well, and got level-par out of it. So very happy.

Q. Obviously the drop shot on 17. The weather seemed to come in when you were out on I think about 16.

JORDAN SMITH: 16 was playing tough. That's not the hole where you want the worst of the weather. Yeah, that was a tricky 4-iron from about 200 yards. Absolutely pummeled by the wind and the rain on 16. That made a short easy hole usually a really, really tough hole. Obviously made it look really easy making birdie.

Yeah, overall just happy with obviously how we ground it out, got level-par out of it.

Q. When the weather came in, were you worried that play might get stopped? There was a suggestion it might get worse.

JORDAN SMITH: Not really no. Obviously there hasn't been a lot of rain out there. It's still quite firm out there. There was no chance of it. Yeah, we'll see --

Q. More lightning, I think.

JORDAN SMITH: Was it? I didn't realize that. We'll just have to see how this afternoon goes.

Q. How do you look back on the course and how it's set up?

JORDAN SMITH: Lovely, really, really nice. Probably one of the best condition Open courses we've played, but some of those pins were set up for Sunday, I think, rather than today. Made it very, very difficult getting close to them. Yeah, lovely out there.

Q. Great crowds here as well.

JORDAN SMITH: Yeah, even with the rain right now, everyone is out there trying to watch the world's best. Obviously the Irish crowd always rack up in good numbers at these events.

Q. You've had an early start. What's the plan now ahead of the rest of the day and your second round?

JORDAN SMITH: Coffee, a bit of lunch, maybe a light gym session. See the physio and hopefully a nap.

Q. In real-time, how do you adapt to the conditions? Like you said, it's been so firm and fast. As it's getting wet, what little things do you do that adapt?

JORDAN SMITH: I think you just have to take into consideration obviously the balls aren't going to go quite as far. It's going to skip a little bit on the greens. I mean, on 17, we had a 126 shot, but we were playing a 65 shot just with how windy it was. D.J. chipped the 7-iron from a similar position and made it look really, really easy.

Yeah, it's just making sure in those winds that you get the right ball flight because any sort of spin and it just gets hit really, really hard. Always adapting out there.

Q. The Women's Open is going to Royal Porthcawl. Have you played there at all? Any thoughts on the course?

JORDAN SMITH: I grew up about an hour away from there, so we had a lot of amateur events there. It's a great course. Lovely, lovely finishing hole back towards the water. It will be tough. If there's some wind, it will be really, really tough. Obviously the weather's been great, so it's going to be firm and fast.

Yeah, I really, really rate that course. It would be interesting to see.

Q. Any advice for them as to taking on that course for those ladies?

JORDAN SMITH: Keep out of the pot bunkers. That's it really. Any sort of links course, just keep out of the pot bunkers.