THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Ryan Peake

Mixed Zone

Q. Not probably the golf you wanted, but how was the experience teeing it up out there, playing with Phil?

RYAN PEAKE: It was pretty good. I just asked for his golf ball and got him to sign a golf glove for me after.

I know everyone is going to look at it and say you take the experience in and stuff like that, but obviously very disappointed with the round. Not what I want. So pretty flat at the moment. Was pretty flat out there as well. I just got beat up out there.

I felt like I did a couple things all right and kind of didn't get rewarded for them. But I was like Father Christmas out there; I was just handing out presents to the golf course. I just kept throwing them away, and it was just very frustrating.

But I'm sure I'll -- obviously I've still got tomorrow and try and do something to make this cut. But the whole experience sort of thing, that's something that I'll look on further down the track. I'm not trying to -- I'm here to compete. I'm in a competitive mode. So yeah, I was pretty flat.

Q. Now you've got a big break until tomorrow so you can do some work and get ready for tomorrow. Is that an advantage to the draw you've got?

RYAN PEAKE: Yeah, I mean, it just started raining now. I've finished. It looks like I've copped the best side of the draw, and I haven't taken advantage of that at all.

But move on. Like I said, I've still got tomorrow. I'm definitely not counting myself out of it. But yeah, just pretty flat.

Q. What's the hardest thing about links golf? What did you find out there that you probably might not have expected?

RYAN PEAKE: Obviously you've just got to keep the ball in play. I'd sort of seized up a little bit, like I did on 1, and that was simply from getting off to a bad start as well. I think it's a course where you need to get off to good starts in links golf because as soon as you start trying to chase birdies, you can't chase them.

Yeah, just kind of did a little bit, I guess, in some stages. But everything is hard. You've got to play good golf. If you hit good golf shots, you get rewarded. If you hit poor ones, you get crucified for them. That's what happened today.

Q. Tell us about 16; not too many guys are going to make birdie there today, but you made birdie.

RYAN PEAKE: Yeah, it was just perfect number, perfect club. I had just made a poor bogey. Was on a bit of a bad run as well. I'm sure if I was 2-under going on that hole, that hole looks a little bit more daunting. But when you're 7-over, not much worse can happen, so it was easy to get up there and pull the trigger.

Q. What did you say to Phil when you walked on to the 1st tee today?

RYAN PEAKE: He just introduced himself, which I don't think he needs to introduce himself; I was well aware of who he was. But obviously I was nervous. I wouldn't say nervous because I was playing next to Phil. It's just, I guess, your first major and things like that. But I've just got to get better at that, and I've got to be better at that.

Q. Did you get much chance to speak as the round evolved? Was he offering you any help or was it head down and get on with it?

RYAN PEAKE: No, he wasn't offering me help. I would have known I was in a bad place if he'd come over and started offering me help.

But no, we chatted. He's very friendly. We just had a lot of normal chitchat, talked about family. We talked about different things. Nothing in particular.

But yeah, I grabbed his putter off him a few times and had a little feel of it. That's the OG; that's the one from the Masters. There was a couple cool things.

Like I said, his caddie gave away golf balls as we were walking off the tee, and I yelled out, what about me, and he had a laugh, thought I was being sarcastic, and he said, are you serious, and I said, no, I'm deadly serious. I said, can you sign a glove as well. He's your hero growing up. My own boy is out here this week and he loves him as well. I'm not going to ask him on the 1st tee, but I'll ask him after the round.