THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Keegan Bradley

Mixed Zone

Q. Curious the challenge out there; what do you make of this links golf challenge we had out there?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, it's a tough track. A lot of crosswinds, which make it difficult, and the rough is really high. Tough track.

Q. How do you manage your mindset when you know those elements are at play?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Well, it's really difficult because you have to really focus on that one shot, but there's so much going on. There's a bunker up there. There's a crosswind here. There's rough over there. It's tough. It's a really tough test. The scores that they're shooting today are pretty incredible.

Q. If it wasn't six hours, it was very close to six hours. Did it feel all of that?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: It did, yeah. There's a couple long waits. We had about five groups on that par-5 6th or whatever, 7th, to play. Then we had long waits on all the par-5s. It gets windy like this, it gets backed up.

Q. Are you okay with that? Can they do anything about it?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I don't think they can do anything about it. I don't know. You get to the tee, and there's groups on the tee, there's nothing -- I mean, what do you do? I don't know what you would do.

Q. What do you do in those moments to just like set yourself like it's going to suck for the next half hour?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: It's tough. Major championships are long, and when you get out here on these blind tee shots with the wind, and you're going to have guys hitting it in the junk. Then it's going to take a while to find it, and you've got to go back. It's just tough.

Q. I don't know how to put this kindly, but your record in this tournament the last few years is --

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Bad, yeah.

Q. Is there a reason? Why is it tough for you?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I love playing here. I played a lot better early in my career, but I've found it to be very difficult. I played really great today, shot 1-over par. I felt like it should have been way better than that. Keep grinding. We'll see.

Q. Is making the weekend kind of a --

KEEGAN BRADLEY: That would be nice.

Q. Making the cut is a big target for this week?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I'm in a good spot here. I can go out there this morning, shoot a good round. Not just make the cut, but get back in the tournament.

Q. How does this present a different challenge, like the way you play U.S. Opens and the way you play this?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: There's certain sides of a golf course in an Open that you cannot hit to. In a U.S. Open, a lot of times you hit it in the rough and you can hack it out. Here you're in a bunker or you're in a bush. It's like you can't just whack it back in the fairway. It's tough.

Q. Is there anything specifically technique-wise or preparation wise you do differently when you're preparing for slow greens?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Well, back to your point, that's what I've struggled with. It's definitely a big adjustment for me to come over here. Always sort of had a tough time on slower greens. If you're a golfer and you know -- as soon as you start thinking about you have to hit the ball harder, it's just not good.

But I putted great today. This is the best I've putted over here in years, so that's a good sign.

Q. Basically, it's just adjust to it. There's nothing you do where it's like, okay, I'm going to do this this week to make the adjustment?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I try to feel like -- if I try to get the speed, I leave them even shorter. So I've been trying to feel like almost like a longer stroke. I've gotten where I've been out here and I've left like 6-footers a foot short. Then you start thinking about I've got to hit this harder, and it doesn't work.

We worked pretty hard on that getting ready for that this week.

Q. You should have come to Scotland last week to get used to it.

KEEGAN BRADLEY: You should see my record at the Scottish Open. It's worse than this one.

Q. You were talking about thoughts over the putt. Anything that's helped you recently with swing thoughts or putting thoughts?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I'm working hard with Phil Kenyon. He's always grinding on me. He's getting me really focused on the hole, connecting to the hole. He's a great coach.