THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Rasmus Hojgaard

Mixed Zone

Q. What did you make of the links challenge out there today?

RASMUS HOJGAARD: I thought it was good. It was a good test. Obviously when we started, it was a bit rough. A lot of wind and rain, so it was nice to get off to a half decent start, and then obviously the weather got better during the day. Still very windy, but a very fair test.

Q. When the rain picks up and affects the speed and firmness of the course, how do you make adjustments in real time?

RASMUS HOJGAARD: Yeah, the ball just gets more of a skid to it on the greens in approach shots and short game. The ball doesn't really grab. The course doesn't really get soft because the way it's set up.

But you have to adapt all the time out there.

Q. How much confidence do you have as a links player when you get to a place like this having won the Irish Open last year? Where is your confidence level?

RASMUS HOJGAARD: To be honest, with the game I've had recently, it's not at the highest, but at the same time, I've got good memories from County Down, and the true test of links golf. I just tried to stay patient out there, and I had a few breaks go my way.

Q. How hard is it not to think about the Ryder Cup? You told me that you and your brother would do anything to get on that team. How do you manage it all?

RASMUS HOJGAARD: I mean, it's more something you think about when you're not on the golf course because when you're out there playing, you're focusing on what's ahead of you and trying to play every shot. It's more when you spend time away from the golf course. Everyone talks about it, so you can't not think about it.

You're just trying to focus on what you can control, and that's definitely easier said than done.

Q. When you won at County Down, you did it in front of a lot of fans who kind of didn't want you to win. Did that feel any different than other wins in your life, the fact that you did it there?

RASMUS HOJGAARD: For sure. Yeah, there's no doubt who the crowds were cheering for that day. Yeah, it was cool to play the last few holes knowing what was at stake, and then to do it, yeah, that was definitely different from the others.

Q. Do you think it helps you maybe for a potential Bethpage atmosphere where you know the crowds are against me, I've got to channel within, if I get there?

RASMUS HOJGAARD: Yeah, the thing is they were still cheering on when I was hitting good shots, so it's not like they were against me. They were just rooting a bit more for Rory. But I still feel like I had good support out there, so it wasn't -- it was still very friendly.