U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 3, 2026

George McNeill

Scioto Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're here with George McNeill, 4-under 66, lowest round of the championship so far. Can you just talk us through that round? Good playing.

GEORGE McNEILL: Thank you. It was -- obviously the conditions are -- the course conditions are perfect, which helps. It's getting firm. It's getting fast, which is, I think, what the championship wants and needs, weather permitting obviously. We may have some weather coming in tomorrow, but we'll see.

Overall, I hit it mostly where I was looking today, so that's good, and made a few putts. Tried to stay out of trouble. If I did get in trouble off the tee and stuff, I kind of had -- usually I had an angle to hit it up on or near the green and kind of made the putts that I needed to make to make those par saves and then made a few birdies on top of that.

Q. You made a bomb on 9 to end the round. How cool was that to end with a bang like that?

GEORGE McNEILL: That was unexpected. I did not -- Scott Hend, he was playing, and he was two feet farther than I was basically at the same line. So I watched his putt kind of roll up near the hole, but his kind of stayed straight going up towards the hole, and he left it a foot and a half short or something. So I kind of had a good idea on the speed and everything.

I felt like I started on the same line, and I got a little right of the hole, but then it broke back just at the end. Happy to see it go in. That's a bonus. I'll take it. I made a long one on 9 yesterday. Again, bonus, I'll take it, because I know there's plenty of bad bounces or whatever you got that will happen. So I'll take what I can get.

Q. You'll have a late tee time tomorrow, probably the latest tee time. What does recovery look like tonight for you?

GEORGE McNEILL: Go get some rest, get some dinner, take a shower. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing -- I don't think I'm going to try to do anything different than I normally would at a tournament.

Q. First Senior Open for you. How does it just feel to be here and make it to the weekend?

GEORGE McNEILL: Well, that was my first goal, to make it to the weekend. I played in, I think, five USGA Championships before, five U.S. Opens. Never played in a U.S. Amateur or any junior amateurs or anything like that.

So five U.S. Opens. My best finish, I think, was Oakmont in 2007. I think I finished -- I made the cut on the number, and I think I finished last of the guys that made the cut. So nothing too exciting.

All the other championships, I believe I missed the cut. Never really had a good feel for U.S. Opens. I don't know if age is helping me. This Senior Open is obviously I'm doing okay so far. There's a long way to go on the weekend, but to make it to the weekend was my first goal, first step, and then go from there, and we'll see what happens.

Q. Statistically, your approach game has been on fire through two rounds. You're ranked second in greens in regulation. Has that part of your game that's felt especially good this weekend?

GEORGE McNEILL: I wasn't aware of that, but now I am. I typically hit it okay. I hit a lot of greens. Don't make a ton of putts. I've been working hard on my putting the last probably three months, and it's starting to show, but we'll see. I haven't really been under pressure in any of those events.

On the Champions Tour, I've had a lot of good finishes and top 10s and what have you, a couple of second place finishes and had some chances, but nothing where I felt really under the gun. Maybe I'll just kind of cruise through this too, I hope. We'll see tomorrow and Sunday.

Typically, I hit it okay and kind of manage -- again, keep the ball in front of me, hit it mostly where I'm looking. I hit a few foul balls here and there, but overall it's been okay.