THE 154TH OPEN

July 17, 2026

Jackson Suber

Mixed Zone

Q. Kept it going pretty nice today, huh?

JACKSON SUBER: Thanks, yeah. It was a good day.

Q. Obviously I think there's a little surprise about the fact that you've never been over here before, you never played links golf before this week. What were your perceptions about it coming in, and has anything changed or anything about it more severe or less than you might have thought?

JACKSON SUBER: Well, I knew the ball was going to be the same size, so that's always nice. It's just pretty firm, and just having to -- it's really the tee shots that I feel like is a big difference from what I'm used to. So just knowing that I'm going to hit a 4-iron 280, 290, and thinking about that runout and staying out of the pot bunkers. But that's where I feel the biggest challenge is.

Other than that, I think it's pretty similar, just really firm -- extremely firm conditions.

Q. How were you able to work that out so quickly? That's what a lot of guys talk about is like knowing where to lay it back because obviously you could hit -- do a layup with a 4-iron and it goes too far?

JACKSON SUBER: My caddie Greyson has done a lot of work. He's walked a lot of holes this week, a lot more than me, and he's figured out where I need to be laying the ball and where there's slopes and what's more burnt out, and just putting a lot of faith in him.

Q. How did you sleep last night as the leader?

JACKSON SUBER: I slept fine, but not very long. It was a quick turnaround. Probably got to bed at 10:00, 10:30, and up again at 4:40, so pretty quick turnaround. I was pretty tired. I'll probably sleep pretty well tonight. I'm pretty exhausted.

Q. When you hit the three consecutive bogeys today, how did you snap that back and steady yourself?

JACKSON SUBER: Two of them, I hit two-putts. They were only 20 or 30 feet, just way too hard, and kind of just settling myself down. I even took a glance up at the leaderboard and saw it's not like people were tearing it up.

Just knowing that in a major things are going to get challenging at some point no matter how you play. Just being patient with that and letting the good golf come later.

Q. You mentioned runout there and rollout and your caddie doing a lot of work. When you're approaching the green, what specific numbers are at the forefront of your mind?

JACKSON SUBER: On the approach?

Q. Yeah, on like the approach shots.

JACKSON SUBER: On the approach, if it's into the wind, I'm really just thinking about the pin and maybe landing it five short. But downwind, you just have to -- 10 to 20 short on some of these shots and really taking that into account even knowing that if you land it short of the green, it might bounce up.

I haven't had to play too many shots where I've landed short of the green, but I'm sure I'll get some scenarios where that happens.

Q. Matt Wallace was saying sometimes the bunkers, you're not looking at the cover numbers you usually do because it's so downwind, you almost have to land in between them and sneak it up. Do you find yourself in these situations?

JACKSON SUBER: Yeah, like 18 I don't think there's anything you can do to avoid the bunkers there. Just knowing you have to hit a good drive down the middle or else you're going to end up in one, but kind of accepting that and not really trying to play short because the shorter you play, you're still going to have bunkers in play.

Q. I don't know if you saw, but yesterday on Live From, Brandel was looking at your grip and saying he's got one of the strongest grips I've ever seen in pro golf. Wondering how did that come to be?

JACKSON SUBER: It's just kind of always been like that. I guess that's the way my hands kind of naturally hang and set on the club. I've had a few people tell me I need to change it, but I'm going to keep it for now.

Q. I was about to say, has anybody over the course of your golf life said we've got to weaken this?

JACKSON SUBER: Yeah, more than have told me I don't need to weaken it.

Q. I feel like a lot of players with strong grips say, yeah, I used to hit like big draws, and then I learned to kind of even it out. Was that your story?

JACKSON SUBER: Yeah, honestly, up until maybe my sophomore, junior year in college, I moved the ball a lot right to left, and I feel like my path is a lot more zeroed. I'm hitting more of a shot that falls to the left, kind of not really a sweeping draw.

Q. Is there any kind of breakthrough that helped you do that?

JACKSON SUBER: My swing coach Troy Denton's helped a lot, kind of get me a spot where I feel like I can control the face and pivot through it and know that I can turn and the ball's not going to go that far left.

Q. Do you have a club affiliation in Tampa where you play?

JACKSON SUBER: I grew up playing at Palma Ceia.

Q. Is that where you practice?

JACKSON SUBER: I live in Jacksonville now. I love Tampa, so I like claiming it. I grew up at Palma Ceia, and now I play TPC Sawgrass in Jacksonville.

Q. Does that mean you live near Fred Ridley?

JACKSON SUBER: Yeah, he's a member at Palma Ceia as well. He's a great guy.

Q. Just getting to know you and get familiar with you. Could you just give us the story of your full name?

JACKSON SUBER: It sounds like you already know it if you're asking me that.

Q. Fact checking.

JACKSON SUBER: Are you trying to get into my account or something?

(Laughter)

Q. What's your password?

(Laughter)

JACKSON SUBER: My full name is John Weatherington Suber III.

Q. Is that from your grandfather?

JACKSON SUBER: Yeah, my grandfather is John Weatherington Suber Sr., and then my dad was Jr., he goes by Jack. So I'm Jackson, if that makes any sense.