THE 154TH OPEN

July 17, 2026

Ryan Gerard

Mixed Zone

Q. How was it to deal with these conditions, and then the putting was probably a big difference?

RYAN GERARD: Yeah, I think conditions today were definitely a little bit tougher from the start. Felt like early in the round yesterday, I had a bit of an opportunity to get some of the first holes in a different wind direction than we had later in the day, and that was not the case early. So I felt like from the get-go, just kind of really was in grind mode.

Hit a couple wayward shots, hit a couple good recovery shots, but did a really good job of just kind of staying focused and in my kind of little bubble for the majority of the day. Yeah, I hit a lot of good putts, was fortunate to make a couple bonus ones but made a lot of those three- to six-footers that kind of keep the round going in a good way.

I don't know, overall a lot of good things.

Q. I understand the score is not your only reference. Do you feel you could have done better?

RYAN GERARD: Absolutely. Not often do you hit a shank from 65 yards. I think that's something that we could improve upon for tomorrow.

Yeah, I felt like I did a really good job of kind of keeping it in front of me. I need to work on a couple things chipping-wise and putting-wise, but my swing feels good. I feel like I'm doing all the right things. We'll get it figured out tomorrow on the range before the round.

Q. Do you remember where you were this time of the year in 2025?

RYAN GERARD: I think I was somewhere in Lake Tahoe playing a golf tournament. I was at Barracuda and I won. Something about the third week in July playing golf seems to like me pretty nicely.

Q. Following that win, how much was it a goal that after Barracuda you'd want to be playing in The Open Championship?

RYAN GERARD: Yeah, I think you always want to play majors, play at the highest level possible, and that's this golf tournament. So I felt good about my game, felt good about kind of everything that I've done as a steppingstone to get to this year, and then once this year started, just getting in all four majors, having opportunities playing well but going out, taking advantage of the times that you do get the opportunity to play good golf.

I felt confident coming into this week, felt like I played better than I finished last week, and just trying to ride some positive momentum but just enjoy it. This is so much fun. I love doing this. I love playing golf but love competing. This is one of the best places that you can do it at.