THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 18, 2013

Brandt Snedeker

MIKE WOODCOCK: Brandt, that's a great start to your week this week. 3-under par 68. You must be pleased. That gives you a great position going into the second round.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, it's a very good start. Obviously the conditions are -- I think they're playing relatively tough. Even though the wind is not up, the course is playing firm and fast. I drove the ball really well for the most part and made a lot of putts. Putted fantastic. So good recipe for the rest of the week. If I can get my irons going where I want them to, they're a little off today, it should be a pretty good week.

Q. You talked about this when you were in on Wednesday, just about your affinity for links golf, have you ever found a golf course particularly like this where it's this hard and fast?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, I haven't seen anything like this. I've played in I think five Opens. This is completely new to me. Foreign to see a ball -- 2-iron going 300 yards. You have got to be wary of how you're shaping your golf ball, and what shot selections you're using on the greens.

Q. It seemed like last year's Open Championship was a breakout moment for you in Open championships. What came together last year that you can put into play this year?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Just the way I game plan for this golf course, the way I think around the golf course. I'm playing to my strengths and not my weaknesses, and realizing that sometimes a 50-foot putt is a good shot. A wedge shot, hitting 50 feet is a good shot. It's hard to do that for me. I want to be going at the pins and you can't do that over here. And putting the ball in the fairway. It's very simple here. If you put the ball in the fairway, you're going to have a pretty good round. If you don't, you're going to struggle.

Q. Last year you embraced Lytham socially, and were very popular. How are you embracing Muirfield? Much the same way?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I love it. I played at North Berwick and Gullane here. Came over here in '03 to play in the British Am or '02, I think. And North Berwick is one of my most favorite golf courses anywhere in the world. I absolutely love it. It's a great atmosphere, a cool golf course, a lot of fun to play. I was so excited to come back here and stay. We're staying right in town, having a great time eating at the local restaurants and hanging out. It's been a great venue for me.

Q. What is your favorite tipple at the moment?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Tennent's is my beer of choice on the nightly occasions. I'm not a cider guy yet. I can't quite get into that.

Q. Last year, if I'm not mistaken, you went through an entire round without hitting a trap or a lip. How many did you hit today or did you avoid them today?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I hit in two, and both of them were pretty severe. The bunkers over here, you might be fine, but you might have to pitch out. And so it's just a true hazard. You really have to shoot away from them, and try to avoid them at all costs.

Q. So a day when you hit no traps or bunkers --
BRANDT SNEDEKER: You've done Yeoman's work to do that around here.

Q. Just to follow up on a previous question, you didn't close it last year the way you wanted to. What did you learn through that experience, that part of it?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I learned that it's going to get tougher. It's not going to be hunky-dory for 72 holes. You're going to have to play some bad golf and find a way to survive. And it's amazing how patient -- no matter how patient you think you're staying, you can never stay too patient. Seeing guys like Scotty and Rosie win this year gives me a lot of confidence. They stayed patient, they did the right stuff, they kept banging on the door and eventually it happened. So I take a lot of confidence from that.

Q. Last year you played well for two rounds and then the winds came up on Saturday. There was a fair amount of wind out there today.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: It wasn't too bad. I am way more prepared to handle that wind now. I realize that wind over here is different from the wind in the States. It's a lot heavier wind. The ball, you cannot ride the wind over here at all. You've got to hold it up against the wind to have a chance. I'm a lot more prepared, I think, to handle that this year.

Q. Talk in terms of how you started the year and then kind of how you're trying to get back to where that was, and with the patience factor involved.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, it's tough. Anytime I started the year playing some of the best golf I've ever played and expected it to play every week, and then to have an injury and to struggle the way I've struggled. I'm still not playing bad, I'm just not playing to that level where I know I can play. I'm really close. Today I putted fine. I feel like I should putt, can putt. Now I have to get the iron play where I want it. I'm excited about everything I'm doing right now. I'm so close to playing my best golf of my life. It's very, very close. I'm excited what the rest of the year can hold.
MIKE WOODCOCK: Brandt, thank you very much for coming in. Best of luck for the rest of the week.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Appreciate it.

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