SUBSCRIBE – https://bit.ly/RandaGolfSubscribe
The R&A | The Open | The AIG Women’s Open
FOLLOW –
https://www.instagram.com/therandagolf/
https://www.instagram.com/theopen/
https://www.instagram.com/aigwomensopen/
@therandagolf
@theopen
@aigwomensopen
To LICENSE footage, please contact IMG REPLAY ▶ https://bit.ly/306V7dI
final press conference of the afternoon delighted to welcome Xander schaule here the 2024 PGA Champion as a major Champion how much confidence does that give you coming into R TR uh probably a little bit more than before I’ve never been on property here so uh just trying to learn the the course as quickly as I can and um yeah I mean I I really enjoy playing Links Golf and the all the challenges that come with it so it’s always it’s always fun for me to come here and play golf your seventh open appearance TI second 2018 at carti what Le lessons do you think you’ve learn over the years coming into this week yeah I mean I think Links Golf there’s a certain attitude that you need to have to to play at a high level excuse you Doug you right um that that comes with uh with playing L Golf and that’s sort of the first thing I learned when I was here you know uh back at home in the States you know when it starts raining people always feel like oh you know one wave gets the rain and when you’re out here you know everyone you can it can rain the entire day and it’s just part of it so it’s something that we’re really not used to uh playing in the states and with that rain comes a lot of wind as well so I just I really enjoy the challenge challenge of it you I’ve played you know you said my seventh start now and um I don’t feel like quite a veteran on lyx golf yet but again I I really do enjoy it and uh I think that helps me learn quicker go get first m right here thanks yeah you mentioned learning the lesson of having the right attitude was there a day conditions wise or a shot or anything that really taught you I need to have this attitude out here yeah I think it was when you play Parkland golf a lot you feel like you need to be perfect and on not that you don’t need to be perfect or on but on a typical lyns golf course there’s always a way to play or several ways to play a hole and if the weather gets really bad um you just have to as always take the bunkers out of play um and and really try and plot your way way around the property it doesn’t have to be super pretty you don’t have to hit the center of the face you know all the time when it’s 50 degrees and raining uh you know Center contact doesn’t even feel that good anyway so just kind of place the ball around the property and and really just try to get get in the hole and it’s few shot as possible D what have you learned about this place in the few days you’ve been here I’ve played nine holes uh or I’ve played 18 holes now I played Nine and Nine and you know the front nine and it’s A Tail of Two NES a little bit the the front n’s much more straightforward the back Nine’s a bit trickier um overall I feel like it’s a pretty straight straightforward open uh Championship venue it’s pretty fair and and pretty straightforward so I’m going to have to you know I’m playing the back nine again uh there’s a few t- shots there that are a little that are a little uncomfortable so wanted to see that side again but overall I mean I think it’s a really fair fair test to golf and if it’s really windy it’ll be really fun and if the wind lays down then I think that’s how you saw some low scores back then in 16 and then if you I mean I’m trying to get a sense of what do you think the mood is like of of players now when we get to the last major of the year compared with late March April when the major championship season is in front of you in terms of optimism or or whatever and and how much difference does it make when you’ve already got one makes feel a lot better that I have one now um everyone’s everyone’s just trying to put themselves in a position to win and you try and get yourself in the in the right head space and everyone you know everyone’s pushing you know for for us on the on the PJ tour it’s you know our playoffs are right around the corner you know on the European tour there’s still a lot more golf to be played until they they playoffs and finals so for us it’s you know nearing the home stretch here so there’s a lot of people that are super focused and and trying to tune their game in uh to the best of their ability just go Daniel next uh Rory’s Cy Harry Diamond gets a lot of uh flak uh you’re another guy who has uh someone that you grew up with or a friend on the bag is that is that ever tough being being a friend and a boss uh can be uh I think I think most guys who are have their friends as caddies you know they at some point have to take one of the hats off you know it’s got to be a working relationship as well and I’m lucky to have Austin he’s he’s he’s done a great job you know I believe he’s one of the hardest working C’s out here and um you know I love when we don’t have much information in a book because I know he’s going to go out there and walk 25,000 steps to get all that info for me so in terms of the mistakes and things of that nature it can be tricky but open communication is is the best way to to solve those problems and I feel like most of the guys out here do a pretty good job of that what is it you’re looking for in CAD obviously you’re saying Austin does a good job of it but what are the criteria that for you makes a good caddy just a soundboard I mean I need someone to to talk to every once in a while um uh you know all that all that stuff that he has to do on the golf course I you know I expect him to do those things and he does them um and then besides that you know be a distraction when when I need it and and since he’s my friend he he can provide that more than you know a a stranger could let’s got Mike four over here hi you’re you’re P along Tiger Woods on Thursday so I’m wondering what you might make of recent comments suggesting that he he doesn’t know when to quit um and that he’s been described as like a tribute act now uh by in certain areas and once you know whether that has any re relevance to you when you’re playing alongside him and how you see him as a player now he’s he’s still uh he’s still allr to me you know he’s still wearing that red on Sunday and uh I mean yeah I just heard uh some of those comments that were said uh by Colin and you know whether it’s his honest opinion or not I mean I the game of golf needs him needs him desperately uh you know selfishly I want him to play as long as possible it just helps all the guys out here um just with the amount of eyeballs someone like Tiger Woods brings to golf so uh he’s still got a lot of fighting him you and I think he’s he’s pretty honest with his own assessment of he’ll hang him up when he feels he’s ready and and he’s still got a lot of bite and a lot of fight in him so uh I’m not too worried about him and I look forward to playing with him the first few days is he is he still the biggest draw in golf then what you saying the biggest kind of biggest name biggest celebrity I mean if you just want to come out and try and watch a single shot on Thursday and Friday you can be my guest one so sander I was wondering what were your first memories of playing Lings Golf and maybe your best memories of playing Links Golf uh in the US we have a uh we have Bandon Dunes that’s probably the the closest thing to lyns that I’ve ever played it’s not you know maybe it’s a little bit better now since it’s a lot lot older I played it uh shoot I’m old now probably 15 years ago makes me feel really old saying that but uh yeah 15 years ago I’m sure the courses settle in more than you know I here to take some time for these courses to to settle in and and things of that nature so abandon Dunes was rather new when I went and you know you played the ball down the ball was running and there were you know Pacific dunes and band Dunes where the two courses built now there’s 10 but I just it it was cold and rainy and I remember playing every hole in in the Wind and Rain um my rain gear was completely relevant at some point and I just kept going and I was third yeah I was 13 or 14 or 15 years oldish and I had the time of my life you know it was something that I’ve never experienced and I just expect it when I go to play Links Golf I expect bad weather and and for it to play tough and for people to complain and whine and and I think if you have a good attitude you get that edge so the other thing is there was a them malhalla kind of how how many times you’d have to be close to win and then you won so how close were you in kosi and what are your memories of Carusi Carusi was interesting I it was such an interesting approach for me uh I went to Germany um to my dad’s Hometown and my brother’s Hometown and a few other cities in Germany and I actually remember I was in really bad golf shape I think I shanked my first shot on the range at Carusi like Sunday night it was pretty eye openening but I I was in Germany drinking beer and eating pretzels for like 4 days straight before that and my expectations were so low on how I was going to perform uh and I actually played great and I had that crying baby on 17 there and I was in a bad spot regardless but you know that probably didn’t help uh in that situation but I I was close you know thinking back to it I was pretty blue-eyed in that in that moment and at the time I just remember Jordan and I shot a million on the front nine and we were just trying to salvage Salvage a tournament and I was I was happy with the way I fought back and that’s sort of what I take from that tournament Tom uh Xandra can I ask you about um the postage stamp a dinky little part three in a world of ever lengthening golf courses it’s refreshing uh it’s really hard I I played it for the first time today so pretty fresh my mind it’s yeah it’s it’s really nice you know most of the holes we play are 255 yards so it’s it’s kind of cool to have a hole as that’s super scary that that that is that short and I think it’s going to provide a lot of entertainment if that wind picks up off the left is that more fun to to play and what what challenges does it present is it more psychological than anything else uh me fun if you’re just playing with the boys I think but I don’t know about for a tournament trying to win a major championship and you know you have a little little hole like that that could mess your entire week up but uh yeah it’s F it’s more fun than playing a you know 250 yard hole with no win but it’s probably harder Jeff um Xander tiger was in earlier he’s added some lead weight to his putter Rory’s tinkering with a stroke just a little these greens are so much slower than what you’ve been facing all year do you make any major adjustments when they’re this pace I haven’t I I brought weights for my putter basically let tape essentially uh I haven’t yet uh I played last week at Renaissance and they were actually faster than what the greens are here so um it’s Tuesday and it feels a little late to do it but I may do a little bit more putting tomorrow and and see how how how I feel and then uh go from there I mean it all depends on the Wind as well I think when it’s you know uphill into the wind out here it it plays really slow and it’s something that we we’re not used to and you know just cuz you hit a green uh you know or you hit a shot to 40 or 50 feet back home it doesn’t really feel like too much of a deal but here you know it has your full attention with a crosswind or downwind or into the wind so I may add weight to it but I I haven’t done it yet done you just said Tuesday’s a little bit late to make a change is there a time during major weeks when you all right the the prep the swing work is done like it’s go time just depends on what what kind of position you’re in you’d like to be done before you arrive on property and just play rounds and go through your process and rest up as much as possible and see your Physio and your trainer and get your body right and get your mind right at the end of the day and so it just varies i’ I’ve done I’ve done you I just referenced Carusi where I was just having beers and and you know eating sausage and pretzels and everything that I’ve never done before to get ready for a thing just to get on the right time zone and I felt like that was important and I guess it paid off uh but you know uh usually when you’re swinging well going into the week it it’s helpful in Majors any more questions thank you did uh did the idea of winning a major prior to winning a major seem daunting to you did say that again like before winning PGA did the idea of winning a major did it feel more daunting than maybe a normal Tour event you put you put more emphasis on it but daunting is not really you know how I would view it play we’re playing golf out here you know what I mean it’s not like anyone’s dying after they don’t shoot the round of their life but um yeah I mean you build it up in your head and it becomes something especially when you’re close and you haven’t won but I was able to sort of you know put that aside and and really just treat it like a tournament a normal tournament now that you have one1 do you do you feel more at ease with that process I guess in this room maybe it’s easier to face you guys and talk about how I’ve done it you know what I mean you guys can’t ask me that question anymore about you know how I’ve never won one uh so you got you got me there what was the most daunting thing you’ve ever faced getting my tour card probably yeah it’s sort of a reality check you know you build up your whole career to what’s the most daunting thing I’ve ever faced I’ll repeat it for Doug um yeah getting my tour card I’d say it’s a you you your whole life everyone tries to help you and then you turn you kind of become an adult and you get out of college and then all of a sudden you know it’s all fun and gains and then you’re like I need to make this you know I need to make it make a living for myself because I haven’t done anything else my entire life so how do I know how to do anything else if I’ve only played golf and so that was probably the the most pressure I’ve felt in my life is to get a tour card and then maintain it and then push on one more from one so so I need to follow up on that so and I connect this with your relationship with Austin and and the fact that he live all that time with you and and you went you went through those times together how does it help in your relationship with him as a guy yeah it conqu you know it’s uh I give him a lot of free passes I feel like uh we we made a lot of mistakes together early on I I knew we were going to make a lot of mistakes early on and uh so did he so we were on the same page when we made the mistakes and we talked about them after rounds and uh you know we’ve we’ve missed nine cuts in a row and we room together so uh we we put our friendship to the test I’d say uh in those moments and we survived them and were able to laugh at the end of those nine weeks and able to get our card at the end of that year anyways so uh that definitely brought us together closer and we have a we have a pretty good Bond that’s probably impossible to break I’d say regardless of what happens in the future any further questions all good sander thanks for your time and have a great week thank you
