Q. Ian Poulter, welcome to the Champions Tour. Looking like a top-4 finish in your first ever appearance here at the U.S. Senior Open. What's it been like for you this week playing with old mates and playing some pretty good golf?
IAN POULTER: It's been awesome. Darren caught me before I teed today, was in exactly the same outfit, red and white. He said, I've missed you. It's been great having you here for a week. I haven't seen Darren for probably six years, and obviously we played so much golf together, Ryder Cups, and we have so many amazing memories. To play with Miguel, who I also played Ryder Cups with, and just chatting with everybody that you haven't seen in so long, it's great, sort of a reunion type of deal.
Playing with Jamie was great today, as well. It's been cool. It's nice to not feel like you're 50 yards or 40 yards behind people. To come out and play a slightly short golf course, it was really fun.
Q. You have been playing competitively on the LIV tour the last several years, so your game seems to have transitioned pretty well this week. What have you found in transition?
IAN POULTER: I didn't know what to expect. What I did know was everybody that plays out here, major winners, multiple major winners, prolific winners on the PGA TOUR, European legends, it wasn't going to be easy. I knew these guys had and have still got (indiscernible), so I knew I had to play well. I did play well. But it was great fun for me. It was great to have a run on the front nine today and to really enjoy the first over-50 event.
Q. Is there one thing, one part of your game do you think mainly held you back from being higher up that leaderboard today?
IAN POULTER: I actually struggled with my 3-wood this week. My 5-wood has been incredible, and there was a lot of holes I needed 3-wood. It was going too far early in the week. I added loft to it yesterday to try and decrease that. It's my first time actually adding loft to make it shorter. It just spooked me a little bit this week. If I were to dial that in at future tournaments, whatever that may be, then yeah, my whole game is in pretty good shape.
Q. As you look back on your first Senior Open, what are some highlights that come to mind or takeaways from the week?
IAN POULTER: My whole highlight of the week, I think, is enjoying catching up with so many old friends. I knew that was going to be the case coming in. I knew all of my friends that I've played golf with for two decades are now transitioned and over here playing golf. It was like a special school reunion type deal.
Everyone has been amazing. Every conversation I've had with everybody has been brilliant. That's been my one big takeaway this week is the enjoyment that I've had playing golf with Darren and Jiménez, who I've played so many Ryder Cups with, and playing golf with Jamie today.
I can go on and on and on. There's probably 50 guys I've had great conversation with. It's been a very social week from that aspect, very enjoyable week and an enjoyable week to play a slightly shorter golf course, a course that I thought I could get at. I played pretty good.
One hole cost me four shots this week, which is pretty much the damage which was done for the whole week. So yeah, a good first try out here.
Q. How big was that birdie on 18 to post your lowest round of the week?
IAN POULTER: Yeah, well, I knew J.D., when he hit that fairway, it's not an easy fairway to hit, I knew he had kind of hit it in there close, so I had to hit a decent shot from the right rough, and that kind of 18-foot birdie putt I didn't want to miss because I knew he was going to roll it in. So it was one of those funny little mindset things. He probably knew I had a good chance of holing it, and I knew he was going to knock his in for birdie, so it was great.
Q. Harrington is currently 12-under total. How great of a score is that to post on this course in these conditions?
IAN POULTER: It's great. Look, he hits it a long way. He's super aggressive. He plays an aggressive type golf. Yeah, it's very impressive.
All credit to his quality. He come off finishing second last week, and he was right there to obviously contend to win, so he's in great form. He's on this run where he's playing about eight weeks in a row.
Q. Any special plans for the games tonight? Any advice for the lads?
IAN POULTER: No, I'm trying to get home early. Now that we're done, we're going to dash to get to Chicago and see if I can hop on the earlier flight, and hoping the internet is pretty good on the airplane.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports