Q. Great round and particularly pleased by the way you finished it off there?
MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, definitely. Obviously disappointed on 17, but to roll one in on 18 there is obviously a huge bonus.
Q. Hot with the putter with that run of birdies as well?
MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, yeah, I felt like every facet of my game was on today and I felt like I really played solid. To take advantage of the opportunities I had out there was obviously really positive.
Q. Up there at the top of the leaderboard which is all you can hope for?
MATT FITZPATRICK: Definitely, definitely. Giving myself an opportunity to win the golf tournament, but there's still a hell of a long way to go. Obviously the aim of the game is to stay in it for as long as possible and hopefully you can pull away right at the death. I'm obviously 50 percent there. We'll see what the weekend brings.
Q. You have a reputation as a pretty fast player. I'm wondering on the late wave at the Open which can be a really long afternoon, how do you keep yourself in it, or is it a challenge at all to play at your normal pace with how slow it is out there?
MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, a combination. I think if I was playing worse, I think it might be a bit more annoying. I think when -- my tendency is to get a bit fast when I'm playing well.
I do think it's ridiculous; the pace of play has been a combination of the way the golf course is, reachable par-5s and all that normal stuff. But it starts with the players as well and starts with the rules officials.
Obviously we'd all like to be round in four and a half hours, but that's the case, and it's five and whatever it was today. But that is what it is, so just accept that and try and stay as focused as I can on my own game and play as best as I can.
Q. If I gave you a magic wand, how would you fix the pace?
MATT FITZPATRICK: I think it's just impossible to answer, isn't it. There's so many different parts to it. Like I said, this golf course is perfect for it because there's reachable par-5s and drivable par-4 and whatnot, and other golf course have long walks to tees. It kind of spreads out a little bit.
Yeah, I think it is a difficult one. But I think players probably speeding up a little bit probably will help the situation, but yeah.
Q. Going out with Scottie tomorrow, going into that weekend as a British player in that challenge for The Open, what is that like, that excitement or that pressure?
MATT FITZPATRICK: It's probably nicer than playing the U.S. Open (smiling).
Yeah, I wouldn't say I necessarily feel as much pressure. The pressure, he's going to have the expectation to go out and dominate. He's an exceptional player. He's World No. 1, and we're seeing Tiger-like stuff. I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament. For me obviously I hope I'm going to have some more home support than him, but it's an exciting position for me to be in given where I was earlier this year.
Q. Do you feel an added weight as an Englishman in this at all?
MATT FITZPATRICK: No, not in the slightest.
Q. Do you relish being in contention more given where you had been the last two years?
MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, yeah, 100 per cent. There's nothing better than being in contention. It feels a bit uncomfortable at the time, but that's what you're searching for. You want to feel that. It means you're doing something right for the most part.
Yeah, it's great to have an opportunity over the next two days, and it was last week, as well, and the week before. It must be fantastic for Scottie. (Laughter).
Q. What are your earliest memories of this championship?
MATT FITZPATRICK: I went to Hoylake in 2006. I got to 18 as Tiger finished his second round, I think. He just walked past as he was doing his card so I got to see him, so that was cool.
I remember staying until late, last groups coming in, you hear the reversing of a truck as people stood over tee shots, and the 4:00 times for the most part, it's players that aren't as well known necessarily. It was awesome for me, my brother and my dad. We got given balls by Vaughn Taylor and Shiv Kapur, and when I got on Tour a few years later or quite a number of years later, I reminded them that they gave me golf balls. Yeah, that was my first and main memory really.
Q. Your wife published a video on TikTok where she marked your golf balls --
MATT FITZPATRICK: She does not mark my golf balls. She does not, no, and I would not let her, no.
Q. You haven't played with those this week?
MATT FITZPATRICK: I have not, no.
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