Q. Sum that up for us?
JACK SENIOR: Just good from start to finish really. Had a lot of good numbers in the fairway and could be aggressive to a lot of pins and rolled the ball really well on the greens and capitalised on the chance I gave myself.
Q. Where has this come from?
JACK SENIOR: I've been trending in the right direction, done some work with my coach at the start of the week this week, and I feel it's been difficult to get the time in with the quarantine and things like that when I'm at home, and obviously here you can't travel as much. He teaches at home and things like that. It was good, really, to touch bases with him and have a good two days with him at the start of the week.
Q. To do that in a Rolex Series Event, how important is that?
JACK SENIOR: Obviously it's great to do it in the first round but doesn't matter what you do in the first round. You can't win a golf tournament in the first round and you can't lose a golf tournament in the first round. All I have to do the rest of the week is stick to the processes and try my best.
I've grown up playing links golf all my life and it wasn't as windy as I'm probably used to playing a links golf course today but definitely being attached at a links golf course with a similar kind of feel does particularly help, yeah.
Q. The field, it's a stellar cast and at the moment you're at the top. You must be pleased.
JACK SENIOR: It's a great field but at the end of the day, you're still out there playing the golf course. Doesn't matter how good the field is or anything like that. All you can do is control what you're doing and try and do your best on the golf course and not particularly worried about the field. I mean, if you consistently hit golf shots out there and try to perform to the best of your ability, I'm sure might stand me in good stead.
Q. Any shot in particular you're pleased with?
JACK SENIOR: Hit a lot of good shots. I hit a really good wedge into 8. That was probably my best shot. It was a really good number and just tried to pitch it just past it and tried to leave a bit easier putt. Yeah, I hit a lot of good shots, and that's all you can do.
Q. For you when beat Jordan and Justin Thomas (in 2011 U.S. Amateur) --
JACK SENIOR: Yeah, I mean, that just comes up every time I seem to play well, do you know what I mean. I have done other things in life in the last ten years since I've been a pro, yeah, but that's a topic that obviously comes up a lot.
All I try and do is try and play the best golf I can every single week, and this week, I've played really well in the first round but that doesn't make a difference. It's where you end up at the end of the week. That's all that matters.
Q. But does it come up because people say to you -- does that annoy you?
JACK SENIOR: It don't particularly annoy me because they are world-class players, aren't they and everyone is trying to be the best possible golfer they can be and I'm trying to be the best possible golfer I can be every single week and try to learn as much as I can which trying to take the experiences on board that I'm gaining and try to make myself as a round a golfer as I can possibly be.
Q. As you said about Jordan and Justin, world-class players, what's holding you back from getting to that level?
JACK SENIOR: I don't really know. I mean if someone could tell me the answer, then I'd be willing to listen. I'm just trying to work on my weaknesses as much as I can. I know I've got weaknesses and everyone's got weaknesses you've just got to try and keep working at them as best as you can. I mean, I played flawless golf out there today, and didn't really put myself in any trouble. So when you have a day like that, you are going to shoot a good score.
Q. Is The Open on your mind?
JACK SENIOR: No, not really. Obviously I've played three of the last four Opens and I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't go and do qualifying this year because of the COVID and everything like that because the golf course is on my doorstep and it's always nice to stay at home and have that kind of home feel, yeah.
But The Open is not really on my radar to be honest. I'm just trying to stick to my processes and stick to my drills before I go out and try to prepare myself the best I can to go out and compete.
Q. The Scottish Challenge at Aviemore, how important was that in terms of giving you that kick-on?
JACK SENIOR: I've won at every single level I've played at. I think that's something that I've always been good at. I can get across the line and I feel comfortable when I'm at the top of the leaderboard. I don't shy away from the top of the leaderboard and when I'm out in front, I don't tend to back away as such, you know what I mean.
I tend to try to keep the foot on the pedal, and I'm going to have to do that this week because there's going to be very little wind over the next three days and you're going to have to keep hitting good shots and keep rolling the putts in.
Q. Slightly different challenge here?
JACK SENIOR: Yeah, it's a slightly different challenge but you've got to be a great driver of the golf ball around here like you have at Spey Valley. All you can do is stand there and commit to your lines off the tee and if you hole the putts, you're going to reap the rewards.
Q. Could you not qualify because you were playing in this?
JACK SENIOR: I couldn't qualify because I was playing the Irish Open. We made a decision that it was a risk, basically, to fly home from Germany with the contact tracing on the planes and things like that. So that was the reason why we decided to go to Ireland and prepare the best we could for Ireland. And then obviously we had two chances, do you know what I mean, and if you did play local qualifying, didn't get through, then you shot yourself in the foot if you finished in the top three places here that aren't otherwise exempt. Obviously it would be great if I could continue playing the way I'm playing and hitting golf shots that I want to hit, but at the end of the day, all I can do is just keep moving forward and keep trying to control my emotions and control my golf game.
Q. Walker Cup in Aberdeen, nice memories from that?
JACK SENIOR: Obviously I have some great memories in Scotland. Obviously won the Walker Cup in Aberdeen and one of my professional wins up here. Scotland has been very kind to me in the years I've played up here.
Q. The Americans were favoured.
JACK SENIOR: The weather was brutal, it was windy and that's what we've grown up in, and some of the Americans, they have never faced wind like that out there, ever.
Q. You must consider yourself a better golfer than ten years ago?
JACK SENIOR: Yeah, I consider myself a better golfer as I can, but it's weird, this game, isn't it because the worst thing you can do in this game is think that you've cracked it because it can easily jump up and bite you. I've learned that many times in my career where I feel like I'm playing well here, but when you are playing your best golf, you don't actually score the best. It's when you kind of are not quite at your best and you hole them sort of like five, six, seven-foot par putts that keep the score ticking over that almost feel like birdies.
But yeah, I feel like -- I mean, my career has been really, really strange. I'm not going to stand here and say I'm not disappointed with the performances that I've had over the years but all I can do is keep trying to trend in the right direction and just keep working hard.
Q. How do you actually do that? I looked and you qualified back on The European Tour many times. So how is it that you keep doing that in some kind of reflection, saying to yourself, I can do this, versus maybe saying, you know what, there's a pro job down the road I can be involved in, why don't I take a look at that?
JACK SENIOR: Because that would be quitting, and I'm not a quitter. I never have been a quitter. I've always believed in myself and my ability. I can compete at any level that I turn up and play at. If I don't believe that, I wouldn't be out here playing. I mean, if someone said to me, you're not good enough, then I'd always like to prove them wrong and hopefully I can prove some people wrong if I perform well and over the next three days. But at the end of the day, it's a long season, and all I can do is just keep grinding away.
Q. Do you find it odd, being up on top of the board, and I don't even know because it's hard to tell, how often you've been on the top of the board in your career? I'm assuming it's been a couple times, obviously. But if someone said, Jack senior is on the top of the board in the first round of The Scottish Open, what would you think the response would be?
JACK SENIOR: Don't know. You'd have to go and ask people. I'm not a mind reader, do you know what I mean. Obviously there's people who have seen me play at a really high level, so some people will obviously be surprised, but some people might not be surprised, do you know what I mean. I've had a decent amateur career. I've had a steady pro career with highs and lows and things like that, and it's not been easy, but at the end of the day I wouldn't be in this field if I couldn't perform at some kind of level.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports