MODERATOR: Jake Mast, 68, 2 under
par.
Q.
Your round, 2 under par. Tell us
how you did it.
JAKE MAST: Well, I hit the ball solid today. I hit fairways. I think I only missed one fairway. And that's the key, give yourself a chance in
there. I had a lot of chances
today. Didn't make many birdies, and I
made two pretty easy bogeys just from two inches off the green, that thick
fringe. So I was pleased with the way
I'm hitting it.
Q.
Is this the kind of course that you need a lot more time on to figure
out what's happening on the greens, and is there enough time in the practice
rounds to get a comfort zone in them?
JAKE MAST: I'd like to see more courses like this on the
U.S. Tour. Reminds me of a European,
links‑style, the humps and bumps make sense where they are. Just a great track.
Q.
You're 2 under par at a USGA Championship, which is usually really good.
It is today. Does that change your mindset for tomorrow?
JAKE MAST: No, I was encouraged. If I keep hitting the ball like this and my
short game catches up, I should be in contention. That's what we all try to do, get in
contention.
Q.
You birdied the last hole; is that correct?
JAKE MAST: Yes.
Q.
So does that give you momentum, going into tomorrow?
JAKE MAST: Oh, always.
The first and the last hole always feels better, for some reason.
Q.
Now, you said the short game. A
lot of guys have referenced the fact that around the greens and just off the
fairways, the rough is pretty tough?
JAKE MAST: It's pretty chewy.
Q.
That probably takes some getting used to as well, I'm sure.
JAKE MAST: Yeah.
You can get some breaks or not.
If you're in the rough, you're fortunate if you have a decent lie. But you can get some gnarly ‑‑ it's U.S.
Open, and so you got to know how to deal with it, get away with the less pain
as possible as far as bogeys and doubles and take your medicine when you have
to. Fairways and greens, that's what the
Opens are all about.
Q.
Peter Jacobsen used the term precision to try to get your way around the
golf course. Do you have something
that's maybe a better description, or do you think that's an apt description of
the way you've got to play the golf course?
JAKE MAST: Yeah, it's just more demanding. Fairways are firming up, and you have to hit
it in the correct side of the fairway.
Ronnie Black shot even par today, I
believe it was, and he hit three tee shots that looked perfect. They were just five feet too long, and now
he's hacking it out of the hay. So you
really ‑‑ precision is a good word.
Q.
Thanks, Jake.
JAKE MAST: You're welcome.