FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 19th, 2017

NOTABLE QUOTES: GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE OPEN – WEDNESDAY

Golf Channel Notable Quotes
Golf Central Live From The Open
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England

**Golf Central Live From The Open continues at 7 p.m. ET this evening.
** Tonight at Midnight ET, Golf Channel airs a special edition of “Midnight Drive,” getting viewers ready for live opening round coverage of The 146TH Open on Golf Channel at 1:30 a.m. ET**

Jim “Bones” Mackay joined Golf Central Live From The Open today talk The Open and his transition to television
Jim Mackay – “Much more nervous with the TV thing for sure. I’ll have some nerves out there tomorrow. I never really got nervous as a caddy, but I have so much to learn.”
Mackay – “Hopefully I’ll shed a little light on the player-caddy dynamic and talk about the decisions they are making out there, whether being aggressive or conservative, or what have you. On a second shot golf course like this, there is going to be a lot of strategy involved and with the winds in the forecast, there is going to be plenty to talk about out there.”

On Wednesday at The 146TH Open and Royal Birkdale
Brandel Chamblee – “I heard the word ‘fair’ a lot today. In the world of links golf where there is so much inequity in bounces, tee times and a gust of wind coming up at the wrong time, fair is the ultimate compliment and perhaps this is why Royal Birkdale has withstood the test of time.”
Rich Lerner – “Heading into tomorrow, this Open is wide open. Nobody has grabbed this sport by the collar.”
Colin Montgomerie “A very fair test. By far the best course in England. The best Open venue we have in England. All the players are saying the same. You’ve got 156 players here that are thinking. ‘This is a very good golf course that I can go well on.’”
Montgomerie – “The person who controls the trajectory of his iron shots and his driver is who will do well here.”
Montgomerie – “The standard now and the competitiveness of all 156 players here, there is no one fearful of this golf course the way we used to do.” There is nothing to fear here because of the length and the parity of the golf course. It is not that narrow and there is not a huge amount of rough. They are all going to be thinking tonight, ‘Hey, I’ve got a chance here.’ And that is irregular because most courses suit certain types of players. This one is so fair that it suits the majority.”

On World No. 1 Dustin Johnson
Chamblee – “He is miles away from the player he was in 2011, and even in 2015 in so many ways. It would surprise no one if he showed up here and was the player that won three events in a row earlier this year.”

On Rory McIlroy
Frank Nobilo – “If you expect Rory to fly this week, it is going to take him a little while to get off the runway.”
Chamblee – “The game of golf is a marathon, certainly not a sprint. Right now the kneejerk reaction on Rory recently is that his recent play might be some cause for alarm looking forward on McIlroy’s career. Rory McIlroy is on a trajectory to be just like Phil and one of the greatest players of all time. That speaks to the longevity. He will right the ship.”

On Hideki Matsuyama
Chamblee – “There is an intensity to Hideki Matsuyama that is palpable.”

-NBC Sports Group-