Sergio Garcia (Watch):
On patience and committing to his shots: Every week is different, so some weeks you feel a bit calmer than others and your patience is better. Hopefully this week will be one of those weeks where I feel calm and collected and my patience level is way, way high. When it comes down to commitment, it's just a matter of believing. I think that at the Masters I did that very, very well with all aspects of my game. The last three weeks – The Players, Byron Nelson and Colonial – I struggled a little bit with that. My commitment wasn't as sharp as it was at the Masters. I don't know if it was because of everything that’s been going on after the win there. We have to collect ourselves again and make sure that when we get on the first tee on Thursday that we’re fully committed, no matter what happens, and have as much patience as possible.”
Adam Scott (Watch):
On Erin Hills: “I really don’t think, as long and as varied as the tee boxes might be, that this is too complicated a golf course. The green complexes, with the exception of a couple, are fairly friendly, I would say. And because it’s so long, the strategy is driver, really, and that suits me. I played last week in a northerly wind, which is the non-prevailing wind, and I got to play yesterday in the prevailing wind. So I’ve seen it in both conditions, which is good, because holes play very different. And if that were to happen this week, I don't think it’s predicted, but it's always good to have played a few rounds in every kind of condition here.”
Rory McIlroy (Watch):
On his first impressions of Erin Hills: “From what I’ve seen so far, it’s really good. It lets players be aggressive off the tee. You can be aggressive with your approach shots. If you do miss a green, it's not that you're going to be chipping out of the thick rough. It goes in these collection areas and runoffs. It's a little bit of a different challenge than what we faced in U.S. Opens in the past, but it's really good. I'm excited for it and I think it's going to be a huge success.”
On being able to use his driver: “I don't think it's a secret that I feel like my driver is one of the biggest weapons in my bag. If I can get that in my hands more regularly, and if the field has to hit driver more, as well, that plays into my hands. I wasn't crying when I saw that rain last night and this morning. It's a long golf course and it's only going to play longer. That benefits a few guys, and luckily I'm one of them.”
Jordan Spieth (Watch):
On what comes to mind when he thinks about the U.S. Open: “It's always a physical test … You're just putting more effort into each round. But then most of all, it certainly tests the mental game more than any other place in golf. And I've witnessed that on both sides of things. If you came for a stress-free tournament, you didn't come to the right place. And I think everybody knows that going in. So you just prepare accordingly, and you just try to have a level of patience.”
On the par-5 18th finishing hole: “I think it's an exciting finishing hole. I lost my quarterfinal match (in the 2011 U.S. Amateur) on it by going bunker to bunker to bunker, and you can do that on that hole. But I think depending on what the wind is doing and what the conditions of the golf course are, I think they'll be able to move tee boxes around there to make it an exciting finishing hole for a major.”
Jason Day (Watch):
On what sticks out about the course so far: “The golf course itself, they say it's wide. It is wide when you're standing in the middle of the fairway. But the land, the property itself is so huge that when you're standing on the tee and the way they positioned bunkers, it doesn't seem that wide. Visually, you look down and you know it's wide, but it doesn't seem that wide, especially with wind and it being – there are hills and a lot of jagged edges out here, and there's not many trees to stop the wind from whipping across the golf course. But it's visually tight in areas.”
Justin Rose (Watch):
On competing in major championships: “The way I look at it is, it’s the theory of large numbers. If you put yourself there more and more often, eventually the door is going to open. So as a player, you can’t just hope. … It’s hard work. You have to look at it and take the long-term approach. I might have 40 majors ahead of me in my career, and if I prepare very, very hard for all of them and I stay fit and healthy and keep working on my game, those 40 can hopefully produce 15 chances, and of those 15 chances, hopefully I can convert a few of them. So you can’t just kind of look at it and go, I hope this is my week. You have to have a bit more of a plan.”
Steve Stricker (Watch):
On qualifying for the first U.S. Open in his home state:
“It truly is an open tournament. If you can play well enough, you can make your way in. I was lucky to have that opportunity this year. I played Memphis last year in the qualifier, and missed out on the playoff by a shot. I enjoyed the two courses. I thought they fit my game just fine, so I wanted to go back there. I didn’t feel really any extra pressure. In those qualifiers, you want to make it. But deep down knowing if I don’t make it, I’m going to be home. We can do something as a family. My daughter’s playing in a golf tournament today and tomorrow. I could have been down in Racine with her. So there are always things to do to take your mind off it. But I really wanted to make it. And there was the relief of doing it at the end. That was the most satisfaction that I've had in a while, just knowing that I made it and I was going to be here to play.”