We’re closing in on a year since you won The Open. Did it prove life-changing for you?
Life-changing? No. Career-changing? Maybe. At least in the sense of being recognised a bit more often at restaurants and airports, and probably how I’m viewed by my fellow players – and how I see myself, I suppose. I can tell you for sure that life as a Major Champion is better than life before I was a Major winner. First of all you’ve got all the exemptions into the signature events on the PGA Tour sewn up, and the guarantee of playing in all the Majors for the next five years. And in The Open, pretty much for as long as I can stand up and swing a club. It’s a heck of a lot easier mapping out a schedule when those things are taken care of.
How special is it to be an Open Champion?
When I look back on my career, this will obviously be the highlight. Hopefully, I canwon it at 36. I was happily married with three kids, I’d gone through the diaper-changing and bottle-filling phases, and my life was already pretty great. There was a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice in those 36 years, and I guess I was just ready for it.
