“I earned to be on the top of the leaderboard”: Christo Lamprecht reacts to his impressive opening round at the Open Championship
The 22-year-old South African amateur golfer Christo Lamprecht is having a stellar performance in The Open Championship. He is currently at the top of the leaderboard at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Lamprecht carded a score of 66 under 5 after the end of his first rounds of play. After the game, he spoke with the media and was asked about how he felt to be at the top.
He said, as quoted by golfchannel.com:
"I mean, as an amateur, yes, it is [surprising]. But in my own head, no, it's not. I think I'm very hard on myself, and I think I earned my spot to be here. I think the way I played today I earned to be on the top of the leaderboard, as of now."
Christo Lamprecht added that he believes in himself and that it is not a 'cocky thing' to say:
"It's not a cocky thing to say. I just personally think I believe in myself."
Christo Lamprecht is feeling good after his opening 66 at Royal Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/D3OLu5vsJJ
"He just wished he had my length" - Christo Lamprecht says Bryson DeChmabeau wants his height at the Open Championship
After completing his round, when he spoke with the media, a reporter asked Christo Lamprecht about his brief meeting with Bryson DeChambeau. The 6'6" ft South African said that the 6' ft tall DeChambeau wished to have his height.
Lamprecht said:
"He just wished he had my length, I guess."
When reporters questioned him about whether hitting long shots with his height helps, Lamprecht shared that golf is not all about hitting long.
He explained:
"Hitting it far is not what I think golf is all about. I think links golf is a true test of golf and it's the way golf is supposed to be played. "
Lamprecht is playing the first major tournament of his career at the Open Championship. During his tee shot, he simply mishit the ball with a long iron.
His caddie came up to him and advised him not to stress. Later on, he started to play some really mesmerizing shots.
Lamprecht continued:
"My caddie (Georgia Tech assistant Devin Stanton) just told me, 'Listen, you're playing The Open as an amateur; no need to stress.' We kind of had fun from there."
Interestingly, the 22-year-old giant golfer Christo Lamprecht wears size 13 shoes.