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PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau Talks Outstanding Putting Performance in Round 1 of the WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States checks his yardage book on the 18th hole during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Bryson DeChambeau addresses the media following an opening round 68 at the WGC Mexico Championship. DeChambeau is currently 3 shots off the lead after round 1.

PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau speaks with the media following his opening round at the WGC Mexico Championship

Q. If you look at your numbers, you had 119 feet in holed putts here in round 1. That is outstanding.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Thanks. It was a little different than last year. Again, I feel like I’m rolling it well. I rolled it well at Riv, just putts didn’t drop there, and today they dropped quite a bit, and hopefully I’ll keep that momentum going.

Q. I saw you warming up with a teaching aid on the shaft of your putter. Tell me about that.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, shoot, I even forgot the name, but it’s essentially just a laser, and I put it on a chalk line and I just stroke it and make sure my face path is proper.

Q. Did the wind and altitude really affect the golf today?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s a very difficult day to play golf. Rory shooting 6-under is doable. I didn’t capitalize on a couple of key holes and messed up on a few easy holes, but overall it was a difficult golf course to play today, and again, it’s about hitting a lot of fairways out here and hitting greens, and if you hit the driver straight and you’re hitting it long, it’s even more of a benefit.

Q. You’re putting so well. Same greens as last week. I’m sure growing up in California you like these types of greens —
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No.

Q. You don’t?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No, I played on perfect bent at River Bend. It’s now called Dragonfly. They were the most perfect greens in Central Valley, so I was accustomed to really good greens, actually, surprisingly. When I went over to Monterey I didn’t have the right loft or anything, and I would consequently putt really bad, and it actually made me feel like I was a bad putter growing up, and it was part of the reason why I struggled with a bunch of my stuff in college, and then I realized there was a better way to putt. I think it just allows me a little bit more comfort, and I’m putting well doing what I’m doing and have the right launch out there, and it’s nice, too, with being able to tap down spike marks. That helps a lot. So utilizing that, which is appropriate — you should be able to do that. If nobody else was there and you were just putting, you wouldn’t have that. That’s nice to be able to do that.

Made a couple good putts — long one on 3. I couldn’t believe I made it. I hit a 9-iron in the bunker, plugged that far into the ground. I did not think I was going to get out of it, go down to the green and made a 45-footer. That was a great way to start the day.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. Also I noticed your assistant holding a towel —
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s just to see the line. It’s literally just to see the line. If not it’s a little difficult to see in the light. It’s an even more powerful laser but then it becomes illegal through federal law. Can’t do that.

Q. How difficult did the wind make this golf course today?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Twice as hard. Twice as hard. I felt like I played some incredible golf. I made a couple mistakes, didn’t birdie 12, didn’t birdie 1, bogeyed 16, bogeyed 10. You flip those, I’m leading.

Q. What makes putting on these greens whether it’s here or last week, what’s the challenge?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s just the inconsistency of the roll, unfortunately. I think they’re better than last year, but it’s one of those things, isn’t it a weed or something like that, and so it’s just difficult. It doesn’t grow even, so you’ve got some spots that are a little splotchy. Hey, that’s the grow of the green. It’s literally the way it works.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Billy Horschel Speaks With The Media Regarding Adapting for Altitude at the WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Billy Horschel of the United States lines up a putt on the 11th green during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

PGA professional Billy Horschel speaks with the media following his opening round 68 at the WGC Mexico Championship about adapting for the change in altitude and distance.

PGA Tour: Billy Horschel speaks with the media following opening round at The WGC Mexico Championship

Q. This is going to sound like kind of a general question, but it seemed like it was windier today than what you guys have had. Would that be your assessment?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, I’ve never — what is it, my second or third time here, and I’ve never seen the wind blow this hard. It blew a little bit on Tuesday afternoon but nothing like this, and it was a challenge out there.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. How does that factor with the thin air? I know you guys have a hard time dealing with that to begin with.
BILLY HORSCHEL: The great thing for me I think was when I hit balls on the range on Tuesday and it was into the wind, we were still just testing some numbers out and seeing that just a little bit of wind that there was had an effect on the ball, bigger effect than what we thought. So it was a challenge because if you hit it — if you launch it higher, the ball is going to go farther, but then if you factor in the wind to go shorter and you launch it too high, then it negates the point. It’s a challenge. Ryan Fox and I were just talking about it. It was really tough to get the ball close to the hole, and then when you do get a good club in and you feel like you hit a good shot, you can land it in the right spot and the green could be a little bit softer and it could hit and not bounce the way you’re suspecting or it could bounce a little bit more. It was a very challenging golf course out there today, and I’m happy that I scrapped it together and shot 3-under.

Q. Did you have to be a little bit more patient today than maybe normal?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, I think so, knowing that the wind was blowing. There was some really good pin locations today. I think even if there was no wind, you’ve got to be patient because you know you can go low here, but sometimes you can hit a lot of good shots and hit a lot of good putts and not get rewarded for it. It’s a little bit of a different kind of patience today, understanding that par is a really good score instead of where in the past you’re just trying to make a lot of birdies.

Q. Did you and TA work on anything special this week?
BILLY HORSCHEL: No, just very similar to what we’ve been working on since Scottsdale, the putting, just same thing, getting a little bit better setup. The golf swing, the only thing we did last week to improve on Scottsdale was just trying to stay in my right side a little bit longer on my downswing to allow my right arm to get in front of the right hip. I’ve been having a tendency or I’ve been doing it for a long time of jumping up out of my backswing, and then the arm gets stuck behind me and I hit some really bad shots, and I hit one of those on No. 7 today.

But there’s been a lot of good stuff. It’s still not natural and it’s still not without thought, easy to do, but we’ve been doing some really good work, and it sort of is nice to see it pay off. We work really hard and sometimes we don’t see the results, and it doesn’t feel like we’re getting anywhere. But since Scottsdale, since the Waste Management Open, it seems like the path is clearing a little bit easier.

Q. The PGA TOUR officials have said that they’re going to limit water on these greens now to allow them to get firmer. How much more difficult will this golf course get with firmer greens?
BILLY HORSCHEL: It’s pretty difficult already even with soft greens. I’m interested to see — 3-under par is leading, 4-under par is leading. We don’t really need to make it that much tougher. The greens are tough enough as it is. This is a very tough place to make putts. I think it’s the fewest footage of holed putts on average. Yeah, if it gets a little bit firmer, I think it’ll be a little bit more predictable with the ball, understanding how the ball is going to land on the green, is it going to land soft, is it going to land firm, so I think that helps us a little bit, but then at the same time it gets a little bit tougher to get close to the hole when the greens do firm up.

Q. Is it unpredictable now?
BILLY HORSCHEL: I mean, I hit some shots today where we landed it where we wanted and it hit and it spun back, and it didn’t take the bounce, and then we hit a couple shots where it hit and took a bigger bounce than what we thought. You know, that’s what happens when you play on poa; it’s like that on the West Coast. The greens are just that way a little bit. It’s a little bit easier when the greens do get firm and the entire green is firm. It’s a little bit more, I think, predictable to understand how the ball is going to land on the green. But like I said, vice versa, it’s a little bit tougher to get the ball close to the hole, and at the same time it’s a little bit tougher to scramble.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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PGA Tour: Patrick Reed Speaks on Windy Conditions at The WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Patrick Reed of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Patrick Reed speaks with the media following an opening round 69 about the windy conditions and the recent Brook’s Koepka comments.

PGA Tour: Patrick Reed talks wind, Brooks Koepka, and Premiere Golf League rumors

Q. You’ve played here a couple times. Can you talk about how much harder it is in wind like this?
PATRICK REED: It’s a lot harder. This is the first time I’ve actually played with wind.

Q. I think it’s the first time we’ve had it.
PATRICK REED: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is into the wind, downwind, kind of sea level at home, it’s very easy to kind of judge. But all of a sudden you come here and it seems like downwind the ball will just not stop. It just never stops, and then into the wind it seems like the ball doesn’t go anywhere. Because the air is thinner up here, it seems like at the end of the day the wind magnifies what the ball wants to do.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. So it still makes it go shorter even into the wind? You don’t get the advantage of the altitude into the wind as much?
PATRICK REED: Well, you still get the advantage of altitude, but I think the biggest thing is just like a little puff at home might be three yards difference, but here it seems to be five to seven. Just seems to be magnified just a little bit. And same thing downwind. If you get downwind and a full wedge number in your hand, the ball will never stop. It will just go.

Q. Rory talked yesterday about the Premier Golf League. Do you have any thoughts?
PATRICK REED: Honestly I have my team grabbing all the information about it, and I don’t know enough about it yet to really say anything about it, but once we get all the information, I’ll go make my mind up later on.

Q. What did you think of a guy of Rory’s stature essentially saying he’s out?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, I mean, I just heard about it probably earlier this year. I know some of the guys have heard about it for years, and supposedly this has been something that’s gone on and hasn’t really caught, and then it’s kind of been going on and off for quite some time. Rory would know more about it and kind of where he stands, and me, it’s hard for me to really say either way. I don’t know much about it yet.

Q. We haven’t had a chance to ask you, but did you see what Brooks said about the Hero and do you have any response?
PATRICK REED: Not really. I mean, I said what I have to say about what happened in the Bahamas, and at the end of the day, all I’m trying to do is go out and play good golf and trying to win a golf championship and hopefully run Rory down.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas Talks Successful Track Record at the WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Justin Thomas of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Justin Thomas speaks with the media following an opening round 67 at the WGC Mexico Championship and in a tie for second position, 2 strokes off the lead.

PGA Tour: Justin Thomas recaps opening round 67 at the WGC Mexico Championship

Q. Justin, what is it about this course you like so much?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I don’t know. It’s a different course. Leish and I were talking about it today. I’ve never played a place — I felt like today was tough. I’ve never played this place with this kind of wind. It just doesn’t get this windy here this often. But you can go so low, but man, if you’re not playing well, you can shoot over par in a heartbeat. It’s pretty tough to manage your score, but I feel like we have a pretty good idea how far the ball goes, and that helps.

Q. When you guys teed off there was nothing and then all of a sudden it kicked up. When that happens, how much do you have to change your game plan out there?
JUSTIN THOMAS: You have to change it a lot because usually at altitude the wind doesn’t affect it too much, but when you’re hitting 6-irons from 240 over water, you’re like, well, I hope it — is it going to affect it, is it not. I hit a sand wedge today, Jimmy and I were posing looking at it, and it landed like 10 yards short of the green. Like it wasn’t even close. It took us a little bit to kind of figure out that the ball did not go very far into the wind, but man, it goes downwind.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. You’ve played all over the world. How much do you enjoy representing not only you and your brand but also the PGA TOUR, playing here in Mexico and everywhere else you get to play in front of fans like this?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s awesome. Jimmy and I said, it’s really cool. I want to meet this kid; I’ve met him but I don’t know him very well. He’s followed us around the last two years. He knows Jimmy’s name, he yells at Jimmy, he yells at me, he looks like a TOUR pro out there, so I feel like I have some sort of relationship with this little kid just from playing in this tournament. But we get a lot of support from everybody, and it’s great that we decided to come here to Mexico City.

Q. How would you assess your round out there today?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I played well. It was a little difficult to start it felt like with this wind. It wasn’t something that we’re accustomed to out here, all of us. It’s usually very, very calm. If anything you’ll get maybe a five-mile-an-hour breeze. But took us a little bit to adjust, but when I missed the green I felt like I missed them in good spots and got it up-and-down, made a couple key putts and really felt like I did everything I needed to do.

Q. With the wind, how did that make the course harder?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It’s really tough just because I think 7 is a perfect example. For some reason that back tee, seems like no matter where the pin is, it’s just a perfect 6-iron, and my 6-iron here goes about 230 to 235 and the pin is in the back today. I think it was 230 — it was 241 and we had 208 front, and the 7-iron goes 215, and usually at this altitude the wind doesn’t do very much, but when it’s blowing that much, you’re like, is it not, because long is bad and what do we do and I can’t come up short because then it goes in the water, and it really was just a guessing game.

I hit a wedge shot on 5 that — I mean, I flagged it and it landed 10 yards short of the green. It wasn’t even close. It took a little bit to get used to, but once we did, I felt like we had somewhat of an idea.

Q. Does it help that you’ve had some success here, when you have to deal with something like that, it’s easier to figure it out a little quicker than maybe guys who haven’t played here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I hope so. That would be an advantage for me. At the end of the day, the most important thing is hitting the ball consistently because if you hit it differently, you hit down on it, you hit it high, hit it low, your yardages are going to change, and I feel like that’s something we’ve done is we just try to stick to just playing golf and our numbers that have worked the last three years.

Q. How much is it to have validation after Genesis to come here and put a good opening round together and put yourself — seems to be at this tournament again.
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it’s good. It just yet again proves what a fickle game golf is. Two places that are as totally different as they may seem, I feel like are similar golf courses in terms — if you play well it rewards good golf, but you can shoot over par pretty quickly. You’ve got the zoysia fairways, the kind of kikuyu type rough, poa annua greens, so you really have to be patient out there, and it’s kind of something that I try to learn a little bit from last week. I didn’t play that poorly on Friday, I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole, so it was nice to see some putts go in.

Q. How do you define patience out here?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Just waiting for your time. I feel like at some point over four days, hopefully a couple times I might reel off four, five, six in a nine-hole span, and you just kind of have to wait for it. There’s a decent chance it doesn’t happen, but you have so many wedges, and if you have control of your ball you can get it in good spots. I mean, I’ve had two 62s here, and you can get it going. It’s just tough sometimes because of the altitude and playing the yardages correctly and making them on these greens. So many short clubs, you just kind of have to wait for it I feel like.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Bubba Watson Addresses Media Following Opening Round 67 at The WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Bubba Watson of the United States plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

PGA professional and two time Masters champion Bubba Watson speaks with the media following an opening round of 67 at the WGC Mexico Championship which is good for second place, 2 shots behind leader Rory McIlroy.

PGA Tour: Bubba Watson talks to the media about playing wit Justin Bieber, superb putting, and the pros and cons of golf at altitude

Q. 4-under par for Bubba. You had that tie for ninth finish in three previous starts here, so you haven’t been great on this golf course, but today you played very well. What made you get to the 4-under-par total?
BUBBA WATSON: I just made some putts today. The only thing that was missing last week when I missed the cut was I didn’t make any putts. The ball just wasn’t going in the hole for some reason. I’ve been hitting the ball great all year after training. I’ve been working on getting fitter, getting stronger so I can hold positions and hit the shots I want to hit. So today I just made putts. The one thing I haven’t done around here is make putts. Around here, one foot means a lot. So you’re chipping or hitting the ball into the green, it can bounce over the green or it can be close to the hole. So around here it’s very difficult. You’ve just got to get your bounces to go your way.

Q. 13 one-putts today, including the last seven holes. When you began the day it was like this; there wasn’t a breath of wind. Then all of a sudden in the middle the breeze kicked up a little bit. How much did that mess with the strategy?
BUBBA WATSON: I’ll go with the first part. Me and Teddy were joking, it seemed like I was one foot off of just about every green. That’s what it felt like today. So I missed a lot of greens, but I was just off the green where I could putt and secure an easy par I guess you would say. But when the wind picked up, it changes because the elevation already messes with your head and what you’re thinking, and then when you talk about into the wind, how much does it affect it, downwind how much does it affect it, so you’re always second-guessing yourself more than back home just because of the elevation, so that’s what makes it so difficult. And that’s what the scores are showing. Sometimes par is great around here when you’re second-guessing the wind and the elevation.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. If you look at your record around here, you’ve had some pretty decent results. Do you like playing at elevation? Is this fun golf for you?
BUBBA WATSON: Well, what my psychologist would say would be yes, I love it here. I don’t have a psychologist, but if I did, that’s what they would say.

No, you know, it’s one of those things where it’s fun. When we talk about four days of golf, me and you hit a shot and we land a foot apart, one is going to bounce, one doesn’t, and it’s just about getting the bounces to go your way, the putt to go your way, and today I made some putts. I missed a couple greens just off the green, so it looks like I missed a lot of greens today, but I putted the ball nicely. LA last week I didn’t putt it very nicely. I stroked it well but I just didn’t make any putts, so I missed the cut.

I know my ball-striking is where I want it to be. My mind is where I want it to be and everything. Coming here, I was just hoping I’d get the right bounces and the right breaks. I know I can play around here if I stay committed to all the shots, and today I did that.

Q. Did you get into the right frame of mind Saturday playing with Justin Bieber?
BUBBA WATSON: Oh, man. You know, he’s my mental coach, my psychologist I was talking about. (Laughter.)

You know, it’s — life sometimes throws you curve balls. I’ve had some ups and downs over the last five years in my personal life, in my mind, and I’ve reached out to some guys, and I’ve also helped some guys, and so missing the cut — think about it, I could be very disappointed because that golf course I love. I mean, I’ve won it three times in LA, and I can’t hit the ball any better. For two rounds I was 13th in greens in regulation, and I think I beat two people in putting for two rounds. So I was like 118 in putting.

I was very disappointed, but at the same time, you’ve got to live life, and so I called my buddy and called a couple buddies and we got together and played some golf and freed it up and just had some fun and realized I was in a good frame of mind and where my life is with my beautiful wife and my beautiful kids; who cares about missing a cut really. We’ve got other things to worry about, a different tour coming on and all these things.

Q. Where was that round, and was it Saturday?
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, it was at Lakeside. Lakeside is one of my favorite golf courses right there in LA right outside of Warner Brothers studio, any chance I get to play there. I’m honored with, I guess, a complimentary membership, so any chance I get a chance to stop by there, I stop by there and play and hang out with the boys.

Q. How many complimentary memberships do you have?
BUBBA WATSON: I’ve got a few. And there’s a couple I pay for.

Q. A couple?
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, there’s a couple that make me pay, but yeah, it’s all good. It’s worth it.

Q. Guys were saying because of the thin air the ball doesn’t seem to turn as much. It seems to me you’re a player that likes to see the ball move in different directions. Do you like that or is that a challenge?
BUBBA WATSON: It’s a challenge because I’m used to starting a ball or trying to start a ball one way and getting it to curve back, that’s the challenge. Here I have to do different eyesights and trust it. And that’s why around here, I have the ability just like all these guys have the ability, it comes down to trusting it, that your ball is not going to curve as much or it’s going to do a little different. Today the gusty winds made the course a lot tougher than we’re used to because we haven’t really seen this over the past couple years.

It comes down to trust for me, and yeah, I want to be able to move the ball, but at the same time, I’ve got to go with what the ball is doing, and in this elevation the ball hasn’t really moved that much. I’ve got to talk to Bryson about air density and stuff like that.

Q. Was the tee shot at 1 an example of that, that you expected it to curve a little bit more?
BUBBA WATSON: Yes, but at the same time, at 1, you want to miss it — I want to miss it to the right a little bit because of those bunkers. They just dump sand in these, these bunkers. These are the toughest bunkers I’ve ever seen because there’s so much sand in them and I knew how difficult it was going to be if you hit it in those bunkers. Louis landed in the bunker and it only moved a couple inches and he had a ridiculous chance to get up-and-down.

Q. Do you think patience will be the key for the next rounds? Or what will be the key?
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, the key is always patience. That’s the beauty of what Tiger Woods has able to do, McIlroy has been able to do. It comes down to patience. When you have patience and trust in yourself and your ability, that’s when you can play good golf. I mean, all these guys at this field, at this event can play the game of golf, but it comes down to who’s got the most patience and the freed-up mind and mental attitude.

Q. What is the thing you most enjoy about playing here in Mexico?
BUBBA WATSON: What I like most about playing here? The ball goes forever. Even though I’m getting older, the ball still travels a long way, so it’s always fun, and it changes it up. It changes up our routine of having the straightforward shot. Now we have to do some math and try to guess right on the numbers and pull the shots off.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Brooks Koepka Addresses the Media at the PGA Championship Media Conference

ST LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Brooks Koepka of the USA celebrates with the winners trophy on the 18th green after winning the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Golf & Country Club on August 12, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

PGA Tour: 2019 PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka speaks with the media at the annual PGA Championship Media Conference in San Francisco ahead of the 2020 edition taking place at Harding Park

PGA Tour: Brooks Koepka speaks to the media about 2020 PGA Championship

JULIUS MASON: Ladies and gentlemen, the countdown has really officially begun. It’s 84 days until the second major of the year comes upon Harding Park. We are really excited to have our defending champion, Brooks Koepka with us today, and I guess over the next 15 minutes we’re going to go ahead and open the floor to you to ask as many questions as like.

Brooks it’s been over — we have to go back to the ’20s when Walter Hagen won four of these championships in a row. What’s your mind-set going into this PGA Championship when you could come close to history winning three of these things in a row?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It would be incredible. Obviously you look at Walter Hagen is a name everybody knows, every golf fan knows. To even have a chance to put my name with his would be incredible and it would be super special.

Coming back, obviously two-time defending, it’s a different feeling, and one you want to win this year for sure. It’s something I’m looking forward to and can’t wait to get the year started.

Q. Given the hat that you’re wearing, I would imagine the perfect scenario would be to win this thing, look over to the camera and hold up a 2 and a 4?
BROOKS KOEPKA: That would be pretty cool. It would be neat. It would be special. It really would with everything that’s gone on, it’s obviously very sad, but no better way to honor him.

Q. How is your knee? How is your health?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It’s a lot stronger. It’s stable. It feels good. Every once in a while, last Monday was probably — didn’t feel very good but that’s why, you know, I have got my PT with me on the road taking care of everything and making sure that my knee is in the right spot. My knee is so much better. It’s really progressed a lot in the last month and a half.

Q. How will you prepare with the terrain, getting physically ready for the tournament?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I’ll be physically ready. I’ve got plenty of time. What did you say, Julius, 84 days? I’ll be fine. It’s something I’m not worried about. It is walking, so it’s not too bad. But at the same time, downhill is a little bit of a struggle but other than that, everything else is good.

Q. No. 1 in the world for a bit now. How has life changed for you since, if at all?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Obviously being No. 1 is nice, but you get comfortable with it and you know, you’re just trying to make sure you play good. It’s as simple as. Not there right now, but I had three months off, so just trying to find rhythm and get back into the swing of things and really kind of get used to being on Tour again.

Q. I know it’s been a few years, but can you share with us anything that sticks out from playing Harding Park before?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It’s a big boy golf course. You have to be able to hit it long. It’s very difficult. It’s a major championship golf course. You know that. You look at — this finish will be interesting. I think it will be a great finish. You look at the back nine there, starting on about 13, 14, it gets really interesting. You’re going to see a lot of — it will be exciting, especially if it’s close on Sunday. I think those holes let up for quite a few disasters and some good golf.

Q. Can you describe what it’s like, you have a target on your back now as the defending champion and the field is so competitive. When you’re the one that people are pointing toward, how does that change the way you play, or does, it when you know that people are gunning for you?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I like that. Everybody wants to be in that spot. There’s nothing wrong with it. Obviously they are all doing that because you did something good and that’s what you want. Just keep plugging away. It’s not a normal event, but you know, it’s a major; you’re hyped up and you’re pumped to play and ready to go, just get out there and go do what you’re supposed to do.

Q. Last year, the U.S. Opens you were so dominant, and then the Tiger one, the previous PGA Championship, last year, you were in complete control, had a little bit of a hiccup but were able to close the deal. What did you learn about going through that stretch and being able to hold on to win?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It was nice. That’s why you play good the early days so you’ve got a chance. I really didn’t feel like I made any mistakes. It’s a hard golf course, especially when it’s blowing 25, 30 miles an hour in the wind. Played good and didn’t do much wrong but you can make some bogeys pretty quick on that golf course.

It’s been fun to battle it out with him the last few years.

Koepka Talks TPC Harding Park

Q. You called it a “big boy golf course,” Harding, with the trees, and accuracy matters; there’s a distinct San Francisco style of golf. You played in The Open at Olympic as an amateur, as well. What did you learn about San Francisco golf in those tournaments?
BROOKS KOEPKA: You know the rough is going to be thick. You know what you’re going to get. You have to be able to hit it far and you have to be able to hit it straight. There’s been a precedent on making sure accuracy is big, and you know that when you come out here.

You have to find the fairways if you event want to have a chance. If you don’t hit the fairways, you’re going to be struggling to make pars. You’re not going to make any birdies, but it’s a golf course that it’s set up for a major championship like this.

Q. Have you been back to Harding since the Match Play?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I haven’t been back. 2015 was the last time I was back. Back out here, might pop up for a day and maybe go play before the event but that’s about it.

Q. Had you heard how narrow the fairways are?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I’m sure they are.

Q. We’re going to see you hit some balls to McCovey Cove. What are you going to be using? A sand wedge? Your putter?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I’ll probably use as much club as I can. I’d love to hit anything. It doesn’t matter. It would be cool to hit one in McCovey Cove. I don’t know. We’ll figure it out when we get down there.

Q. How was the Bart ride with the trophy?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It was fun. I think everybody when I was on Bart was like, what is going on here. Brought like six, seven camera guys, everybody looking. It was fun. We had a good time.

Q. What did you think about the recent distance report?
BROOKS KOEPKA: The long hitters are going to be long hitters whether you roll the ball back or not, it doesn’t matter. I always use the example: Jack Nicklaus drove the green on 18 at St. Andrews and that was, what, 30, 40 years ago and it’s tough to do that now. I can’t even do that now.

It doesn’t matter. Look, kind of speaking out of both sides of their mouth. They want to make it tougher, but at the same time, we want to grow the game and get people involved. So if you’re going to make it tougher, not many people are going to want to play.

Q. Does Harding Park allow you to play your type of game? Does it put a different club in your hand from the fact that it is a narrower course and it’s got trees on each side of the fairway? Do you have to be smart about the way you attack?
BROOKS KOEPKA: You just have to take what the hole gives you. It doesn’t matter. There’s no real — my style of golf, nothing like that. You just try to go out there and figure out what the hole gives you and depending where the pin is and what the miss is, there’s about 30 things that can come into play and you just have to take what it will let you do.

Q. Do you have an idea — a few months out, what type of a game plan you may have for this type of a golf course?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It all kind of depends. You get a wind direction or the weather report comes in, whatever. It can change to anything in an instant. Doesn’t matter. Holes playing downwind now might play into the wind when we’re here. You just have got to see, kind of wait and figure out what the best opportunities are.

Q. How much does it matter, if at all, that this is on a public course? I know Bethpage last year, there haven’t been very many, Torrey Pines I guess, but truly municipal courses to host an event of this magnitude?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It’s incredible. Obviously anybody can go out and go play, which makes it unique. Makes it cool. So people really understand where we’ve been. If we have hit in a certain — behind a tree or hit it left on this hole or hit it right on that hole, the average golfer out there knows exactly what we’re dealing with. It brings people a little bit closer to us.

Q. Does it send an important message, battling the elitism?
BROOKS KOEPKA: For sure, definitely had that feeling for years and years and years. It’s nice to bring it to a public place and nice to bring it to somewhere where, you know, it’s not that exclusivity that’s been, I guess, tagged with golf for a long time.

Q. How important is it for you to try to get back to No. 1?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I’ve just got to play good golf, man. That’s all I’ve got to do. If I play good golf, everything should take care of itself. Just trying to feel a little bit of a rhythm, build up on it. I’ve only been hitting golf balls for a month and a half now. Everything should be pretty close.

Q. How did you handle the play off, not being able to play.
BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, it was a grind. It was the second we got back from Korea. I was in rehab right away, so I didn’t really have much time to think about anything else other than just go attack the knee and make it strong and make it back to what it was. That was the only way possible.

So I really haven’t had much time to think about anything else other than trying to get back out here and trying to be able to play again.

Q. What are your thoughts on playing this championship in a world-class city like San Francisco? It puts the PGA Tour and so many great players in this area.
BROOKS KOEPKA: It’s fun. I’ve spent a bunch of time out here in San Francisco when I was going through college and just getting done. Spent a much of time with a family out here in Pleasanton. It was kind of a second home there for a little bit. It’s fun. It’s fun to get back here and see everything.

Obviously it will be a fun week with the fans here. I think it will be exciting and hopefully they are looking forward to it.

Q. Has anyone in this area helped influence your game as a golfer teaching-wise?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No. I haven’t got any lessons out here. It’s kind of far for me to travel from Florida, so I wasn’t out here getting much lessons. But no, nobody out here.

Q. Do you have relatives in Pleasanton?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No. They were family friends. They were out there. So go play golf with them. One of them, Noah, is actually playing golf at the University of Washington. Be cool to see them. Hopefully they will be out.

Q. You mentioned Walter Hagen and that was so long ago in Match Play. Will you embrace that trying to go three in a row in stroke play, something that’s never been done in this championship, or just I want to play the golf tournament?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I just want to play good golf, man. It’s simple. You start thinking about all the things that could happen, that’s when, you know, I guess nerve, everything else kind of creeps in. Just stay in the moment and keep plugging along.

Q. When you win a major, how does that change your life?
BROOKS KOEPKA: A major? I mean, it puts you in a different category than everybody else. You can win as many tour events as you want, but at the end of the day, you’re remembered by how many majors you’ve won. You look at it, and I’ve said it before, Arnie, Jack, Tom Watson, Gary Player, all these guys, I can’t tell you how many PGA Tour events they won, but I promise you everybody knows how many majors they won.

Q. But when you go to 7-11, Wal-Mart, whatever, at one point it’s like, oh, there’s Brooks Koepka and then you win a major, oh, snap, expletive, it’s Brooks Koepka. Is it like that?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It’s definitely a little bit different. Get noticed a lot more. Things like that, it definitely changes your life a little bit.

I’m still the same me, so it doesn’t matter. I’m still just a regular guy just like anybody else.

Q. Have you been to a baseball game here? Did you play baseball growing up?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I did. Actually I went on a date with Jena before were dating here, actually. Buster gave me tickets. I knew Buster from Florida State. He helped us out with tickets and we were here in 2015.

Q. So you didn’t go for the perfect game?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I wasn’t. I didn’t make it out. I wasn’t going to be getting free tickets from anybody at that point. (Laughter).

Q. Have you looked into the Premiere Golf League?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, everybody’s pretty much heard about it, looking at things.

Q. What do you think?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, there is a possibility. Obviously they have got financial backing. So it’s become more and more real, especially with everything that’s developing. They are giving us information. But at the same time, we’ve got to figure out what’s best for us. We have no idea. So when we make that determination, we’ll let everybody know.

Q. Both you and Rory have been dismissive of the rivalry labeled between you two, but has him overtaking you at world No. 1 changed your mind-set in regard to your ebb and flow with him?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Not really. I just don’t — we haven’t competed going into a major coming down the stretch. I think the only time we really competed with each other was WGC.

So other than that, we haven’t been in contention in the same tournaments coming down the stretch, so it’s hard to say there’s a rivalry. Even people talk about the Phil and Tiger rivalry, it was kind of one-sided there for a long time, too. I just don’t see rivalries in golf, I really don’t.

Q. You’ve obviously won this twice and each major seems to have its own personality, and Augusta with the greens, U.S. Open with the rough, British Open with the wind. What in your mind is the signature sort of element of a PGA Championship?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I think the fact that they can switch it up and make it different. I like the fact that you can play this in long rough, big tall rough. You can play it with not that much rough and make it difficult.

You look at like Bellerive two years ago, that was one of the funner courses to play, and then you look at it last year was probably one of the most difficult golf courses you’re going to play in the entire world. The way that they can vary it and make it different, and make it enjoyable for the fans.

Q. What was different about Bellerive?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I think, too, there’s a lot of — it’s a sporting town. St. Louis is a good sporting town. It was fun to be there. In fact, I just remember how hot it was. I must have lost like ten pounds that week.

Q. Can you speak to the talent on the PGA Tour right now? It seems like it’s in a great spot right now with so many international and American players. Just how hard is it to win on this tour right now?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it’s obviously very difficult. So many guys, you go down the line, you’ve got Rory, J.T., Dustin. I could name 15 names, rattle them off. I think that’s why you’re not going to see — guys are not going to win 30, 40 times like they have years and years ago just for the fact of it’s not going to be possible. There’s too much competition.

Q. What do you remember about the baseball game you saw here, if you flash back to the U.S. Open at Olympic and the match play at Harding and to now think you’re coming back to San Francisco as No. 1 or close to No. 1. Pretty striking contrast to where your career was.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it’s different. That might have been my first match play, too. I could be wrong. It might have been my first one. It’s crazy to look how far I’ve come and how things have changed over the last, you know, four or five years.

Q. Any memories from that baseball game here?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Had a good day. I guess it worked out for me.

Q. Will you have a chance to play Harding several times before the PGA Championship?
BROOKS KOEPKA: We’ll see. It kind of depends. I remember a little bit of it, but also at the same time depends how much off-time we get and if I can if I’m over here, obviously going to spend quite a bit of time in San Diego with my guy and probably can, if I can pop up and the weather looks good, I’ll pop up for a day and play.

San Francisco, California

February 17, 2020

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Phil Mickelson Addresses The Media After Falling Short of AT&T Pro-Am Repeat

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Phil Mickelson of the United States plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 09, 2020 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

PGA Tour: 2019 AT&T Pro-Am champion Phil Mickelson speaks to the media following his final round in which he ultimately came up short defending his championship.

PGA Tour: Phil Mickelson speaks to the media following closing round of 2020 AT&T Pro-Am

Q. Just how would you assess the day?
PHIL MICKELSON: So I’ll tell you, I had a lot of fun today having a chance to be in contention and having a chance to win. It was fun to get back in it. And these last couple of weeks have really given me a lot of motivation and momentum to continue doing what I’ve been doing. It’s disappointing certainly to have not won, but I got outplayed. I mean, Nick played better than I did. He holed a couple of great shots. That eagle on 6, the putts he made on 4, 5 and 7 and he just really played some great golf. I kept — I had a couple of times where I hit really good shots in bad spots and I had a couple times where I just then didn’t quite trust it and made some bad swings. I fought hard. But I loved having a chance to be in it again. It’s so fun being in the last group, and I’m hoping to continue to build on this.

Q. How difficult were those conditions kind of around the turn there?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, it was extremely difficult because you have the wind that kept swirling in and then down, and you had the greens that were very firm and there’s really no run-up shots. So it was a hard day but I got outplayed, totally fine with that, and that I’m going to continue to get better and give myself more chances and I’m really excited about the rest of the year.

Full Leaderboard: 2020 AT&T Pro-am

Q. Take a lot of confidence going into Riviera, a place you love?
PHIL MICKELSON: So there’s a lot of positives that I take out of today. I’ve always struggled with right-to-left wind and I feel like I had a little bit of a milestone here these last few weeks where, off of 18, wind’s blowing right into the ocean, in the past I’ve struggled with that. I hit two great little low drives in play. If I can continue to do that it’s going to be a good year.

Q. What did you figure out with that particular shot?
PHIL MICKELSON: I just worked hard on it. I worked hard on it with the equipment, with my swing, to get rid of that left miss and I’m excited about where we’re headed.

Q. What’s been the biggest challenge in the last 52 weeks since you won here?
PHIL MICKELSON: Getting my confidence back and playing well and starting and visualizing and seeing what I want to have happen, not letting negative thoughts continue to creep in after so many months of poor play. But these last two weeks have been good strides. I got off to a rough start, knowing I’m playing well, but not focusing properly the first two weeks, missed the cut and now I’ve had two third place finishes and I’m going to continue to build on that and give myself more chances. And I’m having a ton of fun, it’s just really fun having a chance.

Q. (No Microphone.)
PHIL MICKELSON: No, I didn’t, I had a tough time with the conditions, I had a tough time with making pars, but my focus and everything was really sharp today. I just didn’t execute, we had a few misjudgments of the wind, we just had — it was just a tough round.

Pebble Beach, California

February 9, 2020

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Jordan Spieth Talks Bouncing Back at 2020 AT&T Pro-Am

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Jordan Spieth of the United States looks over a putt on the first green during the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 08, 2020 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

PGA Tour: Jordan Spieth speaks with the media about bouncing back from recent struggles with a stellar performance at the 2020 AT&T Pro-Am, including posting the lowest final round score.

PGA Tour: Jordan Spieth addresses the media following final round of the AT&T Pro-Am

Q. Low round of the day today. What was working so well for you?
JORDAN SPIETH: I just knew playing the back nine and it was going to be windy playing the back nine early, if you could somehow be under par at the turn, I was going to be able to make up a lot of ground. And I hit just a phenomenal wedge into 14, which is probably the hardest par-5 we play all year when it’s blowing. And I hit it to about a foot there and that got some momentum going. Just took it to the front nine and kept hitting it close. I mean, I had a lot of looks on the front nine, almost every hole, and then on the last hole I just kind of made a little bit of a mess of it and chipped it in to finish. So certainly fortunate to escape with a 4 on the last. But yeah, I mean, it was pretty solid the whole day. I didn’t do anything overly special. I hit fairways like I have been. I hit greens like have I been and got a couple in there pretty close. And these greens are tough to putt on, so I had, No. 1 and 2 I had birdie putts inside of 10 feet and missed them and went to No. 3 and just knocked it right in. So tried to kind of keep my head up even when it looked like it could kind of get away from me. And this is what I’ve been seeing. It’s just today I finally had a lot of good numbers. I’ve just felt like the last few days I’ve been in between clubs a lot and hard to commit and then today it was just one of those days where it hit me kind of where I could commit to a lot of full shots.

Q. And just real quick, you get great fan support obviously everywhere you go, but how special were the fans here at Pebble Beach?
JORDAN SPIETH: They’re always great. First few rounds, to come out to all three of those golf course, I played with Dustin and Wayne and then my partner Jake, obviously a crowd favorite. So we enjoy having the support, when it’s spread out over three courses a lot of people don’t have more than a couple people following them and it’s really nice to be able to have that kind of pick you up when you’re down and kind of ride the momentum when it’s going well. So cool for people to stick around the back nine for me today, those that did, and go to Los Angeles and try and improve on this week.

Full Leaderboard: 2020 AT&T Pro-am

Pebble Beach, California

February 9, 2020

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Harold Varner III Talks Debut at AT&T Pro-Am

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Harold Varner III plays his shot from the 14th tee during the during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 06, 2020 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Harold Varner III speaks to the media following a first round 67 at the 2020 AT&T Pro-Am.

PGA Tour: Harold Varner III addresses the media after AT&T Pro-Am debut.

Full Leaderboard: 2020 AT&T Pro-am

Q. Making his tournament debut. But let’s go back 13 years ago. Competitive golf here in the First Tee Program, on the Champions Tour. What are your memories from the success you had in 2007?
HAROLD VARNER III: The only thing I remember is who I played with and I birdied 17. But, yeah, it brought back a lot of memories today being out there. It’s crazy how much you don’t remember, how fast it goes away. So it was good and I obviously played well and obviously having fun.

Q. Winner 13 years ago with Morris Hatalsky. What was it like the walk around here today? Now you’re a PGA TOUR member.
HAROLD VARNER III: It’s obviously different. What’s weird is I wouldn’t go back to being that kid. It’s just like, it was just a different, different day and age, I guess. But, yeah, it’s just, I wish I could just call Morris and just tell him, This is crazy.

So, yeah, it’s a lot of fun. Just want to play well. Got off to a rough start this year and I’ve been close, making some cuts but just haven’t cracked the egg yet. But we’re working on it.

Q. What was the difference that allowed you to play well?
HAROLD VARNER III: Just keep working at it. It’s not the end of the world. It’s just golf. Nobody’s going to die out there. Just keep it in perspective. And obviously, I have a lot of perspective from what I had 13 years ago to now. It’s never as good as you think it is. It’s never as bad as you think it is. So just keep it in between the lines.

Pebble Beach, California

February 6, 2020

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Patrick Cantlay Addresses The Media Following Opening Round 66 at AT&T Pro-Am

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Patrick Cantlay of the United States plays his shot from the 13th tee during the during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill Golf Course on February 06, 2020 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Patrick Cantlay speaks with the media following an opening round 66 at the 2020 AT&T Pro-Am about the perfect conditions as well as his experience with the amateur players.

PGA Tour: Patrick Cantlay posts a 66 in opening round of the 2020 AT&T Pro-Am

Q. Nine birdies today on what is normally the toughest of the three golf courses. What was working so well for you today?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I played really well. I drove the ball well. I had a lot of short irons coming into the greens. I played the par-5s good on the front and then made that bogey there on 14 and got a little mud there. But all in all, played really well, made some putts, and I’m really happy with the start.

Q. Was this kind of maybe possibly one of the easier days here at Spyglass because the weather is perfect and the course is playing well?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, and we went out first, so the greens on our front nine were absolutely perfect. Course was probably the best shape I’ve ever seen it and we’re getting perfect weather, so, yeah, it’s great.

Q. Seemed a little bit of continuing good play here. Is this a continuation of what’s been going on recently?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I’ve been playing really well. I feel confident and comfortable with the game. I really like it around here. I’ve played the tournament a few times so coming back to golf courses is easier than seeing them for the first time and I like it here, so it’s all good.

Full Leaderboard: 2020 AT&T Pro-am

Q. Playing with Kelly Slater. Is this relaxing a little bit, kind of a different way of going about your business?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, we’ve played together in this tournament before. I enjoy Kelly. He’s a great player. He rolled the rock so good today. Yeah, we both played great and it’s really fun being out here with him. He’s such a great champion and, obviously, the best to ever compete at his sport, which is beyond impressive, so it’s a real pleasure to be out here with him.

Q. Do you pick his brain about some of that stuff, since he is obviously the best at what he’s done, do you kind of pick his brain and kind of get what he did well?
PATRICK CANTLAY: We’re just out there trying to make as many birdies as we can. I might corner him at some point and try and get a little something that I can use, but he’s a great dude and we’re really having fun.

Q. Relative to your skill set, who putted better today, you or Kelly?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Kelly. He looked like the best putter on TOUR today, he looked like Greg Chalmers.

Q. Did you get that? Not a lot of people are going to get to Greg Chalmers.
PATRICK CANTLAY: Doesn’t he always lead the putting stats?

Q. Yeah, he’s unbelievable. What do you like about the tournament outside of the courses? Is it just the courses?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I like the whole feel up here. It’s one of my favorite places. I can see myself retiring here some day. I love Carmel, and it’s just beautiful, so how could you not like it up here when it’s perfect weather like this.

Q. Have you ever gotten angry up here?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I’m sure I have.

Q. Would you have if you had missed that putt on 18?
PATRICK CANTLAY: You know, even if I would have missed it I played well today, so…

Pebble Beach, California

February 6, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports