Two-time Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Matt Every addresses the media following an opening round 65, taking a one stroke overnight lead over Rory McIlroy.
PGA Tour: Matt Every addresses the media after capturing overnight lead at 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational
THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Matt Every to the interview room. Matt, great playing out there. What was clicking for you so well?
MATT EVERY: Everything, really. I just played pretty good. At the start of the day, I just didn’t want to shoot myself out of the tournament with the weather the way it was, but I got off to a good start. The putter actually was a little shaky. It’s always a little shaky, but it was a little shaky to start. I didn’t really make anything and then I made a nice par save on 14 and then I started making some putts after that, and it just worked out. It was a good day for me.
THE MODERATOR: You’ve obviously had a lot of success here in the past. What about this course kind of suits your eye?
MATT EVERY: I don’t really — I actually think it’s probably a drawer’s course, but I’m more of a — I like to work it left-to-right. I think, if anything, it kind of forces me off the tee to — there’s a lot of holes here where it’s iron off the tee and so I’m going to be hitting out of the fairway and my strength is probably my irons. So, and maybe it gives me more opportunities. I don’t know, but something.
THE MODERATOR: Open it up for some questions here.
Q. So when did you kind of know it was your day? I mean, on the front nine you made, like, three putts that were, like, bombs.
MATT EVERY: Yeah. Well, I’m not apologizing for that. Probably on the second hole, I made a really long one and I wasn’t — those are just luck, especially when it’s windy out and these greens are pretty crusty already. You’re just, they’re, I mean, you know, I think it was probably like a 40- or 50-footer that broke 6 feet and the wind’s blowing and I’m just trying to get down in two. Things like that happen when you have good days and — probably on No. 2.
Q. What’s the key to, like, your mentality, just to kind of build on this? And I know you’ve had your share of struggles. How do you just keep it moving forward?
MATT EVERY: Well, my short-term memory isn’t very good, so that is a strength sometimes. And I just, I don’t know, I’ll be all right. I mean, either way it’s crazy how much this game can affect like your life — or not your life but just the way you, maybe your mindset or whatever. But it’s going to be all right either way no matter what I shoot tomorrow. But I think I’m going to be all right this week. I’m hitting it really good. We’ll see. It’s only Thursday — it’s Thursday though, I know, and there’s a lot of golf left.
Q. What kind of frame of mind did you leave Honda in? And knowing you’re coming here, did it help?
MATT EVERY: Probably a little bit. I left Honda — I actually flew up to see my coach on Saturday after Honda. Something was off and I bent my irons, like, two degrees upright, a little change in my swing, and I was back, and, you know, it was night and day. And then all week here it’s been really good on the course and on the range and those days don’t really, those days don’t count, but it did translate over and that’s nice to see.
Q. When you first came to Bay Hill however many years ago, was it a course that you always kind of felt fit your game or did it take some time?
MATT EVERY: No, like, well, when I first came here, my dad used to bring me here. I never really thought about playing it. But yeah, even before I won I probably played here a few times before it and I don’t think I like lit the world on fire here. It wasn’t — I might have had like a 30th or something, but it’s — I don’t know what it is. It just works out here sometimes.
Q. The record will show that you were 20 shots better than the last round of golf you played on the PGA TOUR. What do you think of that?
MATT EVERY: I think it’s, I think it’s awesome. I wouldn’t read too much into that last round.
Q. A little skewed —
MATT EVERY: Yeah, I mean there was a hole last week, where, the way I was hitting it, I could have just — yeah, I wouldn’t read too much into it.
Q. I mean, there’s one hole you made an 11. Just curious, what happened on that? Were you just —
MATT EVERY: No, so, okay, I’ll tell you what happened. It was a back left pin. I was already going to miss the cut. It was — the wind was off the right. I had been having problems all week holding the wind and I’m, and I normally can hold the wind. And I’m not going to learn anything by skanking one out to the right and bailing out. I know I can do that. So I wasn’t leaving that tee until I hit the shot I wanted and I flushed every one of them, like, exactly in the same spot in the water. And then finally I hit one that held it. But, yeah, that’s just —
Q. You hit, what, a 4-iron?
MATT EVERY: I hit four 5-irons and then one 4-iron.
Q. What took you four shots to go to the 4?
MATT EVERY: I think I had like two balls left and it was, I just didn’t want to have to deal with that talking about, you know, it’s just — I was ready to get out of there.
Q. But you finished.
MATT EVERY: I did, yeah.
Q. This is going to sound like a really vague question, but what’s your attitude like?
MATT EVERY: Right now?
Q. Yeah. Is it good?
MATT EVERY: It’s all right. My year hasn’t been great. I’ve had some back issues all year, really. The warm weather helps big time. It sucks having those. You know it’s there in the back of your head and some days are better than others, but.
Q. Is it low back?
MATT EVERY: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But my attitude’s pretty good, though. Like, as a whole this year, it’s been really good. I think it’s good all the time now. I mean, I get angry but who doesn’t get angry?
Q. I don’t want to take anything away from your round but when you teed up this morning, probably Rory is in the clubhouse at 6-under. What is it like when you see a guy like the world No. 1 on top of the leaderboard and like years ago we always used to see Tiger on the top of the leaderboard. Is there an extra incentive in teeing up when you see a guy like Rory up there to try and match that score?
MATT EVERY: Well, when I teed it up today, I was, I swear, I was just trying not to shoot myself out of the tournament. It was — and that’s just the truth. It was pumping and it’s not easy. But clipped Rory by one today.
Q. You had bogey-free today. You were bogey-free, I saw, at Spyglass during Pebble Beach. Do you feel like your game has started to turn the corner in a way?
MATT EVERY: Well, I always feel like my good stuff has been really, is really, really good. There’s just no, like, middle ground with me, though. That’s the problem. It’s, like, either ragged or really good. I don’t know if I’ll ever be like Mr. Consistent out here. I don’t know if I have that in me. Like, I don’t know if I have the mental makeup to do that. It’s just not really who I am. I don’t know. But, yeah, I feel good about my game right now.
Q. Do you still think of this as your home game or is PLAYERS or —
MATT EVERY: Well, probably here. I mean, I moved. I live in Jacksonville now, but I’ve had way more success here than TPC, that’s for sure. And here it feels like — like, TPC is the TOUR’s thing. This feels like, I don’t know, just feels different. There’s a ton of guys. You know what I’m saying? I guess there’s a ton of guys that live in Orlando it too, but there’s not a lot of guys that are from Florida. Like, a lot of guys move here, but I don’t know. Stop thinking so hard.
Q. I need to be more like you.
What was the best shot of the day?
MATT EVERY: 16. I caught a really big gust. It started to like really gust on the tee. I probably should have backed off and I hit a really good drive, but it just got clobbered and I had like 220-something into the hole, and I hit a 3-wood. It was straight into the wind and I hit a really good 3-wood to probably, like, 12 feet. That was the best one, I thought.
Q. Were you pissed when you missed the putt?
MATT EVERY: I expected to miss it, to be honest.
Q. Why?
MATT EVERY: Just because that’s what I do. I miss those.
Q. But it’s still interesting and I’m kind of rehashing here, but you haven’t really, since Dallas probably, I would have to look it up, which was a really nice run, done anything and then you show up and boom, 65. Should we expect it because it’s Matt Every at Bay Hill?
MATT EVERY: No, see, I don’t think that either, though. That’s too much thinking for me to do right now.
Q. I over did it too, apparently. And lastly, just kind of in house cleaning, are you at — where are you with any type of a TUE coming off the thing from last year? Are you at peace with that? Have you sorted that out? What have you got going?
MATT EVERY: Well, I think actually after Dallas, you know, that was, it’s not like — when that stuff comes out it’s not like it just happens right then. That had been going on for awhile. And it was probably in the back of my mind a little bit and affected my game a little. I have applied for one and I’ve been denied. I might a play again. I don’t know yet.
Q. Do you know why you were denied?
MATT EVERY: It’s not FDA approved. There’s a lot of reasons, I’m sure. Oh, I know. Xanax is way safer to take than THC, so that’s, that’s probably one of the reasons. But — that was a joke. But it’s not — look, I am at peace with it. I don’t, it doesn’t bother me at all. Well, I change my mind. Actually, no, that’s wrong. It bothers me that it’s even an issue out here at all. I think it doesn’t do anybody any favors that it’s even on the list for a prohibited substances. You could fail for heroin and marijuana and the penalty is the same. If anyone wants to make the argument that that is performance enhancing, they have never done it before. I promise it’s not. It’s just — I don’t know. It’s just — I think, I think it would be really cool if — I know the NHL has taken some steps and a couple other, the MLB has, the — what, the NFL just had their, what do you call it?
Q. CBA.
MATT EVERY: Yeah. And they have talked about it. I think it would be cool if we were proactive about it and made some changes. I, you know, anxiety is a real thing and the way I treat it — like, I know I treat it the healthiest way possible for my body. And but WADA doesn’t think so and the TOUR goes by what WADA says. So it’s really silly, to be honest. It’s really silly. Now I’m kind of fired up about it, so I’m going to stop talking now.
Q. A little bit along those lines, one by one states — it’s becoming legalized in states now —
MATT EVERY: Right.
Q. — so is that part of what you’re, it’s kind of part of the point you’re making, is it not?
MATT EVERY: A little bit. I think it’s — look, I don’t want — I’m not in this for attention. I don’t want to have social media, like, this is, it’s about me, to be honest. I don’t — yeah, it’s decriminalized in, like, 41 states, I think. I don’t want to be a spokesperson for it. I’m not into that. I also, you know, I’ve tried other, other options, CBD oil, whatever. Snake oil. I mean, CBD oil. Whatever. So I know what works for me. You know, I’ve had to dial back a little bit, but it is what it is.
Q. Is there anything you can — you know, what do you do, I guess, not being able to do what you want to do? You know what I mean?
MATT EVERY: Sure. So there’s levels — well geez, this got, this took, took a turn (Laughing.)
So, there’s levels — here’s the other thing that’s weird. The cutoff for THC is 150 nanograms. So you could have, you know, let’s just — we’ll use me. If I get tested and I have, and I’m at 145, good to go. If I’m at 155, I’m a drug abuser. That’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. Yeah.
THE MODERATOR: All right, Matt, thanks for the time, we’ll wrap it up. Great playing today.
Orlando, Florida
March 5, 2020
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