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TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIPJune 19, 2014Joe DurantCROMWELL, CONNECTICUT JOE DURANT: I played well today. I didn't miss too many shots and had good scoring conditions too. The weather was nice for us. I know the guys had a little rain this morning, but we got a good end of the draw this afternoon. Q. Your 16th appearance at this tournament. Now you got it figured out and really dialed it in. JOE DURANT: Yeah, you'd think I'd learn a little quicker. I've had some good finishes and good rounds. I just played really solid. The wind wasn't too much of a factor, the greens were receptive, and there were a lot of good scores. Q. Couple of memorable shots from the first round for you? JOE DURANT: The only one that really sticks out is actually on the par‑5 on the front, our 15th hole. I laid it up in the perfect spot in the middle of the fairway bunker which is not where you want to put it in the middle of the fairway, but I hit a good approach to 10 feet and made that. That kept me going good. Q. You can't miss that golf ball either? JOE DURANT: No, I know exactly where it is. Q. Pretty stress‑free opening round for Joe Durant. Six birdies no bogeys, how was it out there? JOE DURANT: It was really nice. The conditions were pretty benign for us this afternoon. We didn't have to contend with any rain or anything, and the greens were receptive, rolling great and there were a lot of good scores. Q. You hadn't been playing well on the PGA TOUR missing five of the last six cuts. You played well on the Senior PGA Championship. What is clicking for you where your game seems so comfortable? JOE DURANT: You know what's really weird, I've had some good opening rounds on the TOUR. I played good in Memphis the first day. I think I shot 4‑under there and then backed it up with a 75 and missed the cut. I'm trying a little too hard out here. I'm trying to make something happen all in one week. I just need to play golf and not worry about it. I'm having a great time on Champions Tour. I know my future is pretty much out there but I still like to play out here some too. Q. This course has a history of older champions. Peter Jacobsen won at 49, Ken Duke last year. Why is it so receptive to the older crowd, if you will? JOE DURANT: I think it requires a lot of different shots. You hit virtually every club around this golf course. There is a premium on driving it to the fairway, and I really believe anybody can win here. Bubba has won here, and guys that aren't particularly long have won here, so I think anyone can win. Q. Joe Durant with a 64. Your 16th year here at the Travelers Championship. This is your lowest career round on the course, and lowest round of the season so far. So all around a great day for you. JOE DURANT: I had a nice day. I played very solidly and drove the ball very well which I think is crucial around this golf course because there is some rough here this week. Hit a lot of good iron shots and didn't really have to struggle too many times to make par, and hit some birdies which was a lot of fun. Q. You were batting a thousand off the tee. You were absolutely perfect and did not miss a fairway today. How much does that help on a course like this? Like you said the rough is up, but a pretty gettable course all around. JOE DURANT: Yeah, it is. The fairway are fairly wide, but it's a second‑shot golf course. If you're not on the fairway, it gets a little tricky. But like I said, I drove the ball well. You don't have a ton of long shots on these holes, but you need to be in short grass. Q. You are splitting your time between the Champions Tour and PGA TOUR. We talked to Fred Funk about it and a number of guys. It seems that would be a very tiring schedule. How are you able to balance it right now? JOE DURANT: Starting out I was so excited to have the opportunity to play out there that I haven't felt terribly tired, but I'm going to have to pace myself a little more in the second half of the year. The Champions Tour does space it out a little bit. I've got a busy next couple weeks. I play here, Senior Players next week, then Greenbrier and the Senior U.S. Open. It's going to be a couple fun weeks. But I'm looking forward to all of them. Q. Off to a great start. 6‑under 64 in round one of the Travelers. Obviously, some good history here. Just some comments on round one. JOE DURANT: The golf course is in beautiful condition number one. The greens are rolling great, so you're going to see a lot of guys make a lot of putts. We can't have much wind, which you can get some wind around here from time to time. We had perfect scoring conditions and we didn't have to contend with any rain like the boys did this morning. But I played really well. I drove the ball well, and that is how this golf course sets up good for guys. If you can put it in the fairway, you can get after it. Q. As Amanda mentions, you've been splitting your time with the Champions Tour and PGA TOUR. You said you've really been maybe trying to force things a little this year out here. JOE DURANT: No question. I'd love to keep some type of TOUR status going forward, but there are not that many tournaments left and I haven't played particularly well. I think I've gotten off to some bad starts on Fridays where I've been trying too hard to shoot a low round to really propel myself and that kind of backfired. I'm just glad to be here. I love playing at Hartford. I've always enjoyed this event, and hopefully I can play good for three or four more days. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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