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RBC CANADIAN OPENJuly 24, 2014Taylor PendrithILE BIZARD, QUEBEC THE MODERATOR: Welcome, Taylor Pendrith, to the RBC Canadian Open media center. Taylor with an opening 65 today, putting you in a tie for third, obviously a great start in your first round on the PGA TOUR. Tell us what went well for you out there. TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I made a lot of birdies, hit it close a lot, hit it in some good spots off the tee, which left me with short irons in, chip shots a couple times, which gave me a good advantage to just hit it close and capitalize and made the putts, so it was a fun day. THE MODERATOR: It might be your first start on the PGA TOUR, but you're no stranger to high level competition with the Porter Cup win earlier this year playing with Kent State and the Golf Canada amateur team. Did all that kind of competitive experience help you out there today? TAYLOR PENDRITH: Absolutely, yeah. You know, just great coaching from both the coaching staff at Kent State and the national team has given me confidence to play good in high level competitions. Yeah, it's just all the experience, I've played in a bunch of big tournaments, but obviously nothing as big as this, so it feels really good to just get my first round under my belt, and it was a good one. Q. You've had some good showings before this tournament, obviously, but did you surprise yourself today at all with such a good score? TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, a little bit. I was just trying to go out there and play golf and do my own thing and not really worry too much about what was going on around me, but it was kind of hard to do. The first tee obviously, the first hole, I guess, there was a lot going on, and once I got through that, I felt comfortable and just kind of did my own thing. It was a good day out there. Q. Your parents don't play golf because I talked to both of them. Your dad said you could hit the ball by him by the time you were like 14. Where do you get the ability or where does this ability come to hit a ball 365 yards like you did on the 8th hole? And I'll preface this by saying when I last checked you were the longest in the field by 20 yards on average. TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I don't know, I played other sports growing up, played hockey and baseball, and I was just a powerful guy in both of those. I had a pretty hard slapshot and I was a pitcher and threw pretty hard. I don't know, it's just natural, I guess. I'm lucky. Q. What's the longest drive you've ever hit? Is 365 yards a common occurrence? TAYLOR PENDRITH: Sometimes. If it's downwind I can launch it pretty high, and I don't know, it just seems to go. I've hit it farther than that before. Q. You played very aggressively on the front nine, clearly. You hit your driver in places that guys were not normally hitting driver. Is that just aggressive? Is that just the way you play? I mean, going after a 380‑yard green is not typical I wouldn't think? TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I'm a pretty aggressive player. Driver is my best club in my bag.  When I hit it straight, I usually play good, and today I hit it very straight. Some of the holes, like 2, I hit driver there. 8, I hit driver. I'm trying to think, some other holes I hit driver, but yeah, I enjoy hitting driver off the tee because I can control it and it usually leaves me in some good spots, especially on the front nine because it's pretty open where I would drive the ball, so it's an advantage for me, I guess, because I can hit it every hole. Q. Is there anybody in college who can hang with you distance‑wise? TAYLOR PENDRITH: I played with a couple guys who could keep up with me for sure, absolutely. Q. I talked to Adam Svensson and Corey earlier, and they mentioned having the other national team members around this week was great for them, it was helping to build the morale. Do you feel the same way? Would it have been different if you were here by yourself without the other guys, and how was that from a support perspective? TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I mean, it's good. We travel together quite often. Most tournaments there's a couple guys from the national team there, so it's just very comfortable feeling, and I've traveled with Corey for four years. It's pretty comfortable for me to room with him, and having the Golf Canada coaches, Derek and everybody, just if you need some help, he's there to ask, and he'll help you. It's great to travel with the guys and the coach for sure. Q. Is it true you didn't start playing golf until 12 and you didn't play in your first tournament until 15, and if that is true, what finally turned you on to the sport? TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, that is true. I started when I was 12 and didn't really have any aspirations to become a professional golfer or a competitive tournament golfer. But yeah, when I was 15 I played in a smaller junior circuit and started to win and thought maybe I could move it to the next level, and when I was 16 and 17 and started playing more competitive tournaments, then got recruited and went down to school, and then it kind of clicked. The last couple years of school I saw myself being better and better with hard work. Yeah, I can accomplish anything, I guess, if I keep practicing hard. I've had some great coaching support over the years, so that's helped me a lot. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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