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SONY OPEN IN HAWAIIJanuary 18, 2015Jimmy WalkerHONOLULU, HAWAII THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome 2015 Sony Open in Hawaii champion, our defending champion, Jimmy Walker this week, []nine‑shot victory, that's a tournament record. You also closed with a new 36‑hole record here at the Sony Open. Just talk about what's been a phenomenal week. JIMMY WALKER: Just after Monday I was kind of wondering how things were going to go, but got over it, felt good. Just came in and just continued to do what I did last week, which was hit it really good, and I putted even better this week, I think, than I did last week. I made more longer putts this week than I did last week. Probably hit it closer last week a little bit, but been a great, crazy week. Just doesn't happen very often. Today no bogeys. It was just huge. Didn't want to make one. Grinded all of them out. THE MODERATOR: How special is it to defend a title? JIMMY WALKER: I think it's pretty special. I've never done it before. It's funny, you come off the Web.com Tour and it seems like when you win out there, you don't get to go defend your titles, and this year was the first time I got to defend the Frys, but it was a venue change so it didn't feel like the place that I went back to. But then I like coming here and I've always liked coming back here, and to be able to come back and do it again here it's unreal. Q. I was talking to your wife earlier and she was texting with Butch and Butch said that you learned a lot from the experience on Monday. What was it that you learned and what was your mindset heading into today? JIMMY WALKER: Today, you know, it seemed the win was going to pick up, and it did. It blew a lot harder than it did any other day so it did play more difficult today. The whole thing was about keeping ‑‑ he sent me a text this morning, said, keep the pedal down, keep the pedal down today. You're playing good, so just keep the pedal down. That was kind of the mindset was be smart, be aggressive, make good shots and get some putts to go in. And that's kind of what ended up happening. Q. There was a par putt on 14, I think, that you grinded over more than I've seen anyone grind over a putt with a six‑shot lead. What was the whole thought process finishing it up when everybody else ‑‑ it looked like it was pretty much a done deal. Was there any traces left from last week? JIMMY WALKER: A little bit. I wanted to finish the day, finish the round. I didn't want to give anything back. I didn't want to make a bogey. Andy kept telling me, finish it out, let's make the putt. I chipped it by and he said make it. And I wanted to, and hit a good put and went in the middle. Q. (Indiscernible)? JIMMY WALKER: I did. I did. It's funny, the wind just completely quit on us right there on the tee box, and right as I was hitting it, it just shut off it, and it was a real hard nine and it drew. And I thought the wind would just keep it going straight and I hit it in the bunker and it had plenty of carry on it, but then blasted it out and hit it by the hole. And he said the same thing again when he handed me the ball, he said, don't let up. And I made that one. Q. Speaking of not letting up, did you know what happened to Martin yesterday and did that cross your mind at all? JIMMY WALKER: I did. I saw that this morning. It was on ‑‑ I went downstairs and got coffee and the telecast had just finished up‑‑ I think it had already finished. Started what it happened, and it's a bummer. I walked back up, and I told Aaron, I said, winning is hard. It just really is. You just never know. Q. You talked earlier in the week about being injured here some years ago, and I was curious the particulars on that, what year that was. JIMMY WALKER: It was '05. It was my first event coming off the Web.com Tour in '04 when I played really well. I just had a ‑‑ put me on the round, got diagnosed and just took me long to get that under wraps. Q. How long were out for? JIMMY WALKER: I was out for ‑‑ I only played nine tournaments that year and then took a medical, and then struggled for the next three or four years trying to figure out what was going on. So it took a while. Q. Is this the best tournament of your career? JIMMY WALKER: I would think so. I think that's probably the lowest I've shot. It's not the lowest I've ever shot. I remember shooting 24‑under at a Web.Com event and placing sixth. But out here, yeah, I mean, I played really good. I really did. Putted best I think I've ever putted. Q. First seven holes where you were kind of grinding out pars, how much did the approach on No. 8 kind of kick start you there? JIMMY WALKER: That was nice. I hit a really good drive there. It's a tough wind for me, left‑to‑right wind like that. So that was a tough drive, and I hit a really, nice, hard just like two‑yard cut, way down there and was able to attack that back pin with the wind coming off the left. I hit a nice pitching wedge in there. So that was nice. I felt like up to that point everything was kind of stale and playing hard, and I hit some really good shots on the first three holes, just didn't make a putt and finally got it open and I finally made the putt, made a good birdie on 9, another one on 10, and the putts starting go in after that. Q. You said earlier this week that Patrick kind of snuck up on you on the leaderboard on Monday. Were you paying more attention to what was going on today, and at what point did you kind of, if at any point, did you relax a little bit? JIMMY WALKER: No, I didn't relax. Like I said, I didn't know that he gone birdie‑eagle. I didn't know. Which is no big deal, but I still had a chance to win on the last hole. All I had to do was make four. But today I was watching the leaderboard. I was trying to see what was going on. I knew I was playing with the two guys that were right behind me. I know there were some guys right off the bat. So I was just ‑‑ the par putt, I kind of ran one by on 7 and made that coming back, which that was pretty big. I think that was a big putt, and then capitalized that with three birdies in a row. So it was a nice momentum keeper, changes, whatever you want to call it. Q. When you left here last year and your second win period of time, I think, and then you won a couple weeks later at Pebble Beach, how different do you feel you being here at this time than you did last year at this time? JIMMY WALKER: I haven't had too much time to reflect on that. I'll probably be able to answer that better in a week or two. But today was really cool. I putted really well. Didn't give anything back. I mean that's pretty cool on the last day. It doesn't matter. I mean it was just cool not to make any bogeys. I'm making putts and seeing the lines and hitting good putts, and it feels good. Last year it might have been different because last year was‑‑ you know, I was supposed to win and I won five, and then it's kind of like win again, win again, and then you win Sony. And this year‑‑ I don't know. I mean I knew I was playing good when I got here, and I knew I was playing well last week hitting it good. I had a good session over the holiday and the winter. I felt ready to go. And you don't know how it's going to go. You can just prepare, and I felt like I was prepared and ready to go coming into this week and last week. Q. You said it was kind of surreal out there. What went into your mind and how did you reflect on the last few holes? JIMMY WALKER: It was weird because I've never‑‑ I had a six‑shot lead with about nine to go last year at Pebble Beach. And same kind of deal. It was just like I didn't want to give any back. I wanted to see if I could keep adding to it. And that's kind of what I talked about at the beginning of the week. If I got back to that position, could we really try to extend the lead instead of just hang on. I'm not saying I was hanging on or anything or trying to hang on last week or today. I still was hitting the shots. But made some just putts to really kind of distance us today on ‑‑ made that putt on 12 and the next one on‑‑ I just kept making putts. That's the difference I think. Q. Last year, I remember at Pebble‑‑ you are going to defend at Pebble, I take it, again this year? JIMMY WALKER: Yeah. Q. Where else are you playing before then? JIMMY WALKER: I think San Diego, Pebble, someplace in there. Q. (Indiscernible). JIMMY WALKER: No. I'm going to go home after these two weeks. Q. You mentioned that you didn't let yourself relax too much, but on the 18th hole you were probably relaxing a little bit. As much as you were in the zone, I'm curious as to whether you heard a child that might have been related to you crying on the course, and I'm wondering as you line up your putt if that hit you and registered, wow, this is pretty cool, my child is here crying and who cares, I'm about to win. JIMMY WALKER: I could see when I got up to the green, I could see back there, and it was pretty cool. It was a cool moment to have your boys run out on the green. I remember looking at the pictures from last year, and it was just pretty cool, it was just a cool feeling having your family there, your wife and your boys, and everybody getting to experience that, and I heard him crying back there. I was like, almost, buddy. I'm almost done. Q. Just wondered like after having a career that maybe you're a little bit under appreciated, you've had all these wins, you had a great Ryder Cup performance. How does it feel to be one of the best players in the world? There's no doubt about it right now, so how does it feel? JIMMY WALKER: I feel like all the hard work I've been doing is paying off. I work hard. I put in the time. I feel like I've got good people around me, and I think that's really made the difference. They've helped me believe that I can be better than I am. It feels good. It feels good to take them out and to play well at these first two events, and I really look forward to teeing up to San Diego and playing the rest of the West Coast. Q. Understanding a win is a win. Were you around when Tiger was winning by seven or eight at various tournaments, what Martin did at Pinehurst last year. In what way does that impress you? Does that make winning even more different? JIMMY WALKER: Yeah. It's impressive, especially, you know, the big events when you really start to distance yourself. It's hard to put into words. Watching Jordan do it a couple of months ago at the Hero. How many did he end up winning it by? 10? You watch that, and you go, man, that guy is on another planet that week. And that's kind of the way it feels when you watch those performances and you see them, like, man, what golf course is that guy playing this week kind of thing. And to be able to say that you've done that and you've distanced yourself like that, it's really cool. I think it's a good learning experience and definitely happy to keep the pedal down today. Q. (Indiscernible)? JIMMY WALKER: I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think so. Just that it was a hard day. I thought it was blowing. I thought it played as hard as it did any other day this week. It was fun. Fun to play. Q. (Indiscernible). JIMMY WALKER: I'm not into astrology. Q. What will you do with these two weeks? Any preparation or will you kind of just relax? JIMMY WALKER: I'm going to go home. I've actually got a guy flying in, he's going to help me set up my telescope at my house. I've got a building built now, and he's coming in to help me set it all up. He'll be there tomorrow night. I'm pumped. I'm so excited to go back and get this thing set up. Q. So you built a building‑‑ JIMMY WALKER: I did. I build a small house. It's 11 and a half by 15 and a half. It looks just like my house. It's stone, stucco, red windows, red door, all that stuff. And it's got a roof wood‑shake roof that slides on and off on a track and a roller. And it's going to be completely automated. I'll be able to do it from the road, anywhere. I'll be able to do it from here. So I'm looking forward to getting it set up. Q. (Indiscernible). JIMMY WALKER: New Mexico, yeah. Still shooting there. We'll see how this goes at home. Q. I apologize for how dumb this question is. But the better you get, do you have to hear less references to Jimmy "Good Times" Walker? I mean people out there, you know, "Dynamite" after you hit a good shot? JIMMY WALKER: It's fine. If that's happening, good things are happening. So I have no problem with that. Q. (Indiscernible). JIMMY WALKER: I mean obviously this is very gratifying, and you have to have something else I think that you're into to have an identity to outside of what we do in your professional life, and I feel like I've got that. You've just gotta take it all in. I feel like I'm very good at doing the astronomy stuff and I'm good at doing the golf stuff and you have to take it all in and enjoy it and enjoy the good times. Like today, just really tried to soak it all in, try not to wish the round away, like man, I want to get this over with, don't stand out there on 15, let's go in, I want to get in and get this done. I was really trying to soak it all in. THE MODERATOR: Anything else? FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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