|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
VALERO TEXAS OPENMarch 29, 2015Jimmy WalkerSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS DOUG MILNE: Like to welcome the winner of the 2015 Valero Texas Open, Jimmy Walker. Jimmy, congratulations on your 5th career PGA Tour victory. We were back doing some notes, one of the things that stood out, you won your first three by a collective four shots. And your last two by 13. Obviously once you get something in your mind you stick to it these days. Congratulations, I know it was a great week for you. We'll turn it over to you for some comments. JIMMY WALKER: It was a cool week. I got to spend the beginning of the week at the First Tee. We did a little PSA for The First Tee. And that was really cool. And then started the week with a little practice. And did the Pro Am Wednesday, and golf course was in great shape. It played hard. The greens were really firm. You had to be very careful. Just‑‑ to play this well at home in front of everybody, it's amazing. I don't know how else to describe it or I'd be a writer, like you guys. I don't know how to describe it. It's cool. It's like what the Spurs feel like when they win a big game at home. You've got that huge support. And everybody is there for you. And that's kind of how it felt. So it was special. DOUG MILNE: You extend your lead in the FedExCup standings, likely to move, I believe, if I did the math right, inside the top‑10 in the World Rankings. How much confidence does this give you moving forward into next week and then Augusta after that? JIMMY WALKER: Yeah, I feel really good. It's a lot of confidence. I've been working hard. And being home the last two weeks has helped. I needed a little recharge after we played a pretty busy West Coast type of a schedule. Didn't play much in Florida, needed the rest. And I went and worked‑‑ did some good work the last couple of weeks playing golf at home, playing with friends, working on my swing, working on everything, and it paid off this week, which is cool. Q. When did it hit you out there today that you were probably going to win? Was it the walk up the 18th? JIMMY WALKER: It was probably on 18, after I hit my second shot up there. Well, after 17 I felt like it was pretty much over. Jordan, wow, he kept firing right at me. And it was actually really fun and it really showed what he was made of, what I was made of. He was grinding all the way to the end, and so did I. And to be able to answer the shots he was hitting, because he was hitting first, and then to make the putts before he could make them, because I knew he was going to make them. You could see‑‑ when he made that really long putt on the par 5 and then he hit the good shot in the next one and another good shot and another good shot. I knew he was going to birdie coming in. It wasn't safe. I had to keep going. Q. What were you emotions like coming up 18 and getting that ovation and knowing you were going to win? JIMMY WALKER: It was very cool. I laid up and I started to walk up and everybody started to clap. And I kind of slowed down, because I didn't want to interfere with the guys hitting their second shots. But just walking up and having everybody there. It was surreal. I tried to just really soak it in, just let it all soak in. It was cool. Q. You are, I think, 12‑under on the par 5s this week. And these par 5s are statistically the hardest on Tour. Talk about playing the par 5s and making up a lot of shots there. JIMMY WALKER: I drove it well on the par 5s all week and that helps. If I set myself up good off the tee, short game is pretty sharp, so that really helps. 2 is tough to knock it on in two. But I kept getting it right down in front of the green and hit some really good pitches. 8 was downwind most of the time. Took advantage of that. I hit some really good bunker shots out of the bunker there. So that's the key is with length is hitting the fairway, because it's hard. Even 18, I hit two of my best drives on 18 yesterday and today and they didn't hit the fairway, but I was able to hit a good pitch shot out and wedge it up and make the birdie. Q. Did you do anything differently this week since you were home? JIMMY WALKER: Well, I mean your routine is definitely different because you're at home and things are just different. Yeah, we had the Titleist guys on Monday night and they came over and we had some good food. And then had friends over pretty much all week. We were home enjoying the house, and the weather was perfect and we were sitting out on the back porch watching the kids run around like monkeys. It was awesome. But, yeah, a little bit different than sitting in a hotel room. DOUG MILNE: You assembled a bike. JIMMY WALKER: I assembled a bike, that's right. I put a bike together. Just being a dad. Being a dad at home. Putting the kids down and doing everything. Q. What family did you have in town exactly, again? JIMMY WALKER: You know, my parents are here, my brother and his wife came down from Austin. I had relatives from Kansas I hadn't seen in a long time come down. I'm trying to think if I've left anybody out. In‑laws were here. They stayed with us, they've been a huge help getting the kids. They've been great. So it's been a great week. Had a ton of support from everybody, all the family, it's been awesome. Q. What was your mindset going into today knowing you had a sizable lead, not that comfortable, you didn't want to be too conservative or too aggressive, how did you manage? JIMMY WALKER: It's a hard golf course, and four‑shot lead can evaporate pretty fast. You had to really stay on top of what you were doing. It was hard. Everybody was making bogeys. Everybody was making birdies. So nothing really felt safe. Even with five to go, I mean, look what Jordan did. If I don't do that it's a lot closer than I wanted it to be. But, yeah, it was a good fight. It was fun. Q. Can you take us through, I think it was on 8 when you hit the spectator that was wearing the Baylor‑‑ JIMMY WALKER: It was 9. Q. What was the exchange like with that? JIMMY WALKER: I walked up and I said, "Is everybody okay?" And they said, "Oh, you hit a Baylor guy." I said, "Oh, that's why they're there. They're there to help me, Baylor guys." I signed a ball. Looked like it hopped right in the middle of his forehead. He's going to have a little bruise tomorrow. Yeah, it's not fun hitting people. Q. First of all, well down. Could you be going to Augusta in the next tournament in better form with a win under your belt? And also would you give yourself the liberty now with two wins this season to be one of the favorites going into Augusta? JIMMY WALKER: Yeah, I feel good. You definitely wouldn't want to go in not playing well. I feel good. I like the golf course. It's an amazing week. I had a blast last year. They did an incredible job with the golf course, the fans, the membership there, everybody just goes out of your way to make you feel like you're at the most prestigious event there is. Yeah, I'm looking forward to going. I really like it and it's going to be cool. Q. First and foremost, Mr. Walker, congratulations. How did you handle the rough conditions and the really high winds this week? JIMMY WALKER: It was all about controlling the golf ball, keeping it under the wind, riding the wind. You're just trying to find the correct shot to hit to the holes, in the fairway, shaping the ball was huge. I felt like that was a big part of my game this week that was on was working the golfball. Q. Did having a big lead at Pebble Beach help you? Did you learn anything from that that you used today? JIMMY WALKER: Yeah, I mean I had a big lead at Pebble with a bunch to go. And the back nine I was 6 up, kind of like I was here. And I just didn't make any birdies coming down the stretch. I felt like I played okay, I just made a couple of mistakes, and the guys started making birdies. You just have to be careful. No lead is safe. Because you can‑‑ a little bit of doubt creeps in and it can kind of start to snowball on you. But you just have to‑‑ you have to stay patient. And you have to execute and don't rush. I think that's important. I felt like my stroke got a little quick there in about the middle part of the round. The putt I had on 12 for par was not good. And I started to think what was so bad about that. And then I settled into that I was just getting a little too quick on the stroke. And I had this nice long flowing rhythm I felt like all week. And I felt like I'd gotten away from that. And to make that putt on 15 was giant for me, after Jordan made birdie. Q. Has this golf course changed any in the six years it's been here? I know it's hard, but is there anything about it that's gotten any easier or more familiar with players? JIMMY WALKER: I think it's all more familiar for all of us because we've been here more, so that always helps. You get more comfortable over time. They softened some of the greens that were pretty severe. Like that pin on 10 today, you couldn't have used that pin two or three years ago, however long ago it was for the changes, because the right side of that green was way too firm, and it had too much slope, and the balls wouldn't stay on the green for that pin. I think the changes that they made have been good. And you can see more support from the town, more people are out. It's cool. They're doing a great job. DOUG MILNE: Last thing, if you wouldn't mind, Jimmy, three bogeys, five birdies, run us through some clubs and yards and we'll cut you loose. JIMMY WALKER: Yeah, 2 today, good driver, good 3 right in front of the green. Flipped about a 50 yarder in there and made a good putt. The bogey on 4, worst drive of the week, way right. Was lucky to make bogey. The bogey on 7, three‑putt and that's never fun. I hate 3‑putting. 8 was good. I hit a good drive, just ended up left. And then I hit a really cool little 5‑wood shot into the front left bunker, I had a tough bunker shot because I was kind of running the ridge line and I got out just right and it kind of just started to curve down and I ran it down to about six feet and made that. 10, great hole. I hit a great drive. Good 7‑iron, knocked down 7‑iron to about 15 feet below the pin and made that. Another three‑putt on 12. I hate 3‑putting, did I say that? You know, made a couple of pars there, couple of good two‑putt pars. A great par save on 15. I flew it on the back side of that ridge instead of the front side of that ridge and it kicked the ball way over the green and I didn't have a very good lie. And chipped out and made that putt, that was the best putt of the week, I think. Then 16, Jordan flies it and I hit 8‑iron to 15 feet or so and I buried that and that was huge. 17, same thing. He was down there looking to stiff another one, and I hit a wedge shot in there about 15, 16 feet again and made that one again. So that was pretty cool. And 18 was just‑‑ I tried to enjoy the walk. DOUG MILNE: Jimmy Walker, congratulations. JIMMY WALKER: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|