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TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIPJune 27, 2015Patrick RodgersCROMWELL, CONNECTICUT Q. I'm joined by Patrick Rodgers. You make the cut on the first group out today, and proving the cliché is true, moving day, you shoot 63? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, it was great to have a nice clean card there. I think the last time I talked with you there was a lot of red, but there was also a lot of blue or black. So it's nice to see a clean card there and took advantage of great conditions this morning. Q. When you go out and you're first out and you've just made the cut on the number, were you just in pure attack mode and really trying to make a score today? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, absolutely. My strategy changes a little bit from the first couple days to the weekend. Obviously making the cut on the number and having nothing to lose but go out and be aggressive, I hit a few more drivers today and just tried to play as free as I could. Q. You mentioned the last time we talked at Memorial you helped make a nice par save to get your temporary membership out here on the PGA TOUR. How nice is it to know you have some status out here and you can plan a schedule and play? PATRICK RODGERS: Absolutely, it gives me a clear head. I feel like I belong out here. I've never lacked the confidence that I can play out here, but it's nice to know that I have some opportunities down the road. I think it's freed me up a little bit and I'm trying to play the best golf that I can. Q. You're one of those guys that was playing in college a short time ago at Stanford and you've just come out. What is it about all these young guns now? You guys come out and light it up every week. Do you feel like the schedule that you guys played in college helps you out here? PATRICK RODGERS: Absolutely. I think college golf and amateur golf is in a really great place right now. We play a lot of tremendous TOUR quality golf courses in college golf and get some great fields. You see your buddies who turn professional before you come out and have a lot of success, that's huge. It gives us a lot of confidence that we can do the same thing. Q. They call Saturday moving day. 63 will do it. PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, it was nice. A nice clean card out there which had been something I've been struggling with. The last couple events I played some great front nines and I've been in position to play some great rounds and just hadn't finished it off, and it was nice to play a strong back nine there. Q. Well, you got it going some yesterday. You got to 5-under par and didn't close so well. Was there a key to the change in the form today? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, I made sure to eat better. Just making /SH-R that I've got all the nutrition that I need. But just trying to stay aggressive and keep that aggressive mindset. Obviously I knew if I played a good round I'd see my name on the board, but I have a long way to go, so I need to keep staying aggressive. Q. Speak to the course conditions this morning. Overcast, soft, cold, easy? PATRICK RODGERS: The conditions were perfect. As much as I don't like making cut on the number, I really liked playing the first off. It was obviously really nice. The greens are perfect, and I can play quick, which I like to. It was really, really great conditions for scoring this morning. Q. Patrick Rodgers, you make the cut on the number, nice little 63, and you find yourself at the top of the leaderboard. What clicked for you today? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, I had been playing some good golf, like I said earlier. I've been playing some really good front nines and not quite finishing the deal. So it was nice to stay aggressive and stay confident there on the back side and post a really good one. Q. Thing that jumps out on the stats page is the putting. Seemed like the flat stick finally started to get going. What were the adjustments you made? PATRICK RODGERS: I had some nice fresh greens this morning. When no one's walking in front of you, it's really nice. So I saw the lines really well, and it's nice to see a few go in. Q. What a difference a year can make. This time last year you and I were doing a nice little Google Hangout making your TOUR debut here at the Travelers Championship. Now you have special temporary membership on the PGA TOUR. How much have things changed for you? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, it's crazy to think back to last year and just the different things I was worried about and the inexperience that I had. I feel like a much more mature player, and I feel much more comfortable being out here. I'm sure it will continue to change as my career goes on, but I definitely feel very comfortable out here right now. Q. First group out, perfect conditions. What was working so well? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, it was nice. There was no wind for most of my round. The greens were perfect and we could play to a nice swift pace, which I like to. Q. 2-under coming in to today, what's it like firing a 63? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, it's great. Obviously being out there early this morning and being the first off and having fresh greens and no wind definitely helps. But I tried my best to have a really aggressive mindset. The only place I could go was up, and I tried to make as many birdies as I could. Q. When you looked at the weather forecast, did you see it might be windy, rainy this afternoon? Did you think going in, especially after putting up a couple birdies and going into the back nine, that if you made some shots here you could stick up there near the top? PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, absolutely. But I knew what conditions I would have, and I was trying to make the most of those. So whether it's beneficial for me or not, that doesn't really make a difference. I was trying to play the best round that I could, and I had ideal scoring conditions out there today. It was great. I'm happy to take advantage of it. Q. Can you talk about 18? You hit it into the rough. PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, I hit a really bad drive, a little low quack hook, but caught a decent lie. If there's any pin you can hit into the rough, it's probably that one. I was lucky to skip it towards the back of the green. Felt great with the putter all day, and it was nice to see one go in there on 18. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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