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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 10, 2015

Steve Wheatcroft

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

Q. Share with me what you did through nine holes to turn it around for the back nine here.
STEVE WHEATCROFT: I actually played pretty well on the back nine, my front nine. Just didn't get much out of it. Made a good putt on the 1st hole. Thought it was going to be a good momentum starter, and then I hit it close on a few holes on that side. Just kept leaving putts short. Couldn't get the pace right today, and made a bad swing on 15. Just didn't get it up and down. But I knew I was playing well. I was hitting some good shots and just not getting much out of it. Went to the front and drove it in a divot on 1. I hit a pretty good shot. I thought it was really good. It was kind of a good momentum kick in the butt. Made a good birdie on 2 and just started going from there.

Q. Speaking of playing well, coming in here having missed a few cuts, what was the change in momentum this week?
STEVE WHEATCROFT: That's one way to put it. Yeah, I've been ice cold for about two and a half months. My golf swing just wasn't there. Wasn't playing well. I putted well enough, but it wasn't getting me through. I just needed to make some changes. In Hartford I just hit a wall on the driving range before the first round and started trying some new stuff. Just a couple set up and swing positions to try and compress the ball a little bit more. Didn't feel that bad at Greenbrier and I missed the cut. Just I don't know what was going on. Just didn't play well. This week it's finally starting to come together. I'm hitting my numbers a lot better and compressing the ball a lot better and keeping it in play off the tee.

Q. In terms of the nines here at the TPC Deere Run, which one would you say is the more gettable of the two?
STEVE WHEATCROFT: I thought the back until today. Definitely didn't play that way. I would probably say the back nine. There are a couple good holes out there; 11 you got to get it in the fairway off the tee; 15 is always a good test; 18, if you hit it in the fairway it becomes a birdie hole. Otherwise the rest of the back nine is very gettable. The front side can be if you're getting it in the fairways. If you don't, you can make some big numbers quickly. The par-3s they can make as hard or easy as they want.

Q. Talk about the round. Obviously second nine for you really caught fire.
STEVE WHEATCROFT: Yeah, definitely. Played really well the first nine holes; just didn't get much out of it. Hit it close several times and kept missing and leaving it short, or breaking across the front of the hole. Speeds were just a little bit off. But I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty well. Just scored about as badly as I could score. Went to the front and got a good birdie on 2 to kind of jumpstart it. Hit a great shot on 3 and made the putt. At that point I stopped worry about cut lines and started worrying about chasing the leaders down and just getting it in play. I'm really hitting my wedges and shorter irons pretty solid controlling the numbers pretty well right now. If I can get it in the fairway I usually have a pretty good look. Just hoping to knock some putts in.

Q. Talk about the mentality switch for you. Chasing down the leaders, and now you're one of them before the afternoon guys go off.
STEVE WHEATCROFT: Yeah, I know this is a birdie-fest. Always is. I've always liked birdie-fests. I like, Let's go out and try to make as many as you can. I've done it in the past on the Web.com tour and a little bit out here, so I like those weeks. It's a good mindset for me to be in because I kind of take it one shot at a time. Get it in the middle of the fairway. Once I do, I start attacking flags. Hopefully we got two more good days of it.

Q. Pretty typical of the John Deere to be bunched up like this. Is that okay?
STEVE WHEATCROFT: It's fine. Yeah, I mean, you just know that you have to go out there and hit good golf shots and make birdies. Of you start making bogeys and doubles, you're gonna free fall down the leaderboard quickly. And that's fine. That's the way it should be. That's what birdie-fest is. You're making bogeys and doubles, and everybody else is making birdies and eagles, so you just have to get back into it and try to keep the ball in front of you, keep in the fairways, and you can definitely score out here if you do that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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