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NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

September 25, 2015

Sam Saunders

Columbus, Ohio

Q. How were conditions compared to yesterday? Looked pretty similar.
SAM SAUNDERS: Pretty similar. Not quite as much breeze as I played in the afternoon yesterday, but that's to be expected. Greens are holding steady with their firmness. Weren't crazy firm today, but pretty slick. They're still rolling out really well on the putts. The pin placements today were very challenging, I thought.

So many of these holes you're coming into with -- whether it's a 6-, 7-ironm and the par-3s you're coming in with 3-irons or hybrids even sometimes.

These pins are tucked in the corners, so it really is a test of discipline out there. I am not even looking at some flags. On many holes today I made a conscious effort not to ever let my eyes go towards the flag.

I picked out a tree in the background that was in the middle of the green or whatever sections I wanted to go, and made sure that is where I hit it.

Q. How is your health? Talk us through that.
SAM SAUNDERS: Yeah, it's good. It's getting better, but any severe concussion or any concussion - mine being quite severe actually - it takes time. It's months before you really are okay.

I took a week off, got plenty of rest, but I made the mistake of trying it work out one morning. Something I normally -- just a normal workout I do. I was up sick all night.

So you think you're okay, and you just got to take it easy. That's what they told me, but it's hard to know when is the time to get back to normal.

As far as my golf is concerned, doesn't have much of a negative effect at all. If anything, it helped me have a good attitude out there and just be appreciative to be out here playing. In some ways, I see positives in it.

Q. You've talked about it, I'm sure. What happened? Walk us through it.
SAM SAUNDERS: Yeah, I was on -- it's called a -- it's like a hover board actually. It has wheels on it, but looks like you're hovering. I was riding on that and unfortunately I was super dehydrated or something and passed out, fell, hit my head pretty hard, and was knocked unconscious.

Then the effects of that were skull fracture, brain bleed, two nights in the ICU. Again, I would like to reiterate how lucky I really am, because this could have been a lot worse. Many people who have the same injury, epidural hematoma, it's a lot worse. It can change your personality. You spend months in the hospital.

But other than no sense of smell, lost my sense of smell and taste. Hopefully that will come back because I really love eating. That's weird, to not smell and taste much. I think it'll all come back though.

Like I said, as far as my golf is concerned, doesn't have too much of a negative effect.

Q. What is it with grandkids or Legends? Nicklaus' kid, the grandkid went off the two wheeler, the motorcycle. Remember that?
SAM SAUNDERS: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Two different accidents. Messed up pretty bad. Jack's grandson and now Arnie's.
SAM SAUNDERS: Yeah, it could happen to anybody at any time. It's just a freak accident. Things like that happen. You can't not live life no matter what you do, but I certainly try to be careful in all the things I do.

This was something that was kind of unavoidable. Well, not unavoidable, but it wasn't that I was doing something stupid. It was just an unfortunate accident.

Q. Are you a thrill seeker? I'm too old to know about these things.
SAM SAUNDERS: A little bit. Before I had two kids, yes, I absolutely was. I did a lot of crazy things in sports, but now with two kids -- I mean, I still ski, snowboard, mountain bike, hike. I enjoy doing other sports.

But with the kids now, no, I'm not doing cliff diving. I think about things a little bit better now before I do 'em.

Q. You're golfing. That may be the most difficult of them all.
SAM SAUNDERS: I was going to say, golf, you get hit in the head with a golf ball, I mean, there is nothing...

Q. Who found you? Did your head hit pavement?
SAM SAUNDERS: Yeah. My wife was with me with some other people.

Q. How is your health and strength on the course now compared to two weeks ago?
SAM SAUNDERS: Yeah, I haven't been able to work out at all. I don't lift a ton of weights anyway in the course of my regular exercise.

I'm starting to get pretty much back to normal. Hitting the ball a little further, but I don't hit it that far; don't try to. Just try to hit it straight and in the correct spots.

That's far more important than hitting it really long this week. Although it helps; always does. Yeah, I'm starting to walk faster and feel like I have closer to full energy out there.

Q. Did you play last week at all?
SAM SAUNDERS: No, I didn't touch a club until Thursday or Friday. I chip and putt in the backyard. Got a chipping putting green back there that I work on.

Try to keep that part of my game sharp all the time. That's the most important part to me. But then on the weekend I went out and hit some balls and played a few holes.

Q. What was the work out you were doing when you got sick?
SAM SAUNDERS: Hot yoga. That's what I do. Because I had a back injury a couple years ago, that's kind of my -- that'll be my long-time, go-to exercise and work out for me to have a good long, healthy career. I enjoy doing it and it's really, really good for you.

Helps makes you stronger and more flexible obviously. Yeah, I think my blood pressure got up a little too high for what I had been going through.

Q. So you can't taste...
SAM SAUNDERS: Not much. I taste a little bit, but smell is a 1000% gone, which is weird. It's a weird deal.

Q. They kind of working together.
SAM SAUNDERS: They do, they do. I think my smell has been gone long enough now that it's started to affect my taste.

Q. What did you miss the most? What smelled and tasted good to you?
SAM SAUNDERS: Cup of coffee in the morning smelled good, and a cold beer after a round of golf tasted the best. It makes me a little sad to not enjoy that right now.

Q. Have they told you when it might come back?
SAM SAUNDERS: When the swelling of the brain goes back away. So, yeah. We'll see.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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