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THE PRESIDENTS CUP

October 7, 2015

Matt Kuchar

Songdo IBD, Incheon City, Korea

Q. How do you like the golf course?
MATT KUCHAR: It's very good. It reminds me a lot of Dove Mountain. I've had some good success at Dove Mountain, so I'm excited to be here. The tricky part around here are the greens. You're not going to miss many fairways. They're quite generous fairways. The fairways are soft so it will be hard to miss the fairways. The keys are approach shots and putting.

Q. What type of player does that give an advantage to?
MATT KUCHAR: Well, with the wide fairways, I think you give the long guys an advantage. That being said, that was most of the MO at Dove Mountain, and a couple short hitters did well, myself, Luke Donald have won there. So it's always an advantage to hit the ball far. It's never a disadvantage. But you still got to get the ball in the hole and around these greens. It's important to position yourself in the right spots.

Q. You're pairing with Patrick tomorrow?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah.

Q. How do you guys mesh up?
MATT KUCHAR: Good, we've played the last two days. I was against Patrick on day one in the grouping, and then today paired with him. He's a heck of a competitor. He's a guy that you're certainly glad is on your team. When it comes to him being my partner, he's a guy that I think anybody on the team would be excited to have a guy with his talent and with his passion for these formats on your team. I think he truly rises up. I think these are great formats for him and his game.

Q. How important is it to get off to a good start, because these things tend to be about momentum?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, momentum is big in the game of golf, particularly these events. So you're right. You're right. The U.S. has done a great job and in previous years getting a nice little lead after day one. The fewer matches, it's more important than ever to try to get a lead and pad that lead.

Q. I'm not sure you guys have trailed for a while, Chris; is that right? I don't think you've trailed after any session.
MATT KUCHAR: It's been a while. Yeah, yeah, just maybe not as good coming back.

Q. But he's right, that is the mentality to get out in front?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, both sides will be thinking that. It gives you a great feeling Thursday night and on the rest of the week if you can get off to a good start and keep going. It doesn't seem like it matters, but momentum does. There is something to it. There is some energy, some power there that we've ridden the past few years and we'd like to continue it.

Q. Dad's on the bag, right?
MATT KUCHAR: Lance is on the bag. Dad was, we were supposed to play a father/son at Pine Valley, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Q. You guys are pretty heavily favored on paper. What do you think about that?
MATT KUCHAR: It's hard to say that. You take an international squad of the best players from Australia, South Africa, the Asian continents. They put together a strong squad. I find it hard to believe we're big favorites. They have a good team and a wide base to choose from. So they've got some strong players.

I never think that anybody's truly going to just write this thing off. I think always you're going to have great competition. When I look at the match-ups, it looks like the international squad is strong and got a lot of good players, and it will be a tough match.

Q. You won in China at the World Cup. You traveled to HSBC and traveled to Asia, when you get over here, how important is it to have events like this in Korea and the growth of the TOUR in Asia as well?
MATT KUCHAR: I think having the event here is so exciting. I think it's great for the game. I think it's great for Korea and the Asian countries to see the game, to see the excitement behind the game. I'm excited to be here. When the event was here, I thought that would be cool. This is a place where I think golf is really growing, where people get passionate about the game. So to have an international competition with the stars that are here, I think it's great for the game of golf and the country of Korea.

Q. What are some of your favorite things about this side of the world, whether it's China, Thailand, any of the places you've been?
MATT KUCHAR: So impressed with the city that we're in right now. It's beautiful. It's clean, it's friendly. It's a great park right where our hotel is. There's a lot of very nice things going on in this area. So had some fun that way.

We enjoyed the cuisine. Enjoying some different food going to Korean barbecue, all sorts of things came out. I'm not sure exactly what all there was, but we tried most of it. The short ribs were just fantastic. I think we ordered about four or five additional orders of short ribs they were so good.

Q. Is that because you weren't paying for is it?
MATT KUCHAR: I'm awfully glad I didn't see the bill. But it was so good. It was worth it. Please bring more, please bring more. It was outstanding.

Q. With Phil on the team, he obviously had to be a pick this time. How much does he bring into the room? Because obviously we know what he does on the golf course. But how much does he bring to the room and how important is that scenario, especially when you're overseas playing?
MATT KUCHAR: It's pretty awesome. Right now the veterans, we've got the guys that are the assistant captain's, but to think of the actual players after Phil, I think it goes Zach, and I think Zach has had four, this is to his fourth maybe Presidents Cup. It's great to have a veteran.

It was a shame Furyk is not able to play, because Furyk's one of those guys. But to have a guy like Phil on the team, to have the leadership, the experience and then just Phil being Phil. He's fantastic. There have been many occasions already where he's taken the floor and everybody listens. Just you're excited to have a guy like that on the team. It's amazing his track record to have 21 straight appearances. I think this is his first pick.

Q. Second. First one was when he was younger. He got picked for the Presidents Cup with Jay Haas.
MATT KUCHAR: Okay, but quite a track record. I mean, to do that, he's got a lot of things that are impressive for his pedigree. But that one is really impressive.

Q. I feel like I've seen other players wearing that same bracelet.
MATT KUCHAR: It's from Phil. It was a gift to the team. So it was an awfully nice gesture, and we're all rocking it. It was a gift on I think the Monday night.

Q. So somebody has done that on other teams as well, Ryder Cup?
MATT KUCHAR: No, no. There are certainly a lot of presents that are passed out. The wives do most of the presents to each other, but Phil and Amy got up and presented something. It's a friend of Amy's who does these, and they're big fans of the lady.

Q. What is that?
MATT KUCHAR: Black onyx and some other gems. Ruby, White sapphire, and might be another black onyx, I think. So, yeah, they're cool. I think it's a good friend of Amy's that they think highly of and kind of gave everyone on the team some bracelets.

Q. Going to wear it when you play?
MATT KUCHAR: No, no.

Q. You'll take it off?
MATT KUCHAR: No, don't play in those.

Q. You play with a watch on?
MATT KUCHAR: No.

Q. Everyone's mentioned they've asked through these sessions who the funniest guy on the team is, they point to you. So who is the next funniest? Who keeps you in stitches?
MATT KUCHAR: Bubba's entertaining. He's very, very entertaining. Phil, I very much enjoy chatting with Phil and hearing him. I mean whether it's serious or off the cuff, he's great to be around. He's certainly one of my favorites. The TOUR will be at a big loss whenever he shuts it down.

Q. Any ping-pong matches yet?
MATT KUCHAR: Just with Zach. I feel bad. Zach's caddie came up and said you've got to let him win. It's kind of bad for his confidence. I said I'm not sure I can do that, but I can maybe not play him for the rest of the week.

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