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THE PRESIDENTS CUP

October 10, 2015

Songdo IBD, Incheon City, Korea

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, thanks for joining us. We'll start with some opening comments from each one of you, and then we'll go into Q&A. We'll start with Zach Johnson.

ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, it was a good day for Phil and I. I thought a couple of things happened for us this morning, extremely advantageous in this sort of tournament. Granted, we are the two oldest guys on the team, so maybe that was part of the strategy.

I think we played okay today. We were given some gifts. Probably we did get a gift but sometimes that's what it takes in this format. But we fought to the end. And there's a lot of positives the last three days with Phil and I. I don't think our best golf was out there but certainly it was good enough.

PATRICK REED: It seemed like this week, I've played really well but unfortunately wasn't able to beat Oosthuizen and Grace. When they told me I was playing with Jordan in best-ball, gave me a little more confidence just because I knew how well we've played together and how well we did at Ryder Cup.

Played okay this afternoon. Kind of had a couple loose shots here and there but whenever I was out of a hole, he was able to pick me up. And on some holes I was able to help out. For some reason, we're a good ham-and-egg team and we seem to get the job done.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, today, this morning, was a very exciting match. I felt that we really hung in there. The day before, we were two or three back at the your Honor, and we were pretty down on ourselves.

We weren't playing very well in best-ball, and today in alternate-shot, when we were 3-down at the turn, it was a different feeling walking across that putting green going to 10. We were both talking to each other, that we're playing good; if we can keep it together, get a couple more birdies on this back nine, they won't keep it going. They were 4-under on their own ball in alternate-shot format, so they were playing fantastic golf.

We just hung in there. They made a couple mistakes and we took advantage of it. Finally when we needed to pounce, 1-down with two to go, what an incredible 6-iron he hit into 17 and knocked the putt in off the left edge and then they made a big mistake on 18, which is the only mistake really they made the whole day.

They had a bad swing or two, but I think they were trying to do a little bit -- Charl was trying to do a little bit too much in the bunker and maybe hit it a little bit thin.

I had been told earlier on that I was going to team up with my ex-girlfriend here, Patrick, who I had split up with for a little bit (laughter) I knew that maybe we could get things back on track, and the first couple holes, we couldn't get it to go. And boy, we rattled off a lot of putts. I think we were 9- or 10-under as a group; in this best-ball format, with no bogeys, whenever I made a mistake, he was there; and when he did, I was there.

That earlier match this morning was unlike any one that I've ever been a part of where you're down that late and to be able to come back; and then this afternoon was just a lot of fun.

Q. Can you talk about, we didn't see much of Jordan's afternoon round, but can you talk about how he finished the morning, and I think he made eight birdies this afternoon.
ZACH JOHNSON: I'm sorry, you want me to talk about his round?

Q. Just an assessment of Jordan's day.
ZACH JOHNSON: I didn't see his second round obviously.

Well done, Jordan. (Laughter).

I think I was putting when you and DJ made the turn. Did you rub Phil's belly?

JORDAN SPIETH: No.

ZACH JOHNSON: That was the other group.

But I remember DJ and Jordan were walking off the green on 9, like, we're really not playing that bad. Just they are 3- or 4-under at the time. But I could see it: Both of them, looked like they were still positive, and sounds like they went out and won a few holes and got some momentum. Obviously pulled it in down the stretch.

The only thing I saw, I was warming up and I went over to 10 tee box and watched them come down 18, and they both had to lay up. Well, you guys had to lay up -- beside the point. I saw Dustin's first putt, and we saw that putt two or three times prior to that and knew how fast it was. I think even Jordan said, it's all speed, it's downwind, and I don't know if you can get it within three or four feet.

But a clutch six-and-a-half-, seven-footer, whatever it is, by one of our horses, if you will, or one of our main guys, is huge. To win a point, and not just to win a point, that's big and there's not a guy on our team you'd rather pick to do it.

Clearly led into momentum in the second match with Reed over there. Those guys are great together. I don't know why, but they are (laughter). Other than the fact that they must feed off each other. I really don't know why.

And you played Schwartzel today?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah.

ZACH JOHNSON: Both of them were playing well, too. They steamrolled, too. That was nice to see. It's nice having one of your, I would say, horses, play well late in the tournament, like you guys did on this day, for sure.

You're welcome, Jordan.

Do you have a follow-up?

Q. Talk about playing with Phil, and just wondering, did he say anything to you about wanting to make a point today? Obviously you want to win a match, but also wanting to make a point about --
ZACH JOHNSON: You know, his words, prior to playing, were very simple and straightforward. He's like, "We've got to be at our best." You know, he's like, "They are going to come after us." Regardless of who it was; we didn't know at this time.

He said, "You know, I might have said some things and they might be a little more anxious to get me. I want you by my said."

I said, "I'm right here." But that's Phil, that's the beauty of him; that's what we like; and he's our leader; Jimmy, too, when he's playing, those two guys.

I had an absolute blast the last three days. I've always wanted to play with him in a team event. We've talked about it, I don't know how many years it's been, because we've played a number of practice rounds and whatnot together. We feel like even though we are not the same person, we feel like we could team up well together. I think we will, hopefully, have the opportunity again, and it will be better the next time. I'm excited.

Q. Can you talk about finishing the last hole in the dark, how dark was it and how dark was it?
ZACH JOHNSON: Seriously (dark).

JORDAN SPIETH: It was comparable or even darker than Tiger's event last year. I don't know if you remember that at Isleworth. But certainly, and I was playing with him and he 3-putted.

ZACH JOHNSON: Bogey, double.

JORDAN SPIETH: Bogey, double finish. Gave me a little cushion.

ZACH JOHNSON: You're welcome.

JORDAN SPIETH: It was extremely dark. I would call it unplayable. I don't think it was necessarily a good idea for either one of our teams to tee off on 15, but when you wake up at 5:10 and you're there at 7:00 and you don't want to get back up at 5:00 am the next day, part of us -- if it was a tied match, we would not have played the 16th hole. It was too dark.

On 15 -- well, I had a putt on 15. I didn't think we were going to go to 16, so I had a putt on 15, which I thought obviously to close out the match but more importantly not to have to come back the next day in the morning.

And couldn't really read it. Patrick told me it broke pretty hard to the left. I didn't really believe that. I thought it was about right edge. (Laughter) So I pushed it and pushed it, and so right away, I said, "Dang it, Jordan," and started walking and it happened to lip off the right edge; and so perfect read by him and almost went in.

And when that's the case, when you're trying to go off of the shining screens that are covering the green, that's when you know it's probably a bit too dark. But they offered to play the next and we said, it's probably our advantage if we can just get a ball on the green and par, they probably won't birdie in the dark.

And honestly, Charl, both of us, may make our putts if it's light out, but I'm glad he chose to finish instead of waiting.

Q. First one-point lead in the history of matches?
ZACH JOHNSON: Does it feel like a one point lead considering what? The last three days.

Q. The last several years of this.
ZACH JOHNSON: Oh, I got what you're saying. Well, the format changed. To me, it kind of feels like we're losing just because of what's gone on the last two days. But our first day was substantial. That was a big day, a lot of positives.

So yeah, I mean, you knew it was going to be tight going into Sunday regardless of what happened and you knew the tournament was not going to be over until the singles, because that's really what it comes down to in this kind of format; specifically, with the changes.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you, gentlemen.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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