	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

November 6, 2015

Kevin Kisner

Shanghai, China

Q. No clever question. What do you think then of 14-under at halfway?
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah, it's beyond my expectations. I had no expectations coming in. So it's been good. I'm making a lot of putts and that's fun keeping the round going when I miss a green. Looking forward to the weekend.

Q. You said about a backache coming into this, as well, which presumably reduced those expectations, so even better somehow.
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah, it probably lowers your expectations and you play better. So probably something to learn from that.

Yeah, I was feeling okay. I'm getting by. Just looking forward to the weekend.

Q. Plenty of guys have said how much more of a struggle it's been because the wind's been up that little bit. You didn't struggle.
KEVIN KISNER: Well, it's tough to get it in the fairway. Every hole seems to be a crosswind, especially on that back nine. Trying to get the angle of the fairway with the crosswind is difficult and the rough up, but when I missed them, I made par and when I hit them I made some birdies. Hopefully keep that game plan going this weekend.

Q. And certainly your experience across the course of this year presumably it won't mean any change over the weekend?
KEVIN KISNER: No, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and I'll look up on the back nine on Sunday and see how we're doing.

Q. Do you look at leaderboards as you go along?
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah, absolutely, I check them. It's hard not to. They are everywhere. I like to know how I'm doing and that doesn't change the way I look at things too much until it comes down to the final holes.

Q. You were looking forward to going into the city and seeing a bit but you had a change of plans I gather?
KEVIN KISNER: I had to check out the caddie awards, and it was hilarious and I enjoyed the evening.

Q. Expand on that. How was it, just seeing what the caddies were up to for a change and them in the spotlight?
KEVIN KISNER: I loved it. I have to get back to this tournament every year just so I can watch that. That's been the highlight so far, laughing at all those guys. I love hanging out with them. They are always fun and keep it light, so that's kind of who I like to hang out with.

Q. The relationship between you and the man on your bag, that's good?
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah, we've been together seven years. He's seen all the good and the bad, and he's stuck with me. So hopefully we can have a lot more good.

Q. Two days, bogey-free, how do you feel about this?
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah, I made a couple long putts for par today to keep the no bogey streak going. I'm sure I'll run into some problems sooner or later. I just hope I can keep holing those putts for par and keep the pedal down. It's going to take a lot more birdies this week to win and that's my game plan.

Q. How about being at the top of the leaderboard?
KEVIN KISNER: I looked at them all day and saw I was playing well. There's no lead big enough, so I keep trying to build on that.

Q. In the weekend, what will you target?
KEVIN KISNER: I don't know if I'll put a score out there, but I'll just keep trying to make birdies and look up on Sunday and see if I have a chance.

Q. What were the par putts?
KEVIN KISNER: I made a 20-footer on 4 and about a 12-footer on 15.

Q. The way you started off yesterday --
KEVIN KISNER: A struggle. Kept the round together.

Q. Did you have inkling that it's going to change up like that?
KEVIN KISNER: No, just trying to finish 72 holes when I started that. Wasn't sure I was going to be able to do that. It looked ugly there early but once you get going and get the adrenaline rolling, it came around a little bit.

Q. Your putting has been spot-on?
KEVIN KISNER: For some reason, the greens, I can read them really well and hit my starting lines. It's just one of those deals, like I told these guys yesterday, on every tee shot, I could kind of see where I needed to go, and the greens, when I walk up, I can almost read the putt. That's been good so far and hopefully it keeps going.

Q. One more thing I wanted to ask you, yesterday going up to the 8th hole, you actually didn't know your way. You asked the other guys, which I way I have to go. You haven't had a practise round?
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah, I didn't play. Yesterday was my first round. Sometimes it's good. Don't know where all the bad stuff is.

Q. But you did today.
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah.

Q. And you still avoided it.
KEVIN KISNER: Yeah.

Q. Obviously two rounds of playing so well in a place you've never seen in a World Golf Championships --
KEVIN KISNER: It's just golf, man, same old. Doesn't matter if it was here or wherever. Still get the ball in the hole as fast as you can.

Q. Does it feel different, a World Golf Championships, than a normal Tour event?
KEVIN KISNER: No, it's still slow. Still waiting on everyone to finish. No, it doesn't really feel any different.

Q. I'm sure at Palmetto there's no waiting.
KEVIN KISNER: No, you play in over two hours, we're going to go around you.

Q. How do you feel back-wise?
KEVIN KISNER: It was a little tough coming in, but I'll get some treatment. It's better this morning than it's been all week.

Q. How was it yesterday?
KEVIN KISNER: It didn't get worse during the round yesterday but I didn't take any medicine today. But we were out there so long, I don't know if that had something to do with it, standing around instead of moving.

Q. Do you ever know when you're going to play good?
KEVIN KISNER: No. I mean, I know the courses that I should play well on, and this one kind of fits that criteria.

When I can get to the par 5s in two like everybody else, then I can play. When everybody else is hitting irons on the par 5s and I'm laying up, it seems to not work out my way.

Q. With the back issue, are you concerned, the forecast every day seems to be rain and I don't know about the temperature necessarily, but are you much of a mudder in this kind of situation with your back?
KEVIN KISNER: It's not like an injury where it's going to get worse. It's just dealing with the pain, and it's gotten better every day, so hopefully this weekend it will be perfect.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297