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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 14, 2016

Zach Johnson

Honolulu, Hawaii

Q. Zach, 6-under par. Followed you all day long. You made it look pretty easy. Was it as comfortable as it looked?
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah. It was good. It was what I've kind of envisioned. You know, it's only second week as far as I'm concerned. To me it still feels like a new year. Right? As far as the season goes. I didn't play much in the fall, so I'm encouraged. My short game is really good. Putted nicely. I mean I missed some putts, but you're going to miss some. And I really made some, too.

This place is one that demands everything. You gotta hit fairways. You gotta hit it left, you gotta hit it right, and you got a lot of curves around the course. So it requires your utmost and certainly every piece of your golf bag. But I feel good. I feel like I'm going the right direction. Whether the scorecard is indicative, we'll see for the rest of the week, but I feel great.

Q. You mentioned as we walked over here today that the driver was a little bit of an issue. You're making an equipment change this year, like a lot of players are. How do you feel about it so far and how much more comfortable are you this week than last week?
ZACH JOHNSON: Very comfortable. I was comfortable with it last week, especially my last three days. I hit it awesome. Yeah. It's a PXG driver, and I -- me and one of their reps, good friend of mine, Matt Rollins, we did some nice adjustments to it. And it's really good. If anything, it's different than what I had initially. So I just gotta get used to it. I feel really comfortable with it. It's just a matter of just getting more reps. I mean that's really the bottom line is I need more reps, because when it goes, it goes. And the straight ball is there, and that's fun.

So the more reps, a little more confidence is going to come, but I love it. I love the look of it. I love the way it feels. I'm playing next week as a result. I'm going to get more reps in the desert. I was a late commit, but I'm excited about next week, and we'll see where we can go. But the arsenal is looking good. I feel great about the rest of '16.

Q. Zach, let's talk about it. I thought you played great. I really did. What are your thoughts about the day?
ZACH JOHNSON: No, it was great. Kind of clichÃ© golf for the most part. I mean get the ball in the fairway, stay below the hole, make a few putts, and then when I got off a little bit, because there were some wind shots and some tee shots that kind of messed with you. When I got off a little bit, I missed it in the proper spot for the most part. Barely out of the fairway in the rough. And you can match.

So I feel good. My putter was great today. Had some good looks, hit some solid putts. Getting one early, I think it was on the second or third hole. I hit a good putt on 2. Getting one early on 3 kind of just calmed me down and I could just kind of play. Very encouraged about the rest of the week and certainly the rest of '16.

Q. Talk about your iron play, because I thought you hit some really, really crisp and good iron shots.
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, the iron play was good. You know, with an equipment change you're always kind of thinking about things, but man oh man, it felt pretty effortless and pretty simple for the most part. And I don't want to get overly confident either because the moment that happens the moment this game will bite you in the butt. But I'm really, really encouraged about the direction of the game and the makeup in my golf bag.

You know, the beauty of it is is I've got great partners there with PXG and Titleist, and I'm excited for '16 and certainly what's going to transpire. But I know it's not going to be easy. Got a lot of work to do, and as they say, get in the dirt, and I'm going to go do it.

Q. And now you have the serene conditions tomorrow morning. Shouldn't be a lot of wind, good greens. Should be a nice turnaround for you.
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah. Don't jinx us. Yeah, I saw a little weather. Maybe it's tomorrow afternoon or evening. But yeah, I mean that's ideal, especially when you play decent and you want to get back out there.

There are some good scores this afternoon just like there was in the morning. So hopefully I can get back out there and keep the rhythm. That's probably what it's about and see some putts to drop and we'll go from there. It's been fun playing with K.J. and Jimmy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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