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FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN

January 30, 2016

Scott Brown

San Diego, California

DOUG MILNE: All right, we would like to welcome Scott Brown to the interview room at the Farmers Insurance Open. Thanks for joining us. 2-under 70 today, not real easy out there for you guys today. But nonetheless, you find yourself right at the top of the leaderboard and in great position heading into the final round tomorrow. So just a few thoughts on conditions today and how you're feeling.

SCOTT BROWN: Conditions were pretty tough. Wind was blowing around a little bit out there today. I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm driving it well on the South Course. The North Course was tough. I struggled a little bit driving it there.

But over here on the South Course, I've had some success with the tee ball and for me, that's what I got to do. I got to get it in play and I don't have many wedges into these greens, so it's the only chance I got to have some birdie looks.

DOUG MILNE: Questions?

Q. Did you have any wedges at all into a par-4 today for your second shot.
SCOTT BROWN: Not that I can remember.

Q. I'm trying to challenge you a little bit.
SCOTT BROWN: I'm thinking. No, I don't think I did -- No. 2. Second hole of the day. Second hole of the day I did, yeah, I had a wedge in.

Q. It is what it is and you got what you've got. But is it hard for you to just kind of realize that and not get spooked by anything around you? Like Martin Laird today, who hits it to the moon and back and that.
SCOTT BROWN: Yeah, it's a huge advantage here. If you look at the guys who have won here in the past, length is a huge advantage.

But with that being said, if you can hit fairways -- I'm not the shortest guy in the field, I'm poking it out there okay, so I do, I'm not hitting long irons into them, I do have some 8-irons and 9-irons and 7s. So, if I drive it really good, I can still get it in there fairly close with some of those shots.

Q. What are your thoughts when you think about tomorrow's forecast?
SCOTT BROWN: I think it's going to be really tough. I mean, I think it's -- from what they're predicting it sounds like it's going to be brutal. I think even par is a really good score tomorrow from the way the course has been playing so far. You would have to think even par is a really good score.

But you just go out there -- I think it's going to be a grind for everybody all day. And there are a lot of guys that are in the mix right now. So, hopefully I can shoot another good score tomorrow.

Q. Have you played in -- what's the worst conditions you've played in before?
SCOTT BROWN: About like that. A few years ago, my last year on the WEB.COM TOUR Championship, the winds were 25 to 35 on the last day. Or next to last day. I played fairly well. I enjoy the grind of it. So, I kind of like conditions to be tough. But, and I like tough golf courses. And I think we're going to have both tomorrow. I think it's just about staying patient out there. You're going to make bogeys, just hopefully you can make a few birdies to outrun them.

Q. Is the wind almost as much a concern as the rain out here?
SCOTT BROWN: Yeah, I think I would rather play in the rain out here than the wind. This course is hard enough as it is to get in the fairway. And blowing that hard, you're going to have to take some lines aiming in some of these hazards to get it to stay in the fairway. It's going to be tough.

Q. What's the scariest line out there, do you think?
SCOTT BROWN: Ooh, you know, 17, if the wind was blowing off the left it would be pretty tough, because you would have to start it over the ditch there. There are quite a few.

Obviously, 12 is an extremely difficult hole. You've got to get the ball in the fairway. It doesn't matter who you are in the field, with that one, I mean it's the rough is thick on that hole and it's long. It's just hard to hit it in the fairway as it is and blowing 25 to 35, it will be really difficult.

Q. 4 also?
SCOTT BROWN: Definitely 4. Definitely 4. Especially if it was off the left.

Q. Does every PGA TOUR win feel the same or does it mean more to do it on a U.S. Open track like this?
SCOTT BROWN: Oh, I think, I mean, obviously it's special to do it at any event we have. But the history behind this golf course, it would be pretty cool to win here.

Q. On 18 were you kind of overcompensating when you wound up in the trap or was that the wind factor?
SCOTT BROWN: On the second shot?

Q. Yes.
SCOTT BROWN: I actually hit -- that was probably my best shot of the day. I was aiming like right at the right corner of the green right there, and it was just a little right of the flag with -- it looked like the last 50 yards and then it just fell to the right and bounced in the bunker. It was a good swing, it was just, it was one of those bounces that just didn't bounce my way on that one.

Q. First of all, what do you think of the band playing now?
SCOTT BROWN: It's nice. It's reggae, I think.

(Laughter.)

Q. What was it like coming out here, coming off of a birth of a child? Did it put you a little bit at peace at all or did that play a role this week?
SCOTT BROWN: Yeah, it did last time. I mean, when my last child was born I had two Top-5's back to back. I don't know what it is about it. It seems like it sure does happen to a lot of guys. I just think that you're just okay with how the cookie crumbles. I just -- there's no pressure.

And, but, with that being said, I worked really hard this off season with my coach, John Tillery and my short game coach, Tim. And we kind of fine tuned some things that needed to be done.

So, with that being said, I worked really hard, so I was seeing some good results at home before I left to come out this way. Last week was a little bit of a whirlwind, obviously. I played -- I got in late or real early Thursday morning, late Wednesday night, and Wednesday was kind of a blow for me, so. But I was playing good when I left home.

Q. What was your biggest deficiency that you had to work on, do you think?
SCOTT BROWN: I've always kind of had an inside move across the line on my back swing and we worked pretty hard on this off season, kind of the latter part of last year really we started when I kind of locked up my card, we could kind of start working on it a little bit. When I have that move, I kind of have a draw or the shot would turnover more than I like. So by getting it more pointed down the line at the top I'm seeing a lot straighter ball flights and not as much curvature.

Q. When it comes to surviving really bad weather, how much of that comes down to technique and the physical aspect of the game, and how much of it is just mental toughness?
SCOTT BROWN: I think it's more mental than anything. I think that you just got to accept that you're going to get a lot of bad breaks, and you're probably going to hit some shots that end up being good when the wind is like that that didn't take off the way you wanted to. It all works out both ways. You're going to hit some good shots and just don't end up very good and you're going to hit some bad shots that end up pretty good. So, but it's more mental than anything, I would say.

Q. Girl, right?
SCOTT BROWN: Two girls.

Q. And when was she born?
SCOTT BROWN: The last one? Last Tuesday. So what was that the 19th.

Q. Is it hard to leave home?
SCOTT BROWN: Was it hard to leave home? It was. It's always hard to leave home. But because they're usually with me full-time out here. So, it was hard but my wife's awesome and she told me, you know, I need to go play, so that's what I did.

Q. Being close with Kisner, and the success he's had, has that done anything for you, seeing him win?
SCOTT BROWN: Yeah, I'm really tired of him beating me, to be honest. No, I mean obviously seeing his success is awesome. We play together pretty much every day when we're at home. And we push each other. We needle each other quite a bit. To see him have that success, for sure, it makes you feel like you can do the same.

Q. With the way Spieth has risen, do you get a kick out of the fact that you beat him in Puerto Rico?
SCOTT BROWN: No, well, I mean it was pretty cool, but he was raw then. I mean, he's done a little more. I would rather have his record.

(Laughter.

Q. He was just a teenager, right?
SCOTT BROWN: Yeah, he was just a teenager then.

DOUG MILNE: All right. Scott, we appreciate you coming in and best of luck surviving out there tomorrow in these conditions.

SCOTT BROWN: All right. Thanks, guys.

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