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FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN

January 31, 2016

Brandt Snedeker

San Diego, California

Q. Talk about the conditions first. Can you recall playing in anything like this?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I said, I told you earlier, it's the truth, it's like playing a British Open on a U.S. Open setup. This course is so tough, it's blowing 25 miles an hour, gusting out there and windy and rainy conditions, it's really tough.

I wish I could say why I shot what I shot today, it was one of those days where you throw everything out of your mind and go play golf and grind and as best as you possibly could.

Q. You came into 18 with a chip shot. Didn't come off exactly how you thought. What, in your opinion, went wrong?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I had one of those lies going against you and it was really wet and I thought it was going to come out really soft. So I wanted to be aggressive because I knew it was into the wind. I knew it was not as fast going down to that pin as I thought. So I wanted to make sure I got it down there near the pin. It came out a little hotter than I thought and I'm going to be second guessing myself for the next couple hours over that chip shot and that putt. I hope it doesn't end up costing me, I have a bad feeling it might.

To shoot 69 on a day like today, I knew I had to have a forecast like this to have a chance. To be five back or whatever I was, eight back, starting the day, and to have a chance, it was a pretty good seat to be in. But that chip shot will probably be weighing on my mind for the next couple hours.

Q. The average score out there today 78 and a half right now. You shot 69. You better tell us how.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I couldn't do it again. I don't know how I did it. I didn't get off to the best of starts, kind of hung in there, but I made a long putt for par on 4. About a 45-footer. Holed a 15-footer for par on 5. Then got the rain delay.

Came back out, started hitting the ball a little bit better and kind of got the day going on 10 with a birdie on 10. And kind of got some good stuff going from there. Just one of those freak days where you just got to get lucky, I got lucky. I hit some good shots.

Obviously not birdieing 18 is probably going to come back, hopefully not come back and bite me, but it's something I'm going to regret for the next couple of hours here. But to have a chance to win from where I started today, that's probably a pretty good day.

Q. How would you describe conditions that you played in today?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: You got to throw everything out that you think you know about golf today. You got to go out there and you can't even have a swing thought, you got to try and grind.

I hit some shots, I probably hit some 25, 30 yard hook shots that ended up going dead straight just because of the severity of the wind. And hitting clubs 9-irons from 90 yards and 6-irons from 120 yards. Stuff you just never do, you never practice. I got lucky today and guessed right a lot and got the right wind gusts when I needed them and you need those on a day like today.

Q. You birdied 12, 13 and 14 to get to 6-under. You're nine holes ahead of the leader. What are you thinking at that stage?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I thought if I could get two coming in, I had -- I knew 17 was a birdie hole because it was playing downwind.

I hit a great shot on 16, to give myself a birdie opportunity there. I thought if I hit the last three greens and had three putts, I would make one of them if not two of them. And I didn't do that. I had a great shot on 17. Kind of hit hard, went over the green. Made par there.

18 I hit a poor pitch shot and didn't make the putt.

I think 7s probably going to be the number. That's what it looks like right now. I hope it's not, but I'll be watching intently about everybody else trying to figure it out.

Q. What will you do? Still a lot of golf to be played by the leaders?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Go warm-up and watch these guys. Go sit inside and get a hot cup of coffee and watch these guys grind it out those last nine holes, because it's going to be tough out there, it's no way it's going to be any better than it is right now.

So I'll be enjoying spectating those guys going through it now that I've already gone through it, and hopefully there's still some more golf to be played.

Q. When you went out this morning in those conditions, 3-under 69, did that seem conceivable to you?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Not at all. I thought that this was the best conditions I could possibly have to have a chance to win the golf tournament. You need a day like today where the weather was awful and you shoot something good and can get back in it.

Luckily, my attitude was fantastic all day. I was excited about being there all day. I wasn't playing great and I found something there midway through the round, hit some great shots and made a couple putts around the turn that got me going.

And just one of those special days that I don't think I could go out there and recreate it and do it again, but I'm glad I did it.

Q. What was the moment that turned it all around? Because you started really off birdies at 10, but when was the shot?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I think the putt on 4 was really important. That kind of trapped it on 4 a little bit, I had a 35-footer for par and made that out of nowhere.

Then 4 I made another, or 5, I made another 20-footer for par. That was one of those -- I got through that first delay 1-over par through six holes, which was probably felt like 3-under par to me. So I knew then, okay, I got a chance, I'm kind of back in this thing, if I can get a couple birdies going you never know what might happen.

Q. We spoke to each other on the driving range just after 36 holes and you said, I'm feeling really good about my game. Had a good start on my game. Got a great record here. Great record on the West Coast. This was on the cards?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yes, it was. And amazingly.

Q. So a few years ago, you were in a similar position, we were interviewing you and you don't know what was going to happen.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yes. Feels eerily similar, actually. I'll have a little more time to sit and watch this time. But kind of crazy how everything panned out perfectly for me today.

I had to have a forecast like this for me to have a chance. Got here this morning and we needed to make sure that we didn't get blown off the golf course, we didn't, we're still out here playing. So everything I asked for today has happened.

I went out and played a great round, kind of grinded and had a great attitude and stayed patient all day and did all the little stuff you have to do to play good in weather like this.

Then 18 -- going to probably be thinking a lot about it the next couple hours and depending upon what happens. But I had a chance to get up-and-down there and maybe get to 7, which I think might be the number by the end of the day. But, hopefully, you never know, 6 might get in a playoff, you never know what might happen. But we'll see. But to have a chance from where I started today it's been a great day. So hopefully we can cap it off.

Q. Given your round, the conditions, the scoring average for the field, where does this rank among one of the most best rounds you've had?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: One of my best rounds on TOUR by far. It's better than -- I remember shooting 61 here my rookie year. I shot some 63s to win tournaments before. But under these conditions, to shoot anything under par or around par is a good round. To shoot 69 when you need to, really special. Goes down as one of my best rounds I've played just because of how awful it is out there right now.

Q. Is it a weird dynamic that you guys are a fraternity on the TOUR, but you're kind of cheering against them?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: It's funny, I never root against guys, I want them to play as good as they possibly can. Jimmy and I are really close, K.J. and I played a ton of golf together. There's -- I don't want those guys to do poorly, but it's just tough out there. Reality of the situation is, it's a tough golf course and the wind is blowing really, really hard, there's some birdie holes coming in, but 6 is going to be close. I don't know if it's going to win or not, but I'm not cheering against the guys, I just know the reality of the situation we're in.

Q. You had some big putts there on 4 and 5. For pars. Can you describe those, what it's like putting in these conditions?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: 4 got the day jump started. I made a 35-footer for par there that was not expected.

5, I made another 20-footer for par. The weather was really bad this morning. So I feel like I made two birdies there is what it felt like, even though it was two pars, and it kind of kept the momentum going, kept the patience level low, kept everything else positive, attitude good, that kind of got me through the first delay, realizing that I'm in good shape, even though I'm 1-over par through six holes, way better than the field's doing, and I got a chance, if I can get something going, maybe creep up there on the leaderboard.

Q. (No microphone.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I had a great feel for the greens all day. So I kind of knew I could be aggressive a lot more than I normally would and putted really well. Missed a couple ones coming in, but played pretty well.

Q. Was there much debate in your mind about the approach into 18?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, because if you lay up there it's a hard wedge shot because it's playing dead downwind and you got literally two paces to land it without going in the water or going over. So I thought I better get it over the green now and then chip back and try to deal with it that way.

(Sound of horn blowing.)

BRANDT SNEDEKER: Oh, I don't want to hear that.

Q. When you have conditions like this, can you have a game plan, a strategy, or do you just go out and just literally throw caution to the wind?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: You don't think about anything out there. You're trying to play and try to give your self as many opportunities as possible, trying to birdie as many as you can. Throw the swing thoughts out of there. Just try to play golf and get the ball in the hole as fast as possible.

Q. What do you do now? Stick around?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, unfortunately, I was not wanting to hear that right now, but hopefully it's a hold in position and they can wait for it to get better. But just going to sit around and watch it and see what happens. Was planning on going to Phoenix tonight, but I don't think it's going to happen now, so we'll be around here hanging out and watching some golf.

Q. When you worked with Butch in Australia, did you work on anything to help you in windy conditions?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, our setup adjustments we made, that helps me flight the ball a little bit more lower. A little bit more piercing trajectories, to enable me to hit the shots I needed to.

Q. Why is it you don't want to hear the horn?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Well, because that means that it's not going to get any better. I mean, I want them out there playing, since I had to play through this all day. So, I want them to be out there going through the misery that I had to go through. And not that I'm wishing bad on them, it's just tough out there. It's the reality of the situation. It's not going to help my cause if they come back tomorrow and it's nice and not windy and fine. So, it might end my day, you know.

Q. (No Microphone.)
BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, this is not. This is like a British Open. This is not like California weather.

Q. Any tournaments recently that this kind of condition reminds you of?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Last year at St. Andrews it got pretty bad, kind of like this. So kind of reminded me of it. There are guys that hit 5-irons from 120 yards today and stuff like that. So that's just kind of crazy stuff you can't practice for, you just have to hope you get the right wind gusts and stuff.

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