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NORTHERN TRUST OPEN

February 17, 2016

Charlie Danielson

Pacific Palisades, California

MARK WILLIAMS: We'd like to welcome Charlie Danielson to the media center at the Northern Trust Open. Charlie was the winner of the Collegiate Showcase which was played on Monday, and earned a spot in the field, so welcome.

CHARLIE DANIELSON: Thank you.

MARK WILLIAMS: Just talk about the experience on Monday, just a rundown. You shot 3-under 68 to win by three shots and you were the only player under par. How was the day overall?

CHARLIE DANIELSON: It was great. The whole weekend was great. We got set up at some really cool courses around the area. And as far as Monday went, I played with Scott Langley from Illinois, which was great. Our two supporters were awesome.

And then Coach Small caddied for me, which was a plus. It's always fun to have him walk with me and go through shots together, because I learn a lot and I've been there 3 1/2 years, and starting to catch onto everything he says, and it's too bad he couldn't stick around and caddie for me for the week. It was great to have him.

I played solid. Didn't hit it great but got up-and-down, made some putts. Just being here was a really cool experience, and to be able to earn a spot in this field, I'm just very grateful.

MARK WILLIAMS: So that happened on Monday. Talk about your experiences on Tuesday. I understand you had a practice round with Steve Stricker, who is also University of Illinois, and what else you did.

CHARLIE DANIELSON: Coach Small obviously knows a lot of people around. He kind of introduced me to a bunch of people. Kind of got set up, made some plans. My family was coming down. Got my hotel registered.

And then I played with Stricker on the back nine, my front nine. And then Paul Casey asked to join us, and that was great. And then Scott Langley met us a couple holes later. You know, the whole experience has been great so far. I went out and played nine this morning before the Pro-Am. Just, you know, getting used to the course as much as I can and just taking it all in.

MARK WILLIAMS: Paul Casey, of course runner-up last year in this event in a playoff. Did you get any advice from those guys about the golf course?

CHARLIE DANIELSON: Yes, I took in as much as I could. Coach Small was here when Thomas Pieters won the Nationals, so he's been around it. He told me as much as he could. I got some lines off the tees from Steve, and Paul Casey and Scott Langley helped me, as well. A lot of it is just getting the feel for the greens, chipping and putting for sure, and getting used to the grass around here.

MARK WILLIAMS: Just before we take some questions, what's the strength of your game right now? Is there a certain area of your game that is really standing out from the rest?

CHARLIE DANIELSON: I would say I'm not hitting it as well as I would like to be, but I'm just getting the ball in the hole. I'm making some putts when I have to. I made some really good par putts on Monday. I'm chipping it pretty close, and just kind of keeping it in play. Not losing too many shots.

And back home, there's snow on the ground, so I'm still definitely a little rusty, but just trying to shake that off.

Q. Who is on the bag for you since coach smallest?
CHARLIE DANIELSON: Steve Hulker. He caddies for Brian Davis right now, and he's a friend of coach and went to Illinois for a couple of years.

Q. What have your teammates been saying to you?
CHARLIE DANIELSON: I've been getting texts from them, a couple FaceTimes, a couple Snapchats. They are excited for me. They are going on a practice trip this weekend to Florida, so hopefully they will miss me a little bit. But I'm looking forward to getting back and catching up with all of them.

Q. You guys are obviously one of the top golf teams in the country in men's golf, how is this going to help you, do you think, in college and especially with the NCAA Championships coming up and you guys did so well last year?
CHARLIE DANIELSON: The biggest thing for me is that I kind of learned to handle my nerves, and that will be important coming regionals and Nationals and Big Tens. This is a really good learning experience for me after college.

I would say that's the biggest thing is I'm getting a week to just get used to that, so when I do play in my first event, I'm kind of used to the environment, used to all the players and everyone. So it's been awesome.

Q. Have you gotten a text from Casey yet?
CHARLIE DANIELSON: I've gotten one in the family, but nothing straight up. In the family group message, she sent me one, but that's it.

MARK WILLIAMS: Just finish by saying what sort of expectation do you have for this week? Do you have any goals set?

CHARLIE DANIELSON: You know, I haven't completely thought about that yet. I'll probably give Coach Small a call tonight and we'll kind of go over my mind-set going into it.

But you know, I'm just going to try to take it one shot at a time, learn about as much as I can while I'm out here and go into it with no expectations. When you have expectations to make the cut or to try to take a Top-10 or something, you can let yourself down very easy.

So I'm just going to try to go out, have some fun, just enjoy the week as much as I can and hopefully I'm around all weekend and can shoot some good scores.

MARK WILLIAMS: When you say enjoy the week, do you have any other things non-golf planned in L.A. while you're here?

CHARLIE DANIELSON: Not really. I've played some good courses already around the area, and I'm just excited for my mom and my older sister to get in and maybe a couple buddies and to catch up with them. So I'm just happy to be here.

MARK WILLIAMS: Enjoy the week, and we appreciate your time. Good luck with the tournament.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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