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VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 12, 2016

Jordan Spieth

Palm Harbor, Florida

Q. Jordan Spieth. Jordan, wonderful rebound from the 1st Round. What were the adjustments that you made in response to getting off to such a poor start?
JORDAN SPIETH: I felt like I've been striking the ball well coming into this week. You know, putter went a little off last week, went a little cold, kind of stayed cold and I just -- I was leaving everything short, which you'll see a lot this week here but started to be a little more aggressive today on the greens, hitting my longer putts harder and it was stress-free pars for the majority of the round. Got a putt to drop on 14 for eagle. Really nice to have no blemishes today.

Q. Heading into as you prepare for the Masters, what does this do for you as you're able to rebound from some poor golf?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yes. You shoot 5-over the 1st Round in the Masters you kind throw yourself out of the event. But, here you just never know, and kind of speaks to us. We had a tough start in L.A. I tried to bring it back. Had a chance to bring it back the 2nd Round. Ended up missing the cut.

Very well could have packed it in and had some more rest this week but we did a great job of sticking to it and understanding that if we're patient with our birdies out here and we just limit those bogies and don't take too many chances we can shoot rounds of 3, 4-under and maybe you get one at 6 tomorrow and I have a chance to win.

Q. With a 68 yesterday, 67 today. You said to me I'm only 2-over. What are your immediate thoughts right now as you get even closer to the lead?
JORDAN SPIETH: Solid back-9. 3-under on 9 holes here, start a good score. After the round you're going always going to think of the ones that didn't go and right in this par stretch here everyone of those holes I had a good look at birdie and couldn't get the speed and the line matched up.

But, yeah, I mean I'm still in this golf course, something like 7-under tomorrow which is feasible. So, to think after the 1st Round that I go Saturday night and be able to sleep with a chance to win the golf course, I'm very pleased with that.

Q. Pleased obviously with how you played. How proud of the way you kind of back mentally, your mental attitude yesterday and today?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah. I don't know what it was the first day. It was a tough start, starting on 10 and 11 with 15, 20-mile an winds into our face and starting bogey bogey into a tournament is not going to make you very pleased.

But, yeah, I mean after that 1st Round was able to kind of sit back and I had 24 hours in between rounds and I think that was key, I was able to kind take a full day of rest. I didn't hit any balls or putts, just wanted to kind of get away from it a little bit and get my mind right and it's certainly worked out and, you know, into tomorrow probably going to get some more rest. I need to hit some putts.

Q. Putts today though -- a year ago you won the tournament, you've been playing a different golf course with the speed of the greens, not what they have been.
Today how did they feel on the putting surfaces?

JORDAN SPIETH: Still very slow. We weren't sure on the 1st hole. But right here I finally said you know what, I left too many of these short. I hit it harder than I would think I need to and on the Hooters Hole it's always nice for it to go in. It was pretty loud when that fell and, you know, finally got that putt to go. My only other birdie was a 2-putt on 1 and when seeing that go in maybe somethings else will go.

Q. What were you thinking coming off the birdie -- and at the par 5 now?
JORDAN SPIETH: At this point, again, hit it harder than you think and really kind of drilled that one into the hill and even as it goes downhill thought it might miss low, caught the low side of the hole and really nice to grab two strokes on one there and get myself to 4 on the day with a chance to maybe make another one or two.

Q. Finally, bogey-free over a difficult layout. The wind has been tough all week. How satisfying is that as well?
JORDAN SPIETH: Very satisfying. I hit 16 greens in regulation. That's going to make that a bit easier. When that happens, when I did miss those greens if -- I mean even on the greens that I hit at 30-plus feet I had tap-ins and it was a very stress-free round. It's a round you want to have around here. I didn't take too many chances. A couple long ones will go. When the short ones go, we'll really have some fun.

Q. Jordan, the ball-striking has gotten a little bit better each day and your putter finally came around, 117 feet worth of putts.
JORDAN SPIETH: Mainly in one of the putts. But, yeah, the ball-striking is there. It was there yesterday. I felt like it's been there all week.

Just got off to a poor start with it and just started to not trust it the first day but 16 greens today and the greens that I hit where I was 30-plus feet away, I was able too lag it very close to the hole.

Was very stress-free. And that's the kind of round you really wanted to have around here when you need to be patient and allow birdies to come to you.

The one on 14 was a bonus.

Q. Since you mentioned the one on 14, 52 feet for eagle.
JORDAN SPIETH: Between the rest of the holes it was only 60 feet or so of putts made so the one on 14 was really nice. I -- I had to start hitting putts a lot harder than you feel comfortable hitting given the speed of the greens and that's really tricky when you get in that 7 to 10 foot range because when the putt's breaking you have to feel like you're hitting it too high and too hard and that's what's so difficult to trust out here but the long ones sometimes when you can be more aggressive they can go good.

Q. What clicked for you today that you think you can bring in tomorrow for the final round?
JORDAN SPIETH: My misses were still on the greens today. I felt like yesterday -- I hit a lot of great iron shots that somehow ended up, you know, five to ten yards long or short especially on that front-9 and then I wasn't left with a great chance to make birdie and the ones that I did I just missed but ball-striking is there.

I drove the ball a bit better today. I had some left shots with my long clubs yesterday. I fixed that and once I get these short putts to go -- to be honest with you, it really felt like it was a 6, 7-under round today, posted 4, which is good and bad.

I just got to be really, really aggressive on the greens tomorrow and if it's three feet by, make the 3-footer. It's just hard to get it 3 feet by the hole.

Q. You thought you accomplished what you wanted to these last two days considering where you were?
JORDAN SPIETH: I'd give it an A, definitely an A to be 7-under after that 1st Round knowing that the wind was still going to be up the last two days. I give it -- again, if I had just capitalized on most of all the opportunities that were closer I would give it an A+, but we're very pleased with where we are given we were looking at potentially flying home and now in a chance to win the event starting the round tomorrow and if I remember right, it was a couple years ago maybe 2013 whenever Kevin Streelman, Boo Weekley came out early or before the leaders and posted something like 8, 9-under and it stood there for a long time and I don't even think we need to do that tomorrow and we're definitely capable of it.

Q. You mentioned that you have a number in mind for tomorrow.
JORDAN SPIETH: You know, today we came out wanting to get 3 a side, 6-under. Something like that tomorrow could be good enough. It's never as low as you think it is, think it's going to be at least 9 out of 10 times.

So, especially on this golf course where you start getting 4, 5-footers, the leaders get 4, 5-footers on greens that are a little inconsistent, who knows what's going to happen.

I really like the position we're in. Obviously the lead would be better but we got the momentum on our side.

Q. How were the conditions today?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, good. I think that they've gotten a little better each day. The golf course is fantastic. It's the bunkers that are plugging and the greens, it's an adjustment to. The layout is fantastic.

This wind has been the exact same the last few days and the golf course plays well with this wind and, yeah, I mean I think anything a few under is a really good score. Hopefully this wind picks up this afternoon.

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