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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 14, 2016Jason DayPonte Vedra Beach, Florida Q. Very well played. New 36-hole scoring record here at THE PLAYERS. Bogey-free through 36 holes. Just sum up how delighted you are right now given the position you're in heading into round three? JASON DAY: Yeah, it's a good birdie on 15. I can't complain about 16. I hit a good putt there. But 17 and 18 are always playing tough back into the wind and that's where it usually starts it starts northwest and kind of switches around. So very pleased getting through that stretch at even par. So 36 hole scoring record is great and all, but I'm looking at the big picture, I need to knuckle down here and try and keep pushing forward. And we got two more rounds left so there is still a long way to go. Q. There is a long way to go. You've turned into a regular front runner. What's your key really to try and extend the lead and not defend it, what would you really be focusing on? JASON DAY: Well, I just got to make sure I stay aggressive to my lines. Today I thought the greens were going to be a little softer, which they were to a certain degree, but they're going to be firm and they're quick already. So, I'm assuming that the scores won't be as low as we have seen them. So there has to be a lot more patience this weekend. Patience, but also try and capitalize on the opportunities that I get out there. And if I could do that and focus on trying to do that, hopefully at the end of the week I'll be holding the trophy. Q. When you look at how you putted this week, some of the best feel you've had on the greens for awhile? JASON DAY: Yeah, it's been good, the last 36 holes have been fantastic. Like I said, the greens this morning were very speedy, going to get very warm today, so the greens are going to firm up and it's going to get a lot quicker on the greens. So they're going to start to get a little brown crust to them. Guys walking all over the greens today, they should be a little bit more bouncy and they're going to be on the defense a little bit more so than the offense when you can really kind of be aggressive on the lines. But for the most part very happy. Q. Bogey-free through 36 holes, it's taken a little bit extra time to get it done. But how important was it to come out and finish this morning playing some good solid golf to keep your lead where it is? JASON DAY: Yeah, it was, I'm actually glad that I stopped halfway down the fairway on 15 to come back and hit my wedge shot. Because I don't think yesterday, if I would have hit that shot, it would have stopped where it was. And I probably would have had a 30 foot putt coming back down the hill. Which it was very speedy this morning, let alone what it was yesterday afternoon. Very happy with going through that stretch 16, 17 and 18 even par, even though I would have liked to have picked up another birdie on 16, but I said yesterday that I was going to be patient and not be too displeased with making pars on par 5's because you're not losing shots. But the 36-hole scoring record, which is nice, but I can't lose focus now I got to try and knuckle down and keep pushing forward here. Q. Rewriting the record books halfway here at THE PLAYERS, how good is your game right now? How confident are you with two to go? JASON DAY: Well, I would like to say that I'm confident, but I'm really trying to focus on doing the right things out there. Today's going to be very more, more of a patient day, just because of the greens are very firm out there already and it's only 10:30. So when the greens are firm, greens are going to get very quick, I'm assuming that the scores won't be as low as we have seen the first two days and, yeah, I just got to be patient and try to capitalize on the opportunities that I get. But the main focus is trying to win the tournament and I do have a pretty sizeable lead right now, I got to try and do my best to try and stretch that lead. Q. There's so many parts of your game that have been impressive this week, the driving the iron play, the putting, but I think for you to be bogey-free and perfect in scrambling is what really stand out to me, because it's so easy to get just a little off on this golf course. JASON DAY: Yeah, I mean, it would be nice to go bogey-free for the rest of the week, but we'll see how it goes. I'm really trying to do my best to give myself the best opportunities to make birdies and if not, get up-and-down the best I can. From tee to green it's been nice and then once I'm on the greens I feel very confident with the speeds and when I'm confident with my speed and also the putts that I'm hitting I can pick my line pretty well. And it was great to come out this morning and hole the one on 15. But 36 holes to go and it's going to be tough. Q. It's a very fine line, I think you've been disciplined and yet aggressive and those are really tough decisions to make. JASON DAY: Yeah, you definitely over the last two days I've been disciplined enough to hit it to where I need to. And whether that's 20 feet with a wedge or hitting it short on 18 and not making a mistake going long because it's quick down that hill, and getting up-and-down, so all parts of the game. I'm just really just trying to keep pushing forward, trying to extend that lead. We do have 36 holes to go, so it is a long way to go to the finish line but my main focus is trying to win the tournament. Q. I thought the greens were faster even this morning and they're only going to get quicker. JASON DAY: Yeah, I was actually quite surprised. I'm actually glad that I waited to hit my wedge on 15. We had the wind coming back into us today and the greens were just a little bit softer. I don't think I would have got it as close if I hit it yesterday. But for the most part they were quick already, they're going to get firm, that should make it a little bit tougher to get the balls closer to the hole but we'll see how it goes. Q. (No microphone.) JASON DAY: It was nice to get the 36-hole scoring record here, but yeah, I mean it's still we still got 36 holes left so there's a lot of golf to be played. Very pleased coming back this morning and hitting the wedge shot into 15. Yesterday, the wind was down and the greens were firm and fast. And there was no way I would have got it to where I was today. Got there today and the wind was into us and the greens were just a little bit softer than yesterday, but got it to spin and holed a nice putt there. But the greens are already quick and as the day goes on it's probably going to be the hottest today out of the week and that should firm the greens up and make the greens a little bit quicker and the scoring opportunities kind of coming in from there and a little bit more patience hopefully this afternoon. Q. (No Microphone.) JASON DAY: I had no idea what you said there. You talk too quick there, boy. (Laughter.) Q. (No Microphone.) JASON DAY: Yeah, no, it was Norman, right? It -- it would be nice to get the 72 hole, but right now I'm just really trying to focus on extending that lead and trying to win the tournament. That's a big picture. It would be great to have the records, but right now I'm just trying to do everything I can to try and win the tournament. Q. (No Microphone.) JASON DAY: Yeah, well, it's Saturday, on Saturdays and Sundays usually the scoring is not as low as Thursday, Friday, because the guys are obviously taking a little bit more risk on Thursdays, Fridays. Guys are starting to think about the finish line. And this THE PLAYERS and it's a tough golf course. I mean, it feels like a Major, there's already a lot of people here already, those people are going to be amped up this afternoon. So with that said, it should be an exciting one this afternoon. Q. How satisfying is it to close with those two scores given your previous history at this place? JASON DAY: Yeah, it seems -- I was just looking at Rory, Rory didn't go to well his first three starts and the last three starts he's been playing great. I think that the more times you come here, the more you know about the golf course, the better it is for you. It's just taken me a little bit longer. But I grew up on grass like this and I feel -- coming into the week, I felt great about my game. I had a week's rest and I felt well rested and right now it's just I'm sitting in a good position. But I just can't lose focus right now. Q. What's more impressive 15 birdies or zero bogeys? JASON DAY: Zero bogeys. Yeah. You can -- there was plenty of birdies out there to be had over the last two days, but to go bogey-free over the last 36 holes was nice. It would be nice to go 72 holes, but I'm going to do my best to try and do that. Q. Have you ever done that before? JASON DAY: No, never. Q. Before 14 was there any other hole where you didn't have a putter in your hand for a birdie? JASON DAY: Oh, I can't remember. Would you know? (Laughter.) Yeah, right. I can't remember. That was probably the first, yeah, I would say so. Yeah. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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