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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL

July 2, 2016

Scott Piercy

Akron, Ohio

CHRIS REIMER: We've got our co-leader here after 54 holes at the Bridgestone Invitational, Scott Piercy.

Scott, nearly flawless round, almost came in bogey-free. Talk about what you had working out there today.

SCOTT PIERCY: I drove the ball well to start. Everything was just pretty solid today. I drove it well, hit my irons well, put it in the right spots, and the chip-in on 2 was really nice out of the bunker, and then I stuffed it on 11, and then again on 17. The par save at 14 was awesome. I hadn't really made a putt of length this week. Hopefully get the putter working, keep striking it well, and have a good chance tomorrow, I think.

CHRIS REIMER: Between the strong finish at the U.S. Open and now what you have working here, is there anything that's been different the last couple times out?

SCOTT PIERCY: I think it's been kind of coming for me, just I didn't really expect it at the Open like that. It was pretty flawless there as far as ball-striking. But still waiting for the putter to wake up a little bit. I feel like I'm hitting some pretty good putts, and just keep hitting it well.

Q. You made a long putt on 14. What was that, a 30-footer? Talk about that one.
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah, I mean, I hit two bad drives today, there and 18. So 14 and 18 I hit two bad drives and got myself in some trouble there, I don't know, 30, 40 feet probably. But at that point you're just trying to make a 5, not do anything stupid, and I happened to roll it in.

Q. You mentioned the U.S. Open, you said flawless ball-striking there. Going back and looking at majors, Players, the two other WGCs this year, top 30 at all of them. Is that something you focused on more, and how has that changed from previous years?
SCOTT PIERCY: No. You know, it's -- I don't know. Starting at the last PGA, last PGA, Masters, U.S. Open, I was going into the weekend in the top 10, I think, maybe 12th at the PGA. I played with Jordan on Saturday. Just maybe for some reason I thought I should be there now, or at least do it. You know what I'm saying? I always feel like I should be there. It's a matter of doing it for me. Lately, understanding my game, and we all know I get a little upset, and trying to control myself a little bit better is part of that, and just trying to clean up some of the mistakes and just keep hitting it solid.

Q. Was there a moment when you went from feeling like you should be there to knowing that you should be there?
SCOTT PIERCY: No. I mean, I've won three times. I know I can do it. It's just doing it on a consistent basis like a Jordan or a Jason and those guys. Can I do it? Yeah. It's just consistently can I do it more often.

I think you're starting to see a little bit of consistency. Other than the Open, I haven't really -- other than the 7th in the Open, I haven't had any really stellar weeks; you know what I'm saying? I feel like at the Masters it was probably like a good kick start, working on some things. That kind of maybe jump started it a little more, got the ball rolling a little faster, and then I took a month off, and then I came back and continued.

Generally speaking, I play good in the summertimes, too. From June until end of the year is generally when I make a lot of my money anyway. It's hotter and I like the heat. It's kind of the time of year I play good anyway.

Q. What is the challenge going to be like tomorrow playing alongside Jason Day, the world No. 1, and will you change at all your strategy or mental approach?
SCOTT PIERCY: You know, we've been through this before at the BMW when he took over the No. 1. I felt like I handled myself well there. I finished third. I birdied the last four holes to finish third, get to the TOUR Championship. Jason is a great player. He does it consistently week in, week out. That's what we strive to do is do it more often.

Change anything, no. It's just -- it's a tough golf course. You've got a lot to worry about on the golf course. You don't need to worry about whoever you're playing with.

Q. You had an injury a couple years ago, the elbow surgery, I believe, missed quite a bit of time. Did that take a while to get over, and do you feel like you're over it now?
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah. You know, I was out for six months, and it probably took another year before I was fully kind of at speed, so to say. You know, it's all good now, and try to keep moving forward.

Q. What did the win at Barbasol do for you as far as maybe getting confidence back or getting back into the PGA in the first place and getting you back to these kind of events?
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah, you know, the PGA -- Barbasol, I mean, that was the best ball-striking of my life. I mean, it was amazing. Even when you're kind of impressed with yourself. You know, it's like one of those little steps. You can do it. You can do it. You know what I'm saying? It's just little notch, little notch, little notch, and then majors. Maybe that's come from there, but obviously that was about a year after I'd come back from having surgery, maybe a little more. But you know, starting to get my speeds back, starting to feel like not having to worry about my arm, all that stuff.

That was really about the time where -- even though I played good when I came back, I was kind of playing with only a few gears instead of five or six gears.

Since then, since Memorial of last year, I think I've only missed two cuts, so I've been pretty consistent. I just haven't had the real high finishes yet. Hopefully Open and hopefully this week can carry on.

Q. What did you learn at the U.S. Open that you think you can lean on tomorrow?
SCOTT PIERCY: You know, the U.S. Open is such a different mindset because pars are so good there. Here pars are still really good, but there's a few more opportunities for birdies. There's a lot more importance at the Open of fairways because the rough was so long. Here it's tough to drive it in these fairways and it's important, but the rough is not as bad. You still have a shot if you miss to the correct side of the fairways for angles into the greens.

As far as the mindset, you know, just keep doing what I'm doing, really.

Q. Are you happy with your performance at Oakmont?
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah. The putter I feel like let me down a little bit. I played 36 on Friday, and my afternoon round I hit 17 greens, and I hit it close. I just flushed it all day, and I had three -- four three-putts that day on top of not making the close ones.

The greens are difficult there. So understandable, but you still feel like -- I still feel like the putter is holding me back a little bit. But definitely happy with it.

When you look back, I really felt like the wedge I hit on 15 was my kind of turning point. I had a perfect number. I had 142 yards. That's a perfect wedge, and to a little cut pin. I like to cut the ball. I was in the fairway waiting for Sergio after he had plugged it and thinking, oh, this is it. This is your tournament, right here. And I ended up pulling that wedge off that slope and making par, and then obviously finishing 16 and 18 how I didn't want to, and just missing the putt on 17.

But that whole day I felt like I just had 65 in my head for some reason the whole day, and that right there, if I make birdie there and birdie 17, make two pars, I get to 5. I felt like that's where it sort of lost me there.

Q. Did you leave feeling I had a really good finish, or more I could have gone home with this trophy?
SCOTT PIERCY: I left feeling really good. The more I thought about it when I got home, I probably got a little more upset that I didn't win. But overall, I mean, not having the high finishes the past year, I mean, I was really excited about the finish, and the fact that the second major in a row I've been in the top 5 going into the weekend kind of thing and held up under the pressure of it.

Overall it was all good. We can always make things a little bit better it seems like, but overall I was really excited.

Q. You grew up in Vegas, a good place for a golfer. How did you get started in the sport?
SCOTT PIERCY: So I played soccer my whole life, and one of the kids on my soccer team -- I started when I was eight and he was the best eight-year-old golfer in the state and he was on my soccer team. After one soccer game I went back to his house, was going to spend the night, and his dad took him out to a school to hit balls, and I'm like, let me try that, and thought I did it pretty good and had fun doing it, and we were rivals all the way up into college. That's kind of how it all started.

Q. Who was it and where is he?
SCOTT PIERCY: Actually his name is Billy Harvey. The funny thing is Alex Cejka is married to his sister. Actually we grew up next door to each other, same cul-de-sac, so it was kind of like on the same high school team, went to college for a year together, still see his parents all the time. So it's kind of like -- kind of one big family really.

Q. Do you ever hear from him?
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah. He's actually -- he got away from the sport for a little while, but now he's back playing. He's got three kids, three boys, too, and he's got them playing, so he can stay home and make them practice like I can't. But his kids are playing it, and their whole family has been a golf family. It's no surprise that they're playing golf.

Q. As you said, you've got three wins, but do you feel like a win at this type of event against this field would do anything to elevate your status or perception in the game?
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah. You know, after I won in Canada, I kind of felt like my next step was -- I won an opposite field event and then I won the Canadian Open. I kind of felt like the next step was to win a WGC or a major, then I got hurt after that so I kind of regressed, then I came back and I won an opposite field. So kind of hopefully the next step is kind of getting back. I feel like a better player now than I was when I got hurt. Any time you can win a WGC event, I think it takes things to a new level.

CHRIS REIMER: Thanks, Scott. Good luck tomorrow.

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