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NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

September 23, 2016

Tag Ridings

Columbus, Ohio

Q. Great round, 6-under par on day when I thought it was going to play tougher, that's good stuff.
TAG RIDINGS: Yeah, it's firming up, which is what we want to see. I don't know -- this is such a tough golf course, that it could play tough any day, but it did firm up towards the end and it was a little bit tougher.

Q. Was it motivating at all, Whee Kim went out the first day and you played with him and he was 6-under par and I think you might have been a couple -- that put you four back. Is that extra -- I mean, you always want to play well, but was there a little extra motivation there?
TAG RIDINGS: There is, but there's also just as much inspiring to see all these good shots. He played phenomenal for almost the whole day, too. He had a couple stretches, but still it was really good to play with him. Chesson, I was playing with him, great guys to play with, it helps a lot. Great putters, so you're seeing a lot of good speeds and good lines. Whee playing so well, it took the heat off of me for sure.

Q. The course does seem to be a little bit more gettable this year than it has been in years past, maybe not a lot, but why is that?
TAG RIDINGS: The rough is predictable, it's there but it's not super deep, and it seems to be look every time you hit it in the rough it seems to do the same thing. It's not patches of thin and patches of thick. Now it's firming up, that's going to go away, as far as the greens are going to be firm.

Q. Is that what you're expecting on the weekend?
TAG RIDINGS: I think so, yeah. We got a little cool front coming, it seems like, but I don't think there's any rain.

Q. Can you talk about maybe what it feels like to play as well as you did on such a tough golf course?
TAG RIDINGS: Well, this is kind of my favorite thing to do is play long tough conditions and tough golf courses. So, why that is, I wish I knew, but probably more under par after two round on this golf course than I was anywhere all summer. So it makes you think a little bit. If you mess up, you got to take your punishment and get out of there and I did that a couple of times the last two days. But the greens are rolling great and the speed is just what I like and that really helps the scoring for me.

Q. Can you talk about maybe your mindset entering the week. Did you feel like your back was up against the wall or anything?
TAG RIDINGS: Yeah, I think everybody that hasn't done their job so far in the first two weeks or first part of the year definitely feels that. You want to get it done as quick as possible to take the heat off. And that reshuffle is enormous, your position within that category. So you want to get over that hump and then set another goal to get up higher.

Q. Heading into the weekend, you got to like your chances, especially where you are after today.
TAG RIDINGS: Yeah, I'm hitting it in the fairway and that's what you got to do on this golf course. As it gets firmer around the greens, the fairways also firm up, so distance is less crucial, but fairway is more crucial. So, if I can keep putting it in the fairway I'll be very happy with it.

Q. Do any of your birdie stand out?
TAG RIDINGS: Yeah, I chipped in on number 10. I missed the fairway way right. Punched a 4-iron that hit perfectly and ran off the back of the green and I chipped it in. And it would have been a phenomenal shot for anybody to just keep it on the top tier and mine was probably not going to stay on that top tier, so that was a big save. That was a potential 5 instead of a 3. So I'm very happy with that.

Q. I asked a bunch of guys this, but have you ever met Jack Nicklaus?
TAG RIDINGS: I don't think I have met Jack Nicklaus. I would probably remember if I had. I seen him from afar, but I never shook his hand or anything.

Q. Is there any one thing in particular that comes to mind when I ask you what would you like to ask Jack Nicklaus?
TAG RIDINGS: Yeah, how. How do we do this?

(Laughter.)

I wish he could translate that for me, but I don't know if that's possible. It would be awesome just to -- he's the greatest ever and I think that's going to go down -- I don't think everybody's going to top him so there's some awesome players out there, but he was phenomenal.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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