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NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

September 23, 2016

Xander Schauffele

Columbus, Ohio

Q. Talk about your round today.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: 1, today, yeah. 1 was today. Yesterday, yeah, from short. I guess I did. I don't like to think about missing all those greens, it's not a good thing.

Q. Overall thoughts on the day?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I think I saw I was in tied first right now. So obviously I feel good about how I played. You just mentioned that I got up-and-down a lot, so thanks for reminding me I missed all those greens. No, it was good. Solid day of golf, for sure.

Q. What's one part of your game in particular that was working well for you today?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Everything. When I didn't make a putt, I would hit a shot closer. When I hit a bad wedge, I would hit a really long drive so it was an easy par. Everything kind of worked. It's golf, you got to do everything pretty well. So I feel like all parts of my game are pretty level.

Q. You're on the finals bubble at 25th, you were the bubble boy --
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I love it.

Q. What's your thoughts on that?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it's, I figured that's why all the cameras are on me out there and in the fairway, that was kind of a new feeling. But, yeah, a little nervous, excited to get the week started. Obviously happy with where I stand right now. Still got two more days, so nothing's set in stone, not even close.

Q. The golf course is going to get harder, we know that, with the heat and dry weather and so forth, how important is it to be in front and not have to basically push or pin seek or do some things that maybe you don't want to do to be overly aggressive?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Whenever it's a hard golf course that's always the case, to be close to the lead. I think that 2-under's the cut and 6-under is leading right now. So that kind of just goes to show that -- normally this is how it works, where 6-under is the cut and 25-under is leading, that's what we're used to. But it's refreshing.

Q. A lot of the top players from yesterday kind of fell off, so what can you do to not do that the rest of the week?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: What everyone always says in interviews, stick to their game plan that I created earlier in the week, it seems to be working so far, to just keep hitting fairways. Like you said, the course will firm up, fairways will be harder to hit, it will be harder to hit closer to the pins, just, if I can keep everything kind of level in my game I would be really happy.

Q. Rob Oppenheim was in your position last year, he was on the bubble and got in through finals. Did you talk about that?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, we did. He asked me where I finished and I told him 26th. And someone told me that he finished in the same position and then finished 25th after the playoffs. So we had a little chuckle about that.

Q. Did he give you any advice on how to deal with the nerves?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: No, we just gave each other a pat on the back and started laughing.

Q. I think that's how you have to deal with it.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Absolutely.

Q. What do you think it is about, ever since Utah, you've been on a roll. Are you getting comfortable as a rookie or what?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, for sure. I still get nerves just like everyone else, I hope, but I feel like I belong the more and more I do this, more and more I have these talks with you guys it makes me feel better about how I'm playing. So definitely feeling comfortable.

Q. Being at Ohio State, Jack Nicklaus obviously is a legend here. What's one thing you would like to ask Jack Nicklaus?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Why does he have to put all the bunkers at 300 yards.

(Laughter.)

Q. He would answer that.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: He would. No, I don't know what to ask him. Probably something non-golf related. He gets that enough.

Q. Birdies and bogeys, today?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I honestly don't even remember them. I remember I almost holed out 16 or 17. That was exciting. I never had a hole-in-one and for some reason the ball ended up right behind the hole and my divot was right in front, so I don't know how it didn't go in.

Q. How far away was it when it finished?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: We were like 209 and I hit a 6-iron, pushed it a little bit, it was supposed to be left of the pin and we were about a foot and a half, maybe.

Q. 18 you had like a 10-footer or something?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah. Yes, that was a little double breaker there. Easy putt for the most part.

Q. How far out were you?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: 144, a little pitching wedge.

Q. Did you play here in college at all?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Nope. We like to stay on the West Coast.

Q. What did you learn the first day?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: First day as when I ever played the course?

Q. Yesterday. What did you learn yesterday?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: That right now the course is more gettable than everyone made it sound last year. The rough is down, fairways are running, so if you hit a ball in the fairway -- I feel like, I don't feel like I'm that long, but I was hitting some long drives today and it kind of gave me some shorter clubs into the greens, which was nice. So I just learned that, right now, since it's soft, take advantage of the short irons and make as many birdies as you can, because those are going to be tougher and tougher to get on the weekend.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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