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SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN OPEN

November 2, 2016

Smylie Kaufman

Las Vegas, Nevada

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Smylie Kaufman into the interview room. He's our defending champion here at the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open. Smylie, if we can first of all just get you to take us back to 2015 and your victory here.

SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah. As soon as I walked in the door, it's like some good memories being in the media room. And seeing this caddie tent right over here where I hung out and watched for two hours the unfolding of six people not being able to get one more shot better. So a lot of great memories being back here, and obviously it changed my career and allowed me to do a bunch of things this past year that wouldn't have ever happened if I didn't have this Sunday here in Vegas.

THE MODERATOR: Talk about it's all coming back to you. Talk a little bit about that last round and what you remember about it.

SMYLIE KAUFMAN: I was in a great group that whole day. I was hitting it great that whole week and was able to get some putts to fall to get some momentum going into the back side, and just absolutely tore it up on the back side. I was in just a great frame of mind and seemed to be ready for the situation, and I was oddly very comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation and was able to pull off the shots and able to hole the putts at the right times. So it's just great when everything works out like that.

THE MODERATOR: And before we open it up to questions, you carried that win onto finishing No. 43 in the FedExCup. Talk a little bit about your goals for this year and I know trying to get to the TOUR Championship.

SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah. Obviously very disappointed didn't make the TOUR Championship last year. Kind of was fighting a wrist injury pretty much the second half of the year, got into some bad habits, and I think definitely a learning experience the whole rookie season. And for me the main goal is to try and get in that winner's circle again and get back to the TOUR Championship, if I can get there. So same goals as any year, try to win and trying to make the TOUR Championship.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Great. We'll open it up to questions.

Q. How much did winning last year change your goals and expectations for the rest of this season? And how much did life change for you after your win here?
SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah. It was kind of a progression from when I won here. You know, I think in the fall my expectations were probably a little too high. I just thought you could go win every week. Apparently that isn't the thing out here. It's a little harder than it seems, I guess. And then I think the next progression was when I made to the final group of the Masters. That kind of changed. A lot more people knew about me after I got to the final round. And then two weeks later having the spring break deal with Rickie, Jordan and Justin. That was a life changer, too, because then I became a popular figure on social media. And everybody was always kind of trying to see what I was doing next. And that was a little different for me to try to handle just I guess not fame, but just more people knowing who I am and having people looking over my shoulder always to see what I was doing. So that was a little bit of a change, but I think I'm very comfortable in my skin, and I think I'm as comfortable as I've been in the last two or three months right now. And I'm very excited about next year and very excited to defend. I think anytime you get back to a place you're comfortable, it's like a nice little vibe that shoots through you when you get here. So I'm very excited for the week.

Q. Obviously you just talked about Augusta. What will you change?
SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah. You know, I think it was just a combination of some things. I would say probably the first thing would be my wrist. I got some bad habits with the golf swing, just didn't have control of the golf ball like I did the prior year and a half, two years. And just got into bad habits and was trying to fix it every week, put a band aid on it. And it's so easy to do when you're at a big event like that, to try and make it perfect. And to feel like you have a chance to compete. And what I realized is a long PGA TOUR season will almost beat you up, and I got a little beat up last year. And that's just something you learn as you go, and if I had to do it over again, I would take some time off, get really healthy and then really dive into what I do well with the golf swing. I think it was a learning experience for the whole team, and I'm excited to have an experience like that and know that the next time I'm not going to make the same mistake. And I'm not afraid of playing big events. I feel like I can pull off all the golf shots I need to and hole the key putts, got the short game. So I'm not crazy concerned about not being able to compete.

Q. You mentioned the wrist.
SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah. You talking about here in Vegas?

Q. Yes.
SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yes. 100 percent as far as health. It's the best I've felt in a while. Very excited that the wrist didn't turn out to something with surgery or anything like that. It was inflammation, tendonitis that just needed rest. As far as my time around Vegas, I think when I got home to Birmingham the next week I watched with my buddies, and we just were laughing about it pretty much. It was just crazy thinking about what was happening and what I was feeling at the time watching for two hours after. You know, it was crazy. I don't know how people warm up for a playoff when you got that much time. But it's an experience I'll never forget. I was ready to run through a wall, like just jacked up. So who knows how the playoff would have gone. I was striking it during the warm up session, but I couldn't stop thinking about Augusta and all the other things that could happen with a win, so happy it worked out the way it did obviously.

Q. Any expectations this season considering the second half of last year?
SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah, I'm close to getting my expectations back to where they normally are. It's still a process for me right now, just kind of getting back to my old swagger and groove and walking with some confidence. It's very close. I think my team and I, we've all kind of gotten back to let's just make this a process and let's just not set expectations through the roof and let's just take one step at a time. And if all things click, that's great. But right now it's just about one step at a time and let's make sure we get back to me and the correct golf that I normally play.

THE MODERATOR: Big ballgame Saturday night. Any predictions?

SMYLIE KAUFMAN: The last time I made a prediction was at Boston I guess it was before the Saturday I was in the media room, and they asked me a prediction, and I said that we were going to beat the crap out of Wisconsin. We lost. So I'm not going to make a prediction.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Anything else? Smylie Kaufman. Thank you, sir.

SMYLIE KAUFMAN: Yeah. Thanks, guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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