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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 13, 2017

Jordan Spieth

Honolulu, Hawaii

Q. You led the field last week in birdies and there was a few bad holes that cost you a legitimate chance to win. Some good spots today and a few frustrations. How close are you to playing the kind of golf you know you can play?
JORDAN SPIETH: Really close. I've taken care of a lot of the ball-striking statistics we were trying to improve on this year. Done a great job of it. Striking the ball tremendously well last week and this week, and I've just had a really cold putter this week. I've been -- I've lost a couple strokes gained on the greens, which is typically very much a strength of mine.

Just trying to find something or other that's a good trigger for me to go with the putter and I've just been searching for it and haven't quite found it. Two more days to post a couple low numbers. Probably be hard to catch J.T., but I can get up there and make a strong finish.

Q. Even though he's a good friend, when you're playing alongside Justin Thomas and he's ripping it up, does that change the way the mind works or the decisions you make out there?
JORDAN SPIETH: It's definitely -- it's a little tough. I think it added to my frustration on the greens when the game is looking so easy to him. I felt like I was hitting the ball in the same locations he was the last two days as far as proximity to the hole and birdie chances.

Just being that out-done on the greens is something that's a little abnormal to me and maybe added to my frustration a little bit. Not because it's him, but if you're playing with anybody who is doing that.

The fact that it's J.T., obviously one of the best-case scenarios and I'm obviously rooting for him and hoping he does really well. He's not stopping, as we can see.

So someone's got to end up going out and chasing him, and we're a little far back, but something in the mid-60s the last two days I'll take as solid momentum and a really solid stretch in Hawai'i.

Q. What's the best nicknames you've heard from the kayak adventure yesterday?
JORDAN SPIETH: You know, we're lucky to be alive to be honest with you. I didn't realize Smylie was the worst person I could have brought out there. Now I recognize that and won't do it again.

Q. 65 yesterday, 67 today, but I can't help but think that you must feel a bit frustrated by that attempt; you had so many good shots.
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, a lot of chances. Been frustrated on the greens, I think it's just something as simple as something in my setup that I'm just not striking it at the right time. Therefore, not committing to my strokes and reads. It's close. It's very close.

This is something that's normally very easy for me to fix. So I'd rather it be this than something else in my game. It's just going to come out tomorrow, get maybe a little extra work on the practice green and to figure out what it is, and hopefully look like J.T. on the greens the next two days.

Q. We were commenting, I saw fades, I saw draws, I saw power off the tee. A little off-season work lent itself to that?
JORDAN SPIETH: My speeds have been down a good five miles an hour in ball speed with the driver, with just trying to work on the stuff I've been working on in my swing, trying to get around my body. May have been up a couple times today just being really hot out here and feeling like you can really rip a couple.

I've had to play iron shots a little shorter than normal, but they have been right on target. And I felt very confident over the ball Tuesday, Wednesday in the Pro-Am and the practice round was about as good as I've struck the ball in years. So we're just trying to maintain that compact feel, even if I've got to play half a club less.

Off the tee, yeah, I probably tried to send a couple of those out there, and when you hit the fairway out here, the ball goes forever.

Q. I have to ask, a little fishing and kayaking after this round today?
JORDAN SPIETH: No. We'll just take it in for dinner, take it easy. See if we can't come out tomorrow and make some noise.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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