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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

February 2, 2017

Matt Kuchar

Scottsdale, Arizona

Q. Seven weeks away from competition, and you come out and shoot a bogey-free 64. What's the secret?
MATT KUCHAR: It was so nice to be home. Our kids got to play basketball. This is basketball season back home. I have always been traveling out west, so it was fun for me to be home, be dad, go to basketball games and practices.

But we had such good weather. I got good practice in. My boys are now 7 and 9 and they're into golf, as well. In the afternoons, we'd sneak out and play a few holes. Wasn't too rusty.

I got some great work in this week with my instructor, Chris O'Connell, and it showed off with some great hitting out there.

Q. (Question about the eagle.)
MATT KUCHAR: That was a bit lucky. Chased a 3-wood up on this corner of the green, and it was a pretty straightforward 25-footer. That was a lucky place to be on that hole.

Some of these pins were hard to get at. That was one that was hard to get at. I got good luck there.

Q. Your chip at 17. You flew this one quite deep into the green.
MATT KUCHAR: I wanted to be aggressive. I knew this was going to be an easy one to leave short. There was a bunker behind this green, not too far past this pin. A little nervous about that, but I tried to remind myself to just be aggressive, get it up the hill, but it came off beautifully.

Q. How much do you enjoy shooting a round like that with an audience of over 100,000 today, and we know it's going to get bigger?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, someone told me it was 5 million today. (Laughter.) It was still good fun. The crowds are great, the energy that's out here. So many people out here, it's a good buzz, it's a good vibe. It's fun to shoot a good round.

Q. After the layoff since late November, how were you able to kick off the new year in such great fashion?
MATT KUCHAR: I played so much this past summer through basically Christmas and with Tiger's World Challenge and the Shark Shootout. I knew I needed a break, and my break happened to be early on this year.

Normally I can't wait to get out to Hawaii and Palm Springs. They were hard for me to skip. I was able to be home, able to be dad. The boys got to play basketball. This time of year is basketball season back home. Got to go to the games and it was great fun for me. My boys are 9 and 7 now. Getting into golf. In the afternoon, we'd sneak out and play a few holes, as well.

It was a great break for me and nice to come out. '17, kicked off in a good way.

Q. How do you prepare, just try to stay sharp, knowing you're going to tee it up and you did so well here on Thursday?
MATT KUCHAR: I had some things to work on this offseason with my instructor, Chris O'Connell. Got together like three times over the offseason. I had fun things I was able to work on, try to help me get on good form when I started my season. They paid off, for sure.

Q. How do you keep it going tomorrow through the weekend?
MATT KUCHAR: I drove it beautifully, and you have to continue that out here. This course demands good driving of the ball. I had a fantastic day of driving the ball, and I have three more to come.

Q. Good start to the tournament. Tell me about your round. You got off to a great start, but you kind of stalled a little bit on the front 9.
MATT KUCHAR: Got off to a great start. It was nice. This is my first event for the year. To start off birdie-birdie was a great way to start 2017 for me. It kept going.

I drove the ball really well, which around here, you just have to do. There is decent rough and desert out there to try to avoid. I did a great job of that. Drove it well.

From there, just played good, steady golf. Had a lot of chances. It was a fun round of golf. To play in front of so many people to get the buzz and energy out here, it's great fun.

Q. You holed at least 111 feet of putts, by my calculation. Had you had been working on your putting this offseason?
MATT KUCHAR: No, no, I felt I left some out there, too. I just played some nice golf today.

It was a lot of chances, not too many par saves, which is nice. To play a bogey-free round of golf out here my first round back was great.

Q. Now, what do you think you need to do to keep this round going?
MATT KUCHAR: Certainly gotta keep driving the ball well. To have good play out here, you have to drive the ball well to have a chance. If I can have three more driving days like I did today, I'll be pretty happy.

Q. What was the key to your round and getting off to such a great start today?
MATT KUCHAR: It was a great round. First time back, 2017, had a nice break. It was fantastic being off. The boys got to play basketball, the first time I have been home this time of year. I typically can't wait to get out to Hawaii and Palm Springs.

To be home and watch the boys play basketball, it was a great break, but now getting back into it, it was fun to get off to a birdie-birdie start for me in '17. Nice way to start.

Just played some good, solid golf. Had a few good sessions this offseason with Chris O'Connell. I feel like my game is in good form.

Q. What made you decide to take so much time off in the offseason?
MATT KUCHAR: This was the most I had ever played from summer through nearly Christmas, with Major Championship golf, Olympics, all the way through kind of postseason with Tiger's tournament, Bahamas, Shark Shootout. I knew, looking at the schedule, I was going to need a break. I decided I'd go hard from summer on and take my break starting basically Christmas.

It was hard for me to sit back and watch the guys at Hawaii and the guys at Palm Springs, but it was also fun. We had great weather at home. I got to watch my boys play basketball, and they loved doing that. It was a nice break.

Q. You have been on the Tour for a long time. Given the depth on the Tour, is it harder than ever to win out here?
MATT KUCHAR: Watching those guys fire a couple of 59s, I figured I better get to work and make sure my game was sharp. I knew I had my work cut out for me getting back out here.

Q. The kids playing so well, are they that much better than who you used to play like in the '90s or early 2000s? Or do you think the equipment is helping these younger guys?
MATT KUCHAR: I think you're seeing it across all sports. I think you're seeing guys bigger, stronger, faster, better athletes train harder. It's happening in golf. We are getting guys full-on committed early, and working towards being great. The depth is strong out here.

Q. Do you care if they just keep making the equipment better and better, then, or do you think it's time to put a break on it?
MATT KUCHAR: I think there is a fine line in the sand that the USGA has drawn. The rebound effect with how far the golf balls can go, I mean, you're seeing guys swing the club head so fast that -- you know, I don't think guys were swinging it 120 20 years ago, and now you have got guys swinging it that fast that the ball is going to go when you have that sort of club head speed.

Q. It's been since 2014 since you won, but nine top 10s last year. Do you just say if I put myself in position, it's gonna come again?
MATT KUCHAR: Not much else you can do, is there? You keep plotting away and do the best you can. I have regretted not making Kapalua the past couple years. Certainly that's a goal of mine every year. All I can do is keep plotting away and give myself chances, and hopefully I can find the winner's circle again.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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