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WGC DELL MATCH PLAY

March 21, 2017

Jhonattan Vegas

Austin, Texas

MARK WILLIAMS: We'd like to welcome Jhonattan Vegas into the interview at the Dell Technologies Match Play. It's a bit of return for you. It's your first start in the event, but coming back to Austin where you went to school.

JHONATTAN VEGAS: It's actually super exciting to be back in Austin, playing in Austin, the place where pretty much everything started for me 13 years ago, which just seems like it was the other day, but it's been 13 years. It's fun coming back to a familiar place, a place where I have a lot of friends, people that I love and something that feels like home. So it's actually pretty neat to be here.

MARK WILLIAMS: Coming here for your first event in the Match Play rounds, you've played at least once in every World Golf Championship event. Talk about the pairings that you got last night.

JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well, obviously, I don't know if they did that on purpose, but it's a bomber's group, that's for sure. We've got Bubba, we have Thomas, and Scott Piercy and great strong players. Obviously distance is not going to be an advantage in that group. But it's going to be a tough one. It's going to be a tough one. Three phenomenal players I'm going to have to face the next three days.

I think ball-striking is going to be a key in that group, which is good. I'm feeling really good about my ball-striking lately. I feel like I'm putting and playing well. I have my chances obviously and looking forward to an exciting three days.

Q. What was your match play record like as a youngster?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Really good, actually. It's been a while since I played match play, but it's been really good. I made it to the semis of the U.S. Amateur in 2007 here. Won the Venezuela Amateur Championship, which was match play. The South American Cup, we won a few times, which was match play, and I had a good record.

I love the aggressiveness of match play. It's all about one hole, it's about what the opponent does and you being able to take a risk and being able to live with the risks without being afraid of taking chances. So I think it's a format that I actually feel real comfortable. I love it, so I'm excited.

Q. Someone being able to take risks, that's what makes a good match player in your mind or what is it?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: I think in match play you have to take risks, you have to be aggressive all the time. Like I say, you can make two doubles or two triples, taking risks, but if you may five, six, seven birdies you're going to be a hard guy to beat that day.

So I think taking risks is definitely -- taking something that is good for match play. That's why here you saw Rory and Jason and Louis, some of those guys which are birdie makers pretty much.

Q. How have you changed as a golfer since your days at UT?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: A whole different guy, that's for sure. When I stepped on this campus 13 years ago, my English wasn't as good. So I wasn't pretty much ready for it. But I just came here with dreams to really be successful and do my best and enjoy my time here. So I'm a little more experienced now with a family now, one-year-old baby. The experience definitely it's a big part of it.

Q. If you could go back and give 20-year-old Jhonny some tips, what would you tell him?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: To enjoy the process, because at the end of the day that's what resonates with you through the years. You have to enjoy the process. You have to love everything you do through the process. And do the best you can. That's the -- nothing is written. So you've just got to enjoy it, do your best.

Q. You have Presidents Cup goals. This is a chance for you to show Captain Price that you could be in that team?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Definitely. Like I said, ever since the beginning of the year, The Presidents Cup and this tournament have been on my radar. It's different events. It's match play, you're playing a whole different format for different things. And like I said, I'm really comfortable playing match play. I like it. I really, really like it. I like everything about it.

And obviously being a part of The Presidents Cup is obviously that every player, and an International is player in my case, want to be a part of. It's been pretty high on my radar.

Q. Do you have any kind of tactics in mind for how you want to approach this week? Is there psychological warfare or overwhelm them with aggressive shots?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: It's really hard to have a plan against some of these guys. You just have to come out and play good golf. I think something that I like about this week is that I'm really comfortable around this golf course. I've played it probably 50, 60 times. And just seeing all the shots, seeing all the pins, knowing what things do, it makes me feel a little more comfortable. But besides that you still have to play good golf.

I mean, playing with Bubba, you have to be a good player. The same thing with the other two guys. You have to really play good golf to beat them. But I like my chances, like I said. And it's a place that I feel comfortable at.

Q. When did you feel like your game flipped, in the last couple of years? What do you think the turning point was for you?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: You know what, there were probably a couple of key moments. Obviously losing my full status at the end of '15 was definitely something hard to swallow. So that allowed me to make some key changes to actually get better. I kind of felt like I was just going through the motions and wasn't really making some good progress. So that really allowed me to make some good changes.

And getting a caddie with a lot more experience gave me a whole different perspective of what I need to improve to be better and be one of the top players. Pretty much that moment right there was the one that kind of made me realize that I needed to improve a little bit more. And it's been a great process ever since.

Q. Do you have some burnt orange in the closet you're going to pull out this week?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: For sure. The wardrobe is definitely a little orange this week.

Q. Do you have a favorite hole on this course or a favorite stretch of holes?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Well, obviously this week 11, 12, 13, that stretch around the water, it's a fun one. It's a fun one because you actually -- I mean, right where it's situated on the course with 11, 12, 13, it's a high risk-reward stretch. And obviously being around the water, being -- it's usually windy here, so with the wind and everything it plays a really important role. So I love that stretch. Obviously the views are not bad with the hills and the water. So I love that stretch.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the chemistry of your team?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Yes, like I said, it's been really good through the years with Kevin Kirk. We've always had a long-term goal, a long-term approach to things. And that's kind of why I feel like I've really been good at. And Rubin came into the team about a year and a half ago. He's been a great piece of the puzzle. He's brought a whole different energy. He's a really demanding caddie, which is good, which is really good. That's what you want in a caddie. You don't want a caddie that's just happy with being here. He's a man that really likes winning and playing well. So Rubin has been a lot of fun, it's made the team a lot better, that's for sure.

Q. Some of the great UT golfers through the years, Kite, Crenshaw, Justin Leonard, Jordan Spieth, can you keep comparing yourself to them through the years?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: I consider myself another -- obviously great UT player that's come out of there. Obviously to compare myself with those guys, not quite there, I would say. They're major winners, won multiple times on the PGA Tour on great events. I've only won twice. I feel like I have obviously a long way to be there. But making my way there for sure.

Q. How often do you keep up with Coach Fields and has he given you any advice at all for this week?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: This week, no. But I stay in touch with Coach Fields a lot. Obviously I'm a huge UT fan in every single sport there is, especially in golf. I was a big part of that team and that program. And I like to see them do well. So I talk to him a lot about the kids and how they're doing and the approach and any little advice that I could give him, too. I like to be involved with them. And I love to see them do well. But we stay in touch a lot. We talk frequently, for sure.

MARK WILLIAMS: Jhonattan, we appreciate you making the time and good luck this week.

JHONATTAN VEGAS: Thank you, guys, let's have a fun week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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