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KIA CLASSIC

March 23, 2017

Mo Martin

Carlsbad, California

Q. Got to feel pretty good, right?
MO MARTIN: Yeah, I feel great. I love everything about this week. It's pretty much home territory. I was born and raised in L.A., but just a chance for all my family and friends to be out.

Weather is perfect. I mean, the course in and of itself I love playing it. Love the setup. Keeps you on your toes all day. When you're not hitting shots you've got beautiful scenery, wildflowers.

No complaints about the week. It's perfect.

Q. Speaking of L.A., where are you going to watch the Bruins?
MO MARTIN: Ah, well, I'm playing tomorrow afternoon, so what time are they playing?

Q. 4:00, 4:30.
MO MARTIN: Oh, okay. Then I'll have to catch the end of it, but I'll be with them in spirit.

Q. Pretty exciting.
MO MARTIN: Yeah, for sure.

Q. How did you feel on the course today? Obviously beautiful; bit of rain yesterday; green as ever. How did you feel?
MO MARTIN: Yeah, we've had a tremendous amount of rain in California, but we've had sunshine, too. Coming out here on Monday it was like the grass is healthy and lush, which makes the fairways and the greens super nice.

It also let's the rough be a little bit thicker than we've seen it before. I like it. I love it when it's playing tough. We had a couple Sunday pin placements out there today. It was a fun day. Good to have family and friends out. I played well. Good all around.

Q. How big is your cheering section?
MO MARTIN: Today I probably had about six people with Go Mo buttons on. We had Go Mo button sign made. That was pretty good. Had one made every year. It's been fun to add to the collection of friends and family out here.

Q. What were your best shots? Dodgy shots?
MO MARTIN: I never remember the dodgy ones. I had a ton of really good shots today, which I had been doing pretty much for the last year.

Just had a really good putting day. I've been waiting for a good putting week and I had a good putting day today. It was great.

Q. Could you highlight your birdie holes, 1, 5, 6, 7-, 10, and 17?
MO MARTIN: 1, I didn't birdie 1. No, I did birdie 1. I'm sorry. Yeah, you want me to go over the details?

Q. Just the birdie holes, if you don't mind.
MO MARTIN: Yeah, no problem. It's good to start out with a birdie to see especially a downhill swinger go in. I was above the hole to the right. It was a right pin location on No. 1. So just to see a slider go in early, that's always good for the confidence.

Q. (No microphone.)
MO MARTIN: About 15 feet, but downhill. Sliding pretty good.

Then I had a streak of three in a row there, starting with 5. Just hit it where I wanted to all three shots and made a pretty straight downhill putt on 5.

Q. About how far was the putt?
MO MARTIN: That one was probably inside ten feet.

Q. Okay.
MO MARTIN: Then 7 was par-3. That one was a longer one, probably about a 35-footer. Longest putt I made all day, which was great.

Q. That was 7? What about No. 6?
MO MARTIN: I'm sorry. No. 5 is where I started. That was a par-5 with a straight downhill putt.

No. 6 was the par-3, 35-footer, another left-to-righter.

7 then was downhill. That one I hit to about three feet, four feet. Two great shots. Made the putt.

Then on to the back. I birdied 10. I actually almost holed my 9-iron there into the green.

Q. (No microphone.)
MO MARTIN: Yeah, looked pretty close.

Q. Three, four feet?
MO MARTIN: Yeah, maybe about five feet behind it.

Then on 11 almost slam dunked that one. My pitch mark was about six inches just right of the hole, but I didn't make that putt.

And then 17, another par-5. That one was -- that was probably about a 15-footer behind the hole.

Q. What did you hit on the Par 3?
MO MARTIN: On 11?

Q. No, no, on 6.
MO MARTIN: 9-wood, which is like my 4-iron.

Q. You played on the minor tour, the support tour...
MO MARTIN: Symetra Tour.

Q. ...for a number of years. Do you know how many years?
MO MARTIN: Six years.

Q. I would think after playing for that long you've got to really appreciate where you are. Could you talk about your road, being here.
MO MARTIN: Well, I mean, I said it then, and I said it every day, I appreciated being there, too, I mean, to be able to play golf for a living.

Yeah, I mean, I've had struggles that some people out here or a lot of people out here haven't.

I still lead a blessed life to be born in North America and to have gone to great schools. I walked on to UCLA and ended up earning a scholarship. Then, yeah, played on the Symetra Tour for a while. I was still able to pay my own bills. Maybe barely.

Still I enjoyed it then, so, yeah, I've had a wonderful life.

Q. How many times have you played this tournament?
MO MARTIN: This will be my sixth.

Q. How have you done?
MO MARTIN: Second year I was here I finished one stroke out of a playoff. So, yeah, like I said, I really like this golf course.

I like being here.

Q. What is it you like about the course?
MO MARTIN: What I was talking about before. I mean, it's very pretty. It's a good setup. My family and friends are here.

So location and everything about the setup.

Q. How tall are you?
MO MARTIN: That's a personal question. (Laughter.)

Q. I didn't ask weight, nor did I ask your age. (Laughter.)
MO MARTIN: There is an LPGA commercial on there. I mean, I'm 5'2" and probably a half.

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