	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

March 30, 2017

Sung Kang

Humble, Texas

Q. Twelve of 14 fairways, missed only three greens. Was able to get up and down. Missed only three greens, but was able to get up and down for par. Twenty-seven putts. I know you want 26 putts. You missed the 4-footer on 18. You take away the positives.
SUNG KANG: I played pretty solid today. The wind wasn't very hard but consistent today. Kind of hard to trust the wind. I think I did it pretty well. Fortunately.

Q. When you play as well as you did coming into 18, does that make you even hungrier to get out in the morning where the conditions are a little more docile?
SUNG KANG: First Round. The next round starts again. Start again tomorrow.

Q. Appreciate your time.
A terrific round of 6. Little disappointed with the 5 at the last. You said it was a spike mark.

SUNG KANG: Couple spike mark right on my line and then, yeah, as I tried to hit a straight putt and went to the right. But except for that played great today.

Q. Obviously got off to a terrific start. 4 birdies on the first 6 holes. What was the key to that little run?
SUNG KANG: The wind wasn't blowing very hard but kind of consistent. Kind of hard to commit to it. I mean myself and my caddie, Jason, we were talking about even the wind changes, just try to commit to it and try to hit the best shot I can hit. We just do that and worked out great today.

Q. Not always the birdies you make, the bogies you don't make. One of your best shots of the day came here at 14, the 2nd shot. Can you describe this one for us.
SUNG KANG: Yeah.

Q. A big hit.
SUNG KANG: The lie was great. I didn't have much room. I tried to kind of land it next to the hole. Fortunately it was a little into the wind. Just a little bit easier than actually looked, but I think I hit one of the best shots of the day and made a good putt, too.

Q. Hit a terrific tee shot off the 17th hole. Slow motion swing of yours here. If you would, just talk us through what you look for in your swing as we see this wonderful tee shot.
SUNG KANG: I don't know. The wind was blowing left to right. I tried to aim at the cart path and put it down there. That's what I talked to my caddie. I exactly did it.

Q. You like to fade the ball from left to right? Seemed like you did a few times today.
SUNG KANG: The wind as off the left. If I miss it to the right and block it, it's going to be a little shorter, short of the trap trouble. That's why I try to hit a little bit of cut.

Q. This is your 15th tournament of the year. That's a lot of golf. You seem the play 29, 30 tournaments a year. Do you just love to play?
SUNG KANG: I've beep working on my golf swings and putting and trying to get it done. It's been pretty close. Today was the -- it worked out great today. Hopefully from now on I keep playing like this the full year, it would be great.

Q. Well played today.
SUNG KANG: Thank you.

Q. The last putt notwithstanding, you played really, really well.
SUNG KANG: I played really solid today. Just the last hole unfortunately there was a couple of spike marks and kicked to the right. Except for that, played great. The greens are rolling pure and putting great today. I'm very pleased with how I played today.

Q. Talk about 14, that 2nd shot. You missed the green right and pulled off that awesome pitch shot up to about 6 feet. What was going through your mind. How did you play that?
SUNG KANG: Actually there wasn't a lot of room, but the lie was pretty good and a touch into the wind. Just hit it in the air, just feel I hit it past the flag, little past the flag, and the wind hit it and stop it. It worked out perfect.

Q. You described it easier than it really was. The drive at 17 you drove it nearly 320 yards. You're longer than I thought. You were driving the ball exceptionally well today.
SUNG KANG: I drove the ball pretty well today and actually I think I hit a lot of fairways.

Q. You did.
SUNG KANG: I hit a lot of 3-woods off the tee, too. Fairways kind of wet today, so kind of little bit easier to hit the fairways because it stops right away. It was fun today.

Q. Especially with all three guys playing well, Geoff played well, Zac ended with 4 straight birdies. Is that kind of an infectious deal when everybody is playing well makes it easier?
SUNG KANG: The pairing was really good. Nobody was waiting and everybody was really nice. Just fun today.

Q. It was a fun day. Keep it going.
Hiccup at the last. How would you describe 65 in the first round?

SUNG KANG: I played very solid today. It wasn't very windy, but wind direction was not really very consistent today. It was kind of hard to commit to the shots. My caddy and I were talking about. Even the wind changes come to the shot and try to hit the best shot. Accept the result. We did it great today. The last hole just unfortunately I had a couple of spike marks in front of the golf ball and just hit those and kicked it to the right, and except for that, I think I putted great today.

Q. Coming into this week, what sense did you have that there might be a low one in store for you?
SUNG KANG: I don't know. I'm not really thinking about the result. I just keep grinding, keep playing well, and just do what I can do and try to do best I can perform, and that's what I was think.

Q. How did this course change from the rain yesterday, what maybe you saw earlier in the week?
SUNG KANG: Fairways were very -- I mean wet today, and I guess mud balls and it was kind of really hard to really expect where the ball is going to go. So, I think we did it pretty good on that today and it worked out good, and next couple of days I believe the greens are going to be a get a little firmer and fairways get firmer. Might be easier to the greens, but it's going to be hard to hit it closer to the greens than today. Greens are very soft today. We could have actually hit more toward the flag more aggressively. It will get firmer. Got to play a little more conservatively, play a little bit more safe.

Q. Last year you shot 78 in the final round here.
SUNG KANG: I don't remember that. I don't know what you're talking about.

Q. How do you explain such a big improvement from one round?
SUNG KANG: I think I hit it in the water four times on 18. I was playing all right. Golf changes everyday. Who knows. I can only do what I can do.

Q. Can you say what you are working on with the new coach you have?
SUNG KANG: We've been working on the iron game, because I was pretty good off the tee but my iron play wasn't as good. And then last few weeks it keeps getting better and I got new irons and they are working great. I was able to hit it close enough to make some birdies. Hopefully I can just keep doing that all year.

Q. How about the putter, first time in the bag?
SUNG KANG: Changed my putter this week to TaylorMade, I got to use it the last couple months. Okay. I got to try it this week. I did it and it worked out great today. Thank you, Sean.

Q. Do you allow yourself to think about turning a big week here into a possible trip to Augusta?
SUNG KANG: No. First day just finish. I don't really think about the future very much. Whatever happens, happens. I keep doing what I can do the next few days and just accept the result.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297