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DEAN & DELUCA INVITATIONAL

May 26, 2017

Fort Worth, Texas

Q. 5-under par Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm. Sergio, seeing you guys here like this, I can't help but think if this was 15 years ago... (indiscernible.)
SERGIO GARCIA: (In Spanish.) Yeah, I totally agree. I think that it's been a fun couple of days. We obviously are good friends. Like I said at the beginning of the year, it's awesome to have another Spaniard playing well like he's doing.

You know, anything that helps Spanish sports, Spanish golf.

Q. (No microphone.)
SERGIO GARCIA: Yes, I think we are both playing well. I think Jon played really well yesterday. He stayed patient today. I didn't play quite as well, but it was tough. I managed to play nicely and roll a few putts in today that I wasn't able to do yesterday.

We're both having a good time.

Q. How much, Jon, is it about finding the strategy and patient here?
JON RAHM: You know, strategy obviously (indiscernible) whatever you feel in the moment. But being patient is kind of tough, especially on a day like today when you're hitting good shots and things are not going your way, like it happened to me on 12, 13, 14, 15.

I was hitting good shots just not happening. Luckily I was getting great up and downs, but I did lose a little bit of patience just because I was putting myself in situations and I just wasn't hitting the shots.

To be honest, the most nervous I was all day was the birdie opportunities on 17 because I can't go birdie free today. Just straight up the hill, three feet. I'm like, Oh, man I'm going to be really not patient if I miss this putt. Luckily it went in.

Q. (No microphone.)
JON RAHM: It was great. We kind of switched rolls today. Yesterday I played great and I fought hard and ended up with a 1-under round. Today he started amazing. The front nine was pure ball striking right there.

It was a great lesson to be learned for me today. I hung out and ended up with two great birdies. I think we both been playing great. Hopefully we can keep doing this for the weekend.

Q. Calling it a little bit of the case of the old and the young. I don't want to be disrespect of the but now ass 37 you've worn that tag. What was it like out there?
SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, but I knew what to expect. Obviously we been playing together pretty much all year, with him and with Rafa. A lot of practice rounds. We also played in the match play together.

So it's been a good week so far for both of us. Has been playing tough the first couple of days. I think we hang tough there, be patient, and we should be happy where we stand.

Q. Very good playing. For you, is it looking up to Sergio and what he's achieved in his career and feeding and learning off someone of his stature?
JON RAHM: Definitely. Very comparable occasions. Best stat we can say he played his first Masters he win the pasters. Hopefully in a couple years someone will come back and play his first Masters so I can win it.

Yeah, it's really kind of history repeating itself. Luckily I spent two days with them and learned about what real ball striking was.

Today the front nine, (indiscernible) I was just fortunate enough to find the two birdies at the end.

Q. I thought that was hanging tough stuff. I mean, credit, right? He was struggling to find a rhythm all day and you're hanging tough.
SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, definitely. Obviously it was a tough day, and we were hitting some good shots that ended up as good as they maybe felt. That probably happened a little to him today. Yeah, I mean, he showed us what he's capable of doing. He's got a great quality of ball flight and trajectory and everything.

I think that's not something that you can see from a lot of guys nowadays coming out of college and stuff like that.

Q. Jon, conversely, the show that Sergio put on was pretty impressive. He really didn't let up.
JON RAHM: Yeah, it really was an impressive round. His first three holes he had every putt like ten feet for birdie. Hit a great shot on 5. (Plane interference.) Up and down on 5, which is really impressive. Great shot on 6. Great shot after great shot. Great shot on 7. Amazing shot on 8.

It wasn't easy conditions, and to be honest there were a couple shots, like 9 and 18, that were just right on the edge and couldn't believe (indiscernible). I was trying to -- I don't know if you could see. I was trying to blow the ball in the hole because it was a perfect angle. It was really amazing. It was not that easy golf today, and sure made it look easy.

Q. What's the message going into the weekend? Vamos?
SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, definitely. We got to keep going, keep the same patience that we had the first two days. We know the course is not playing easy. We'll see. You know, if it doesn't rain it's going it's still going to be tough.

Q. Jon, you want an omen: Guess who won the Colonial event in his first start? Sergio Garcia.
JON RAHM: I knew that already. I came here a couple years ago for the Ben Hogan Award, and they made sure the first thing I knew was, Your countrymen, Sergio, won when he was 21 years old. Maybe you will win next year when you come. I'm like, you know, that would be a great thing obviously, just to be paired with this guy in somewhat similar what he's done had his career.

Q. (No microphone.)
SERGIO GARCIA: It's been good. It's been great fun. I think we both had two really good days on difficult conditions. I think we're happy the way we played. Excited going into the weekend.

Q. How much would you say you fed off each other the first two rounds?
JON RAHM: A lot. To be honest, I think we played a role that when one of us were struggling, the other one had a good day. Yesterday I was playing good when he didn't have his best start, making some amazing par saves. Today he was playing great and I didn't have my best start.

I think being happy for each other and pulling for each other, and that's how our game ended up under par on a tough day like today and yesterday.

Q. How do you calm yourself down on the golf course?
JON RAHM: I'm rather an emotional person. I tend to express good or bad. To be honest, usually when I get to the next hole I've forgotten about it. It might not look like it, but I just let it all out and go to the next hole.

(Indiscernible) only made bogey on No 3. (Indiscernible) I would not finished the way I did today. Once I hit that tee shot on 17, something clicked. Such a pure shot that I just let things happen.

And, you know, two holes left. Let's just get it done. Every thing went away. Before that it was a struggle to hold on.

Q. (No microphone.)
SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, I mean, I've said it many, many times before the Masters. I was very proud of my career before that week. Obviously now I'm prouder. I feel very fortunate about the way I've played throughout my whole career. It's not easy to stay up there like I have done for so many years.

Hopefully I will stay in good shape and physically I won't have any problems and I can keep going another, I don't know, 10, 12 years. It is nice to come back to a course where you know you've done well and where I won my first PGA TOUR event.

Q. You guys speaking Spanish the entire time or what?
SERGIO GARCIA: Yes.

JON RAHM: Yes.

SERGIO GARCIA: Sometimes we will tell each other good shot or something like that in English. Mainly it's probably so the caddie can understand, too. Is it just comes out that way.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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