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U.S. SENIOR OPEN

July 1, 2017

Brandt Jobe

Peabody, Massachusetts

THE MODERATOR: It's my pleasure to welcome Brandt Jobe here into the Media Center. Rounds of 70, 69, and then today an 8-under 62 in the third round, 33, 29, for that 8-under 62, which ties the lowest score in U.S. Senior Open history.

Brandt, great day. Just can you talk a little bit about how, on moving day, you felt maybe there was a little bit of a sense of urgency to get things going today?

BRANDT JOBE: I played solid the first two days. I just didn't give myself a lot of opportunities. I played with Fred Couples and Jay Haas. Jay and I kind of watched Fred play. Made a few pars and threw in a birdie here and there.

Today, my mindset was to be a little bit more aggressive. I think I was being too conservative, flying it five short. Today, it was like having to fly it two or three short.

I gave myself more opportunities. Played the par 3s very well, birdied all of them, which that always -- 2s don't add up as fast as 3s. But overall, good day. Obviously, I got out before the wind really picked up so that helped. Breezy on the back nine.

Just kind of had a game plan today and rolled in some putts. I haven't made any putts this week. So that was kind of fun.

THE MODERATOR: Great day. 13 out of 14 in fairways. 16 of 18 greens and 26 putts. If we could, just go through your card, tell us the approach shots you hit in, the length of putts for your birdies. Started off a couple pars, and then a birdie on the par 3 3rd.

BRANDT JOBE: Yes, today it was about 280 yards. I hit a 5 iron about 12 feet short of the hole right uphill.

THE MODERATOR: That was probably, what, the 5th hole? The shorter par 3, the 3rd hole.

BRANDT JOBE: Oh, I'm sorry. No, this is a good story. I hit pitching wedge there and blocked it out to the right. Horrible shot, kind of upset the whole way down there. Probably had a 40-, 50-footer and made it.

So that kind of like got things going, which was kind of nice. Then I went to the next par 3, and what's that, 5? I hit a 5 iron just short.

THE MODERATOR: Birdied that one. And then the 6th hole, par 5.

BRANDT JOBE: 6 hole, I hit 3 wood, 2 iron in the right bunker, which actually is a very good place to be. Just kind of get it out, and it goes to the hole, and I knocked it up about a foot.

THE MODERATOR: Then you bogeyed 8, so you turned in 33. Parred 10 and 11, but then really got it going with a run of five straight birdies starting at the 12th hole.

BRANDT JOBE: I've got to remember what the 1st hole is now.

THE MODERATOR: The par 3.

BRANDT JOBE: Par 3, 168 yards. The wind was starting to pick up a little bit. I hit a 9 iron to five feet.

THE MODERATOR: And the 13, the par 4.

BRANDT JOBE: 13, I hit a 3 wood and a sand wedge to about ten feet.

THE MODERATOR: Then the other par 5 as well, the 14th.

BRANDT JOBE: I hit driver, 3 wood. It's been an iron in there, but that's where you start noticing the wind. I had driver, 3 wood, and I hit 3 and 4 iron in there the last two days. So driver, 3 wood, just right of the green. Chipped it up and made about a 15-footer.

THE MODERATOR: And then 15, the par 3.

BRANDT JOBE: 15, the par 3. Hit a 5 iron to about 12 feet just right of the hole and made that.

THE MODERATOR: And then 16, par 4?

BRANDT JOBE: 16 was a 3 wood, sand wedge to about 15 feet, right below the hole.

THE MODERATOR: Made a nice par on 17. And then 18, middle of the fairway.

BRANDT JOBE: 18 was a driver. Hit an 8 iron from like 154. So now the wind -- you know, started it way out to the right, just watched it come in to about four feet, right below the hole, couldn't have been better, and tapped that in.

THE MODERATOR: Were you thinking about that, the chance of shooting a 62, and that that is the record in USGA Open championships, or were you just focused on the task ahead?

BRANDT JOBE: No. See, luckily, I didn't know that's the case. So that's a good thing. I'm out there, obviously, trying to play catch-up. Just trying to go as low as you can on a Saturday, add them up. Those guys have a lot of holes to play, and a lot can happen. So just try to make as many birdies as you can on Saturday.

THE MODERATOR: Who are the kids you came in with?

BRANDT JOBE: I got my kids here. They haven't been out here quite some time so I'm going to bring them through. They might want to get into media here down the road. So I brought them out to see all this.

No? Everyone said don't do it?

THE MODERATOR: Let's open it up to questions.

Q. Did you have any idea or thought of getting back into the tournament with a chance to win it after entering today?
BRANDT JOBE: No, I don't think so. I wasn't thinking that. I had played okay the first two days. I really scored poorly. So I kind of thought, boy, if you go out there and shoot 4 or 5 under, then, you know, another 4 or 5 under, you can get yourself a top ten, top five finish. That was possible.

And I still think today there will be somebody that goes out and plays well. I watched Kenny Perry finish yesterday. There will be somebody that goes out there and starts tearing it up. It just happens every week.

So I got close, and we'll see where we're at tomorrow.

Q. I'm not looking to have you become an apologist for Salem Country Club, but as you can imagine, the local forces are a little bit depressed today with how you players have been assaulting this golf course, and you're now leading the charge here in the third round.
What can you share of your impressions of this golf course in the perspective of the beating they've been taking at the hands of you players after almost three full days?

BRANDT JOBE: Well, unfortunately for the golf course, they've gotten a lot of rain. Yesterday afternoon, you started to see it get a little firm, a little bounce. If they got this golf course firmer, you would not see these scores. It just wouldn't happen because it would be too hard -- we'd all be playing so afraid of hitting it over the green, it would just be extremely difficult.

So really, unfortunately, I guess, for the golf course, for the membership, they didn't get the conditions they would have liked. We've got great scoring conditions, which is soft greens. And when you give these guys, as good as they are, soft greens, they shoot low scores.

Q. As a followup, back in 2001, the greens were the absolute terror for the players. Winning score was even par, and the players were extremely frustrated with the greens throughout those four days. That is obviously not the case here. Your explanation for that?
BRANDT JOBE: You know, I'll tell you, I will say this, and I hope no one -- I'm surprised they're not a little faster. I'm sure, back then, they got them a little quicker. If you got these greens just a little bit quicker, it would really put a little bit more scare into us.

But I think probably back then too, if you had a little bounce, a little firmness with a little speed, we'd be playing defense on every single hole, even when you had a wedge in your hand.

And a Donald Ross course, I think of Pinehurst, when I played the Open there, standing in the middle of the fairway with a sand wedge, wondering how am I going to hit the green because it got so firm. So I think that's the only thing they're missing and, unfortunately, the weather hasn't cooperated for them.

Q. Brandt, given that, do you think there's any way possible, with the precipitation they had yesterday, that they could maybe get it a little firmer tomorrow, make it a little more challenging? Look, you can't control the weather but --
BRANDT JOBE: If it doesn't rain tonight, and I don't know what the forecast is.

Q. It might.
BRANDT JOBE: Yeah, and it seems they've had that every single day. If it doesn't rain, I think you'll see a little bit more bounce in them. The scores weren't as low yesterday, and I think they started getting a little firmer. You start seeing that.

Q. This will probably depend on exactly what happens the rest of the afternoon, but will you now go out with a similar mindset of 4 or 5 under would be okay, or do you think you have to be even more aggressive to get yourself to the front?
BRANDT JOBE: I think now, obviously, kind of getting back in things, I'll see where they're finished, see how many back I am at the end of today. I mean, obviously, you get five, six back, you've got to go. If you're two or three, you still know you're going to have to shoot a great round.

So I know, for me to have any chance, I've got to have another great round tomorrow.

Q. Brandt, I remember you came in the media room at Riviera a few years ago and you got on the board, and you talked about how harrowing it was when you had your hand injury.
How blessed do you feel just to have a career these days, given what you went through?

BRANDT JOBE: Unfortunately, I've had a lot of injuries that kind of plagued me. Freak injuries. Shattered my hamate bone twice, out for two years. Cut my fingers off with a broom, out for three years. And all that time, you try and play. You know, you don't play good. You pick up bad habits, and you play worse, and then it just gets more frustrating.

So I don't know what my Tour career was, maybe 14 years, but I probably spent seven of them hurt. That was frustrating.

Q. Secondly, what kind of momentum did you pull out of winning recently, and do you still pull something from that this week?
BRANDT JOBE: You know, I think, like anything, winning that tournament was more of a relief. You work so hard, and you try and win. The ultimate goal is to win golf tournaments. That's how everybody measures you. You can have a great career and pile up some money. But at the end of the day, what did you win?

So that was obviously nice, obviously a relief, obviously telling me the things I'm doing are good enough to win. So just stay down that same path and keep giving yourself opportunities.

Q. I'm just curious, if you can put it into words, how much fun it is to shoot 62 in a Major? You know, give a good explanation for the euphoria of it, the enjoyment of it.
BRANDT JOBE: I think like any -- when you're playing a course like this or a USGA setup, U.S. Open, whether it's the Open or Senior Open, whatever it is, a Major, you don't get to really enjoy what you've done until you're done because it's a grind. You're one swing away, one mistake away from making a double or a triple. It's no different on this golf course.

Like I said, the fairways have gotten wider because it's a little softer and you're not getting the bounce. But, you know, I think today, when I get done and I get away from here, I'll go, all right, that was a pretty cool round. Let's do it again.

THE MODERATOR: Started the day tied for 29th, currently in the top five. Good luck tomorrow.

BRANDT JOBE: Thank you. Appreciate it.

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