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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

February 4, 2018

Gary Woodland

Scottsdale, Arizona

Q. After all you and Gabby have been through in the past little bit, holding this bundle of joy and being back in the winner's circle has got to feel incredibly special, I would think.
GARY WOODLAND: He's a miracle. It puts it in perspective. It was obviously a long year for us. I'm really happy; one to be holding him and also to be where I'm at.

Q. What got you through today? You played a terrific round of golf right from the get-go.
GARY WOODLAND: I put a lot of work in this off season. I mean obviously I knew what has been going on in the last couple years, short game, needed some adjustment, I spent some time with Pete Cowen. Pete really got me to where I have confidence in my short game and that allowed me to be more aggressive and let Butch and I do what we do. And play aggressive off the tee, play aggressive with the irons and attack from there. It's been a big difference.

Q. How does this win affect now how you're going to approach the rest of the year?
GARY WOODLAND: We're just building. We're going to keep growing, keep getting better. I still have a lot of work to do, I still have to get more comfortable with the little things I'm working on, but I'm excited about where we're at.

Q. Your third win on the PGA TOUR, took five years to arrive. Just how sweet is this moment?
GARY WOODLAND: This is pretty special. It's been a long five years, it's been -- but it's been coming, we knew it the last month. The caddie told me today, hey, this has been building, this is coming. And sure enough today it all clicked and I made some putts early, gave me some confidence and really hit the ball well coming down the stretch.

Q. All you've been through in the last year, just how much does this moment mean to you emotionally?
GARY WOODLAND: It's hard right now for me to grasp it, but it's emotional, he's a miracle, and I'm just happy to be here right now.

Q. Back in the top-50 in the world right now. Just how excited are you about the possibilities this year, playing this well? You're in good form coming in here this week.
GARY WOODLAND: I felt like I got off to good start last year and played well. And obviously we dealt with some stuff off the course. So it was a battle last year but it was nice to get to the off season and really start over this year. It's been a good start to the year and another good start.

Q. Describe your emotions down the stretch when you made three birdies in a row to get yourself in the mix and then in the playoff.
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, really I was in the zone. I mean I really had it going. My caddie asked me when we got done, did I know I made nine birdies. I didn't even know that I did that. I knew I was just trying to give myself a chance. I knew there was some birdie holes down the stretch, I knew the guys behind me could make birdies, I was just trying to give myself a chance every hole because I knew the putter felt good. Unfortunately I missed the birdie on the last hole. That would have been a really good finish, to birdie the last four. But all in all I was very comfortable with all aspects of the game today.

Q. What a sensational win on Super Bowl Sunday. I was with you all day, you played sensational golf and especially your putter. Talk about your emotions right now and how much this win means to you.
GARY WOODLAND: I'm kind of overwhelmed right now. I've played well the last five years, I think I had six second-place finish. I just haven't put four rounds together. That was the struggle last year. I found a way to put three good rounds together it seems like a lot of weeks. And this week Butch, we didn't talk about winning or anything, Butch sent me a text on Thursday and said, just put four good rounds together. I don't care what you shoot, just put four good rounds together. I did that and fortunately it was enough this week.

Q. Your putter was just on fire today and really all of this season you've been putting well. It's been your Achilles Heel. What has turned it around? Have you been working hard with Butch?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, I spent some time with Brad Faxon. When I first got out here I played a lot of practice rounds with Brad. And fortunately we both moved in the same area down in South Florida and I spent some time with him this off season and really just freed it up. My stroke's been pretty good. I felt like mechanically it's good, I just had to get my mind out of the way and he was able to help me do that.

Q. Last year you called it the hardest year of your life with everything that happened with Gabby, with your son Jaxson, with your family. What does this win mean to all of you?
GARY WOODLAND: It's really hard to put in words right now. I'm, obviously, last year we battled through it, couldn't get to the off season quick enough, couldn't start 2018 soon enough. For him to be here, it's obviously a miracle, but I'm just so excited to share this with him and my family and hopefully it's the start of something special.

Q. Posted a final round 64. As you were coming down the stretch, were you watching the leaderboard? What kind of things were going through your mind, especially with the crowd size here?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, we saw the leaderboard for sure, especially on the back nine. You know, the last six or seven holes there are a lot of birdies out there and good chance for eagle. So we were just trying to get it on the green, trying to give ourself a chance. We did that coming down the stretch. I really played beautifully all day. Got out of position really on 11 is really about it, when I made bogey. But outside of that, controlled the ball, putter felt great, iron game was obviously very good.

Q. Your first win in several years. What can a win, especially one going to a playoff, do for your confidence going forward?
GARY WOODLAND: Really just verifies what we have been doing. Butch and I put a lot of work in. We have gotten some outside help with some other areas of our game, but Butch and I battled through this really for five years and just verifies that we're doing the right things and we're hoping to build something special.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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