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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 15, 2018

Rickie Fowler

Orlando, Florida

Q. I would call it uneventful, but 67 in the books. Your thoughts?
RICKIE FOWLER: Nice day. Been putting some work in on the swing the past couple weeks where it's been a little off the start of the year, not where we would have liked it. It was nice to have the off season I kind of did where we had some nice finishes, but it got a little off, so it's nice to kind of see things pay off. I had some good ball striking down in Mexico and today to have a couple tap-in birdies after some close wedge shots, a couple made putts, and like you said, other than that, it wasn't nothing too special. So those stress-free 67s can keep coming whenever they want.

Q. They certainly can. Now coming in your first round, tournament co-host emotional, how were you feeling coming into the event?
RICKIE FOWLER: Well, I was hoping to back up the host duties with playing well. A little extra pressure, but I feel like that's where a lot of the guys out here, the best players in the world, I feel like that's when I kind of rise to the occasion, so it was nice to rise to that, put up a good solid round today, get off to a good start. Looked like Henrik had a nice day out there at 8-under. So we got some work to do, it's a long week ahead, but this is a golf course that kind of tests every part of your game, so it was nice to have a stress-free 67.

Q. Can you talk about the conditions. Those are some of the best greens guys have seen here in years.
RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, for sure. This is the best tee to green this golf course has been. Not saying it's ever been bad by any means. I mean, sometimes the greens are a little light as far as grass goes. Right now they're very healthy, great root structure, there's actually a base to them, a lot of grass on top of the greens. They have done a great job here. It looks like as if they basically redid all the surfaces. So it's, yeah, it's nice to have consistent, firm greens, they're rolling great. No, it's been good. I don't know what I got, if I got a footprint on the last hole, I had one that was turning in and just kind of like hit something and went out. But that's kind of what you get anywhere you go late in the day. But, no, they're rolling great. But definitely the best I've seen this golf course.

Q. How would you assess your round today otherwise, other than the footprint?
RICKIE FOWLER: It was nice and pretty stress-free. Other than the fact I had a couple downhill putts, one being 18 and one on number 3, I hit a couple close ones and I tried to hit them as soft as I could and I still had four feet coming back. So it just shows you the greens downhill are quick. And, no, it feels good. Any time you can have a stress-free 67 I'll take a few more of those and be pretty happy.

Q. You've had success on this golf course before, but did you feel like coming into this week that your game was also trending in the direction where you could post rounds like this?
RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, it's definitely been trending. Over the past couple weeks we have been able to put some work in. Butch via satellite chiming in on videos here. But Claude, over the weekend when I missed the cut at Honda, and then a couple days leading up here. So, yeah, it's been heading the right direction. I did swing it pretty good in Mexico, had some good ball striking stats, but it's nice to kind of see the ball striking and putting coming back together.

Q. What is your goals from now to the next weeks?
RICKIE FOWLER: Focusing right now this week. A win here would be a nice way to get going into the few weeks coming up. Obviously, we're looking at Augusta right around the corner, but focusing on this, getting the game, continuing to head the right direction I think that's the main focus right now.

Q. So your focus is on now. On now. You have the mind power to focus on now, not looking to the future.
RICKIE FOWLER: Oh, working on things that will help us in the future at Augusta, but yeah, definitely focusing on what we want to do right now and making sure that the game continues to head the right direction and not take a step backwards.

Q. What does it mean to be host of this event? What have you done this week?
RICKIE FOWLER: I got a sweet pen. Only hosts get this pen. It's been really cool to be selected by the tournament, Arnie's Army, to the rest of the Palmer family, let alone the philanthropy award that I received yesterday. That's been pretty special, someone that I've always looked up to in Arnie and the way he kind of conducted everything across the board, from what he did off the golf course and fans and how he played and just all over. For his family to embrace me and see a lot of Arnie in me and them tell me that, it's pretty special. So to be here and help out and do little things from being involved with the March we did a little bit with the pro-am dinner last night. They have kept it easy, they obviously understand what it is to be a player, the years around with Arnie and with Sam playing now, but it's been a lot of fun being up here this week and definitely looking forward to continuing to play well.

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