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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANSApril 28, 2018Billy HorschelScott PiercyAvondale, Louisiana Q. You've chipped in, what, four times this week, including one at the first today? SCOTT PIERCY: Was it four? I know it's been a little saucy this week around the greens. I actually rolled the ball pretty well today. I've been working on my putting quite a bit. Really I told Billy, I said, Hey, par is your partner...(indiscernible) with the two birdies, go after it. You know, he kind of took it to heart and I got us off with a birdie on the 1st hole and I let him go after that. He kind of brought it home for us. Q. Billy, I am interested in watching the dynamic in this group. You read a lot of his putts. He putted beautifully today, and he's always such a great ball-striker. BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, I'm just trying to keep it simple. I feel like I've got a good handle on these greens obviously with past experience. I feel like I am a pretty good green reader. Just trying to give him a simple read and let him go. Like he said, he's been working on his putting. All I said today is just, Hey, free it up and just let it go; see what happens. Q. Former winner here; Zurich ambassador. Sunday could be ooh big day for you two. BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, it be great. Obviously winning in this 2013 was a pretty special win, but to win here with my best friend, a Scott Piercy type deal, that would be pretty special in a team format. So we'll see what happens tomorrow. Q. Obviously when we're playing four ball we're going to have some good scores. Was the course a little more receptive today, the hole locations more gettable? SCOTT PIERCY: No, I don't think so. I think Billy, when he gets going, he stripes it. Like on 9 he hit it to a foot. Kind of a daunting flag. When he gets that little draw going, you ride his back until he gets tired. Then I had to bring to home for him a little bit. He just hits it so good when he gets going, and he's going, so... Q. In at 17-under, thanks in large part to six birdies in your first nine holes. Billy what really triggered that quick start? BILLY HORSCHEL: Scott chipping in at No. 1 just got us going. I mean, if he doesn't chip in I don't think we shoot 6-under on the front side. So, you know, we just played really good Thursday. We left some shots out there. Yesterday we both didn't hit it very good and we grinded it out to make the cut. I found something out in my swing last night. I felt good this morning. Once I got that flow going it was good. Scott threw some in there, and I just knew once he finds that little rhythm he's going to get going. He hit a couple good iron shots on 13 and 14 and hit a great one at 15. I'm like, Okay, this guy has got it going now. He many made that putt, and I'm like, Okay, I can -- I didn't want it back off the gas, but I knew he could take us home. Q. Billy, you mentioned you made some tweaks to your swing last night. What did you change? BILLY HORSCHEL: Not much. I just -- same thing we been working on for the last two weeks. I haven't been able to draw the ball. I feel a little -- my right arm gets stuck going back. Doesn't feel like it floats and gets deep enough for me. Just trying to feel like -- I have a flying left elbow is what it feels like. That allows me to sort of cover and swing my right arm so I can draw the ball. It felt really good. I hit some good iron shots. You know, I hit iron shots like I did at Hilton Head. Didn't hit it great last week, but this week -- today felt like Hilton Head a lot to me. I think Scott found something with his swing the last few holes, and that's really good going into tomorrow with alternate shot. Q. Speaking of alternate shot, yesterday you guys played that format; shot a 73. What did you learn yesterday that can help you guys tomorrow? PLAYER: (Indiscernible.) SCOTT PIERCY: -- making two birdies. BILLY HORSCHEL: 7-iron 40 yards right. (Indiscernible.) SCOTT PIERCY: We actually played pretty solid yesterday. We obviously made the two doubles on 3 and 4 and I've struggled with the putter, it's no secret, lately. On 4 it was my fault; 3, he hit a bad shot. Then you kind of get the wind knocked out of you the first couple holes. I think it's just giving yourself a chance. Even if you're chip-in -- I mean, I think they said I chipped in four times this week. So it's kind of one of those things. Just give yourself a chance. Hopefully worst case make a par. If you can go with a clean card playing alternate shot, I think you're going to make some birdies and minimize the bogeys. Q. I guess if you could, just sum up the round. SCOTT PIERCY: It's the Billy Ho show. I was just here for the ride. You know, I let him ride and then he got tired; I brought it home the last four holes. So probably simplifies up pretty, huh? BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah. I was the horse and he was the jockey. When I got tired he decided to kick in the whip, and he kicked in the whip on himself. (Laughter.) Q. I know you've had tremendous success here and also some struggles. Is there something about the course that you felt good about today? BILLY HORSCHEL: I mean, I feel good coming here. Obviously there are some tough shots that you can make some big numbers on. I'm coming in with some really good form. I've played well the last -- felt like we played well all week except for yesterday. We had a two-bad-hole stretch. Other than that, we could have probably done about two or three shots better yesterday. But I felt -- found something -- didn't find something. What I've been working on in my swing, just worked on a little bit last night to feel a little bit better. Felt great. Warmed up great this morning. I had that feel going and, you know, carried us a lot, and then Scott came home. I mean, I just knew -- he just said, Hey, keep going. Keep going. In the back of my head I said, I know. I would like to get going, too. But I knew he just -- we both have been real close with our swings and trying to find that one thing. I knew once he found it, he doesn't -- there are not many shots that leave the flag; really close to it. He hit a great shot at 15. 16 we were both in it for birdie. 17, a great shot and great putt; just broke off. And then 18, you know, really great iron shot. So hopefully we can carry this momentum going into tomorrow because alternate shot is a big format. If we can have a clean card, I think we got a chance to maybe hold something up at the end of the day. Q. With the back and forth of the formats, I think a lot of people struggled a little bit yesterday. How great does it feel to be able to put up a really nice number today? SCOTT PIERCY: I mean, you had to put it up today, because tomorrow it's hard to shoot a low one going alternate shot. So to get within -- we were just talking -- hopefully within three or four of the lead, you know, 4- or 5-under is probably doable in alternate shot depending on the weather, the wind. So 4-, 5-under alternate shot is pretty good. If we can do that, then probably have a pretty good chance I think. Q. What did you guys think of the vibe on 1? BILLY HORSCHEL: It was cool. I took a little video and Instagramed it out and everything. Scott obviously leading off. I think it's really cool. Just adds to this already great event. It was great before the team format. It's even better now with the team format. Adding that tweak of having some walk-up music, I think it's just another addition to the Zurich Classic that guys want to come play here now. Obviously you see we had four of the Top 5 top golfers in the world here. I think obviously everyone os going to start putting this on the list, because of how fun it is to play with a good friend, and obviously having some music is not too bad, either. Q. Scott, you didn't seem totally interested in vibing out on 1 tee; is that accurate? SCOTT PIERCY: I mean, I was doing it in my head, you know? BILLY HORSCHEL: He's an inner guy, not outer. Q. Are you an outer guy? BILLY HORSCHEL: No, I'm inner, too. SCOTT PIERCY: I don't know about that. (Laughter.) BILLY HORSCHEL: I'm sure of it. Q. (Regarding good luck meal. ) BILLY HORSCHEL: I got my good luck meal last night, so that's going to carry me over into tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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