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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 10, 2018

Webb Simpson

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Q. What a nice, solid round of golf today, 6-under par on this golf course. Is it in the best shape you've ever seen it?
WEBB SIMPSON: Yeah, it's perfect. Fairways are perfect, greens are perfect, and if we read these greens right, the ball should go in the hole. It's fun to play golf courses that are this well-kept. Two weeks in a row for me, last week Quail Hollow was perfect for me, as well. It's fun to play golf courses like this, and it's also fun to play well on them.

Q. You won a U.S. Open early in your career, and the significance of winning that you probably didn't get at that point. But what is the significance of THE PLAYERS Championship as long as you've been doing this now, and what would it mean? I know it's only the first round, but it's a pretty cool event.
WEBB SIMPSON: It's a really cool event with a lot of history, and I think it's just as hard to win as a major because you've got the best players in the world here, maybe a better field than any tournament, and then last few holes there's trouble lurking. There's been a lot of drama coming down the stretch in many of the golf tournaments.

I want to play well here. You know, just like any other tournament, but this is a special one. This is our tournament.

Q. Last night you were hosted by Jim Furyk and his wife Tabitha on a nice little meal. A lot of those guys at that dinner are playing pretty well. What was the menu, man?
WEBB SIMPSON: What was it was, it was a big menu and a lot of good food. They had been there cooking all day. But it was a fun evening to be a part of. The captain did a great job kind of letting us know his expectations, what he wants, and it was really good. It was a really good vibe there and pretty much everybody showed up.

Q. Web, a stellar round today. You've also had three straight top-25 finishes. Did you have a lot of confidence coming into today?
WEBB SIMPSON: I did. You know, I had two weeks off before the Wells Fargo last week, so I felt rested going into the last week. Didn't quite play as well as I wanted, but top-25 out here is always pretty good. You're doing something right. So I was feeling good coming into this week. I haven't had many top finishes here, but I've had some good rounds, and so I feel comfortable being here, and I'm off to a great start.

Q. That was a phenomenal start. You are one of our clubhouse leaders. What were the conditions like for you this morning?
WEBB SIMPSON: The wind stayed down longer than I thought. The greens were a little softer than I thought they'd be. The greens are rolling great this week. If Paul and I can read them well and I can start them on line, we're going to make some putts, and that gives you confidence knowing around this golf course there's plenty of holes that have trouble, but there's plenty of birdie opportunities, and we took advantage today.

Q. You had a fun, special dinner at Jim Furyk's house last night. What was that like, and what was on the menu, something fun for you guys?
WEBB SIMPSON: Yeah, I mean, one thing fun was Jack Nicklaus ice cream. So Jack was in the room with us, even though he wasn't there. But the food was awesome. We had a bunch of chefs in there working all day. I enjoyed myself. The captain did a great job kind of letting us know how bad he wants to win the Ryder Cup and what his expectations are of the team. I've still got a lot of work to do to get on the team, but it was nice to be there.

Q. How do you feel about this golf course? Has this been one you've always liked?
WEBB SIMPSON: I've always loved it. You know, I feel like it doesn't give one particular golfer an advantage, and I'm always a fan of those golf courses. You know, you take a hole like 18, Rickie, the year he won hit driver every time, and you can do that. I hit 5-wood every time, and I have a much longer club than if I hit driver. But there's so many holes like that that give you an opportunity to hit different clubs off the tee, and you really think your way around the golf course, and any given day even if it's really windy you're going to have plenty of birdie opportunities, and that's fun. It's fun to know if I play well I can shoot 6-under like I did today, or if you're a little off you might shoot a few over.

Q. You've had a string of good results lately. Do you feel the game's coming together?
WEBB SIMPSON: Yeah, I feel like I've been playing pretty solid golf for a long time now, and the goal -- a lot of guys will say their goal is to win. My goal is to continue to get better and play good consistent golf because I feel like if I do that, I'm going to have chances Sunday. I've given myself a couple chances this year on Sunday, but it's linear, it's moving forward. I want to have more opportunities Sunday and just be in the mix.

Q. What changes are you going to make between today and tomorrow?
WEBB SIMPSON: I'm sure the golf course will play a good amount faster tomorrow. The wind will be up, I'm sure. But that's kind of what we're used to seeing here. This morning it was more an anomaly TPC Sawgrass to play low winds and soft greens. So it will probably be a little different tomorrow.

Q. Do you think that's why all the birdies were out there?
WEBB SIMPSON: Yeah, I think so. I'm sure they expected it, but I think that they have so much control on what they're doing around here that they can -- they're probably being able to guess about what we're going to shoot every day, and they will -- they're in control more than we are, I think.

Q. How was the Ryder Cup dinner last night?
WEBB SIMPSON: Ryder Cup dinner was great. Great food. Pretty much all the guys were there, had some fun. Captain talked for awhile at the end, and it was cool to see just how much he loves the Ryder Cup, how bad he wants to play well and win the Ryder Cup, and he made it very clear that there's a lot of golf to be played. He's got his eyes on everyone. So it was fun to be a part of. I think I barely made that list to get there, so it gave me a lot of incentive to keep playing well. I want to get back on those teams pretty bad. All in all, it was a great night.

Q. What do you get out of those experiences?
WEBB SIMPSON: Yeah, I mean when you're around the best players in the world in your country, you just -- everybody seems a little different. You're playing together and you're not playing for any money, so it's more of just kind of purity of the game. I've played four team events, and every one of them has been fantastic. I won two Presidents Cups, lost two Ryder Cups, so I would love to have a chance to be able to be on a winning Ryder Cup team, and it's been 25 years since we won over there, so I would give anything to get back on it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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