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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 11, 2018

Chesson Hadley

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Q. Assess your round today and your position after 36.
CHESSON HADLEY: The round was great. Obviously I didn't finish the way I would have loved to, but it is what it is. I did a lot of great things, and I'm really not worried about the last two holes for a second. I'm 9-under par after two rounds of golf at THE PLAYERS Championship, and we've got a chance to win. We got a long way to go before we even get there to that, but certainly very pleased with where I'm at.

Q. Was it playing any different this morning?
CHESSON HADLEY: I thought so. It was less windy this morning, obviously. I do -- it's firming up. It's getting a little bit crispy. The greens are still receptive, but you can tell that this afternoon the greens will be definitely much drier; ball might be bouncing forward a little bit more. That's certainly probably a sign of things to come for this weekend.

Q. You have a mixed record on the Stadium Course; do you think you've figured out how to play it?
CHESSON HADLEY: Yeah, I think so. I think maybe my scores certainly reflect that. There are always tee shots on golf courses that don't set up well particularly to your eye, and there's certainly a few of those out here. I am a drawer of the golf ball and I like -- 18 you would think sets up well for me, but I haven't played that hole particularly well in the past, so I'm just making sure I hit 3-iron down there and get it in the fairway, and I bogeyed it today from the fairway, but I think once you get four or five times to play these courses you have no choice but to kind of figure it out a little bit.

Q. How does this level of golf compare to your other best stretches?
CHESSON HADLEY: In my career or this year?

Q. Either way.
CHESSON HADLEY: I certainly feel like I've got a good grasp of what I'm doing. There are days, the last two days I've been incredibly confident in what I've been doing. I've been very committed to my golf shots, and I know, at least have a good idea, a good feeling as to what they're going to do, whereas on the weekend at Valero I wasn't as confident. I was -- it was grinding. It was a grind. So it's just, that's golf, that's what it is, it's week-to-week.

Q. How have you been feeling?
CHESSON HADLEY: I told them back there I've got a man cold, and with that comes exaggerative symptoms. We milk it, and it's really not as bad as we make it out to be. But I'm hanging tough. I'm hanging tough. I'm not -- I'm doing okay. Haven't I, babe? Yeah? She says I've been doing okay, so I'm okay.

Q. Is there a tee shot that just intimidates you on this golf course?
CHESSON HADLEY: Yeah, 18, bud. 17. I mean, yeah, I don't love 5. Although that one's growing on me. I don't love 7. I hit it in both fairways today, though, and I hit it in the fairway on 18.

Q. What happened on 17 today?
CHESSON HADLEY: I plunged it in the water and -- I did not hit the shot the way I wanted to, but I didn't feel like I hit it bad enough for it not to get to the front of the green or maybe even five steps on the front. So might have caught a gust. I didn't hit it the way I wanted to, so it is my fault at the end of the day and walked away with 5 and I think that's only my second ball in the water there.

But I'm going to sneeze, it's coming, but -- (sneezes) excuse me. Symptom. Not faking it. It just is what it is. You get enough shots to that hole, you're going to hit it in the water.

Q. You're 9-under; what score do you think is going to be leading this tournament after 36 holes?
CHESSON HADLEY: I would say probably 10 or 11.

Q. Seems like your iron play is better this year; is that the case and what's behind that?
CHESSON HADLEY: Yeah, I have been aware of that and I think that's one reason why on some of these holes that I'm not as fond of with the way they look off the tee. That's why I'm making sure I put it in the fairway with something less aggressive because my iron play has been so good. Maybe playing the statistics a little bit. But some of it is because my swing is better than it was a year ago. I've really worked hard on it with my coach, Jeff Patton, and we have got some good reps in, and it's -- you always try and take what you have on the range and take it to the course, and I've been able to do that more so of late, and I always like to look back at the coverage and try and see if I can see some swings that -- what it looks like under pressure, because it's always going to be different under pressure than it is on the range. So that was a long-winded answer to your question.

Q. Has your confidence ever been higher in this stretch you've been on?
CHESSON HADLEY: Probably not. I would certainly say that this is the most consistent I've been in my career. I don't think that's up for argument. I've had some very good seasons, but I would say there's been stretches of seasons where I've been great and exceptional, but so far this year I have been exceptional or above average most weeks, which is great. That's what you want to do out here.

I feel like I've got my finger on something right now, and hopefully we can ride it forever.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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