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AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 19, 2018

Jordan Spieth

Irving, Texas

Q. Jordan, if we get some comments on your round, please.
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah. It was a day I was looking for condition-wise. I thought to make a move today, shoot 5-under maybe even 6 on a really solid day and then have a chance on Sunday.

And, you know, unfortunately wasn't my day today, just couldn't get the ball in the hole. You know, I really in the round 2, 3 to, bogey those two holes was kind of a dagger because you're looking at trying to get 2, 3-under through 7 holes and I hit a couple shots that were a little bit too aggressive and paid for it.

But, all in all, I had a lot of looks today. Seemed like every time I guessed I was in between reads and it was a coin flip and I guessed wrong. I felt like each stroke I put on it started on line and I look up and they were going to miss on the side I was guessing off on until 17. So, some days it's like that.

Q. Do you feel more comfortable with the stroke than you did the first two rounds?
JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think so. Yesterday was I felt pretty solid with it and started getting into rhythm where you know once you start kind of seeing the greens right you almost see every single one of them right, but when you see them wrong, you see everyone of them wrong out here.

They have yet to fill a little bit so you can see a putt that someone hits on your line and you hit it behind them and could potentially do something a little bit different.

They're pure for being so new but they have yet to fill in to be, you know, dead on. So, you start kind of second guessing, like I said. But the stroke feels fine. It's just starting to see the lines a little bit better. I didn't quite match line and speed today.

Q. Did I hear you correctly over there, you actually have kind of struggled on the greens trying to figure them out?
JORDAN SPIETH: The lowest score I ever shot here was 65. I've been in position to shoot, you know, nothing out here before and really just struggle with reads on these greens because, you know, I've hit putts and rehit them. I'm practicing and do the other thing.

That's part of the game. And when you kind of bring wind as a factor into it, you just try and figure out -- you have to be really committed to what line you're going to take and really fully trust it.

I didn't quite do that today. When I missed a couple early, it was okay, this is going to go left to right but the wind is off the right. Where is my exact line?

Get over it and kind of don't make a fully committed stroke. But it's getting close. They'll start to go in I'm not too worried about it anymore. I was worried for a little while and I know I'm on the right path now and it's a matter of until they go.

Q. What is it to wait for the your break-through in this event?
JORDAN SPIETH: I didn't finish in the Top 15 as a 16 year old. Zero break-throughs for me as far as my standards are concerned. That was obviously -- that was amazing back then.

I finish 16th tomorrow and people are going to say what's wrong? It's funny how expectations change. But certainly my own do as well.

But, yeah, I think this golf course is a better fit for me personally and I would love to win this golf tournament some day. I have not felt extra pressure this week. It's simply been I haven't gotten the ball in the hole on the greens.

Q. How much can a better position than 16th do for your big picture for you in this tournament?
JORDAN SPIETH: Beyond as far as the rest of the stretch of golf that I've come this year? Yes. Sunday finishes, solid ones bring momentum into the next week. I've seen that personally.

I'm coming out tomorrow, you know, very focused because I know that it is an important round to obviously try and back door into maybe a Top-10 or whatever the goal is going to be for the day.

To see some putts go in, kind of hit more committed putts and to keep swinging the way I'm swinging it. I got a little off with the driver and 3-wood today. Everything still been really solid.

So, the more shots you're seeing in tournament to go your way, the more confidence you build. So, it's certainly an important day.

For the future of this event, tomorrow's round doesn't make much of a difference unless I shoot -- probably needed about a 59 or so. That's probably what it would take to win.

Q. On Tuesday you said you were worrying, talking about alignment concerns with your putting.
Is that still an issue, still part of what you were worried about, you're not anymore?

JORDAN SPIETH: Anything that went off was strictly before I hit the putt. Everything that's -- anytime, you know, putts not converting on the amount that I have before is strictly I'm over it and doesn't look right to me and trying to figure out how to get exactly to where it looks right.

I've put in the time. I put in some time the wrong way for a little bit of the year and got further away from it. I really think -- I am starting to realize because I am starting to see the lines better that it's getting closer and closer and it just takes reps, on course reps.

I'll be patient with it. I feel more patient now than I did maybe two months ago.

So, it kind of stings when you're on greens that you kind of have historically struggled with and historically being the last couple years just everyday putting. You want -- but I'm going these next two weeks to greens I love so if I can just make strokes tomorrow, whether they go in or not, I feel like I hit my lines I'll go in with putting confidence.

Q. What is that timeframe when you were most concerned?
JORDAN SPIETH: You know -- I putted poorly to start the year in Hawaii off of very limited reps going into Hawaii. As it got to Mexico, Tampa, Austin was where I was like man, I've kind of -- after Austin is where I figured out I was working the wrong way and had to kind of take a U-turn and it started to get better from there.

I feel like each week in a four week in a row stretch because you hit more putts, start to recognize where things are in competition, they start to get better. So, I feel like my putting will get better week to week as I move on to this stretch.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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