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THE GREENBRIER CLASSIC

July 7, 2018

Bubba Watson

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Q. Little frustrated not getting that early start on this golf course, but it seemed to turn around a little bit.
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, you know, just making a couple putts, even though I left a couple short today, the score was good. There are a couple holes out there that are getting burned out right around the hole. What hole is that, the par-3, is that 15? Yeah, 15, if you saw Keegan, when he lipped out, it was seven feet past the hole. It was just getting crusty right around there just because of the heat now, and I let one slide there. But the chip in on the next hole helped out.

So it was a good day. But like you said, the first couple days kind of slowed me up, but we're moving forward and hopefully a big day tomorrow.

Q. You mentioned the fact that the greens changed. You had to make an adjustment today. But there is no question with the lack of humidity early, the greens firmed up and they're getting quicker.
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, for sure. On 18, that was a chip 9-iron that landed just on the green and still went 40 feet because it was 20 feet short of the hole and went 20 feet past. So it's getting difficult out there. And again, I don't know what the lead's going to be at the end of the day, but I know I need a big one tomorrow.

Q. I asked Teddy about that shot in there, because it didn't react like a normal shot. I thought you hit it a groove low. And he said, no, we chipped a 9, he just didn't spin it enough.
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, it was one of those where it never got the height, but we were so -- one flag was going one way, and one flag was going the other way. So we didn't know where the wind was. It was probably a pitching wedge, just a solid, high pitching wedge with some spin. But we just didn't trust the wind, so I went chip 9.

Q. Well, you finished birdie, birdie, par for a 65. How happy are you with this round?
BUBBA WATSON: This was good. Just because the wind picked up today, the wind was swirling every direction, and I know how difficult it is. So me moving up the leaderboard is what I had to do to have a chance on Sunday. So I don't know what the lead will be at the end of the day, but I know I moved up a little bit. So a big day tomorrow, and I could have another chance for a trophy.

Q. Yesterday, you weren't in the best of moods, even though you shot 4-under, you said your wife, Angie, had a conversation with you about an attitude adjustment. How far has that gone?
BUBBA WATSON: Well, she's winning. No, it was one of those that I knew the 2-under that first day with the double bogey coming down the stretch really hurt me, trying to win this championship. So I knew how good I was playing. I knew where I should have been, and I was putting so much pressure on myself. Then the quick double bogey put me behind the 8-ball there. These last two rounds moved me up, and now I'm just going to have to have some help from the other guys, or a really, really low round tomorrow.

Q. You talked about reading these greens and there was a little frustration, especially in the first round. How comfortable are you on them now?
BUBBA WATSON: Still not comfortable. I left a couple putts. I think I left at least two from inside 15 feet, dead in the heart short. Maybe three today. So even though I made a lot of birdies there was a couple, one extra roll and I would have made a couple more birdies.

But like I said, it's my own frustrations. The score is great, but I want to be lower because I want to have a chance to lift that trophy.

Q. You got quite the crowd around, obviously, means a good day today. Just a few comments about the round.
BUBBA WATSON: It was good. A couple hiccups here and there, but the bogey on 15, I thought I hit a good putt, but it's a little crusty, and again, we don't know, if you haven't played the course yet, when I say crusty, it's just getting really burned out there. So it's not crust, it's actually just burned out. So really thin grass, and the ball doesn't have any friction to slow it down. So up that hill, I didn't see it going that far past, and coming down, it's lightning.

Keegan lipped out and it rolled seven feet past. So I knew how tough my four-footer was going to be. So I babied it, and it just broke off. So that's the one hiccup right there that I wish we could take back. But the hole before, I hit a provisional, and the hole after I chipped in. So I guess it all works out in the end.

Q. How much momentum can you maintain from two weeks ago at Hartford?
BUBBA WATSON: Well, I'm hitting the ball good. I know that I've come back from six shots a couple times in my career. I don't know what the lead's going to be at the end of the day. It could be 20, it could be me, so I don't know what's going to happen. But I know I'm going to have to have a low one tomorrow. So that's the beauty of it that I did it a couple weeks ago, so there's always that chance. I made the cut, so there is a chance to win still, so that's the good thing.

Q. Lots of reasons for you to want it tomorrow.
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, I'm an athlete. I want to win. So let's go with that first. Then all these other guys are trying to beat me, so I'm trying to beat them. Then another trophy on the mantle would be nice. Having a house here, being a member here at the club, The Greenbrier has been so good to me, the fans and everything, so it would be nice to win. I'll call myself a local boy. It would be good to have the trophy stay here.

Q. And your dad too?
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, for sure, the military. My dad was drafted for Vietnam and special forces, green beret captain, you know, all the stuff that he did, he didn't talk about it much, but this is a big deal, not just for my dad, but all the military out there. This is, obviously, our little tribute to them.

But I get to play golf because of our freedoms the U.S. military has given us. So what a dream and a blessing, and I can't thank them enough because I get to chase a golf ball around and play golf, and they're doing something a little more difficult than that.

Q. Kind of a home course advantage for you and Keegan. He said that you showed him around a little bit this past weekend in some rounds?
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, we snuck out last week. He moved in, not quite two weeks ago, to his new house. So we snuck out and played the Old White when nobody was allowed to play. That's the benefit to knowing Governor Jim. So I could talk to him through it and tell him some things that I know and things that he knew.

So it was fun. It was fun. Then today was really fun. Now, obviously, I beat him so he didn't have as much fun as I did, but there's always tomorrow.

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