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AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 13, 2018

Stateline, Nevada

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Trent Dilfer. 24 points today. Finds you in second place, out of first by one. Nice opening round.

TRENT DILFER: Thanks. Number one, it's nice to be pain-free. I had knee replacement eight months ago on my left knee. And I didn't realize how much pain I'd been in the last five, six, seven years playing golf.

So for me it was about just having fun, enjoying not being in pain. I love this tournament. I live here. So I probably put too much pressure on myself in years past. I've been playing well.

Now I think I appreciate it more than I ever have. So I enjoyed the walk. I didn't play great. I played okay. My iron play was solid. I hit 16 greens. Didn't really do anything spectacular. Kind of a boring day. Went on a nice little run on 18. 1 and 2, as I made the turn.

Never really, besides 14 and 15 where I made bogey, never really brought bogey into play. And it was fun. It was fun -- again, I don't expect anybody to understand, but when you're in chronic pain for five to seven years now you're out of it, it makes the experience a whole lot more enjoyable.

Q. Sounds good. So how many birdies did you have total today?
TRENT DILFER: Four birdies, two bogeys. Only played the par-5s 1-under. I drove it okay. I think -- my iron play was really solid.

Like I said, I only missed two greens. I didn't have to chip it very often. And putted okay. I got a lot of putts online. I still start with the speed -- the course is in as good of shape as it's ever been. Early practicing, the practice green was really fast. And it started to slow down with some of the foot traffic. So I've got to do a better job adjusting during the round.

But it's never been better. It's pristine out there, and it took me some getting used to.

Q. The other leaders were talking about the speeds of the greens. Did you find it quicker today?
TRENT DILFER: I found it slower than the putting green, which was hard for me. Just the amount of feet, footprints by the time we went through there, it's hard to keep -- and then poa annua grows as the day goes on. I just have to do a better job adjusting as the day goes on. I left about four birdie putts right in the jar short, which is unacceptable in this format.

So that's on me. I gotta figure it out during the round better.

Q. Trent, Mulder, I believe, is only around plus 7 or so, is that a little surprising to you, and how does that change maybe the weekend play?
TRENT DILFER: Yeah, I mean Mark's great player. This is a funny game. You can be a great player and have a bad day.

I've learned this from the years I've played with Rhoden and Billy Joe and Dan Quinn, the great champions of this tournament, they'll usually have a stinker. Only Billy Joe, I think, had three days where he rocked and rolled, the year he shot 80 something.

I could see Mark shooting 65 tomorrow. I've seen him do it. So I don't count anybody out. Steph is -- I've played with Steph. He can shoot nothing. Romo can shoot nothing.

I was a little disappointed how I finished. I like the stretch of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, I've usually made a lot of birdies in that stretch. I was sitting pretty going to those and didn't make a birdie come in.

I knew some of these guys have a chance to get hot. I always say it's going to take 75 or better to win. But, again, I wish you understood how fun it was to go out without flinching and cringing my teeth because of pain.

If I play well tomorrow, it will probably be because I feel good.

Q. A little off topic, if I may, do you think Kaepernick will ever play in the NFL again?
TRENT DILFER: I don't know. I think he's good enough to play in the NFL. Talented, I should say. I haven't -- I wasn't on TV last year so I didn't follow as closely as everybody else. I hope he gets a chance to play again.

Q. Trent, you finished with 11 last year on the first day. That's because of the knee pain?
TRENT DILFER: I played crappy. I haven't played well here in five years. It's been a long time since I've had a good tournament. I usually have had a bad day or more than one.

Q. Was it one or both knees that was replaced?
TRENT DILFER: Left knee replaced.

Q. How is your right knee?
TRENT DILFER: It's okay. I have to have surgery when I get back to Austin, for some meniscus stuff. But I feel a lot better than I did last year.

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Andrew Bachelder. Great to have you in the room, with 20 points today, Warrior Open winner. It's a pleasure to have you back in here. Take us through your round as well today. Tell us what went on out there, birdies, bogeys, eagles, others.

ANDREW BACHELDER: So I started on 10 today. I don't think I missed a green until 14 or something like that.

TRENT DILFER: I missed that one too.

ANDREW BACHELDER: 15 -- 15 was my first green I missed. So I played pretty well the front nine. I had a double on 10. I got two birdies on the back nine. Two on the front. Had a double on 1, which was -- that's just a tough tee shot to really shape a hybrid or a 3-wood around and not go in the water.

But I did go in the hazard right by the big tree. I was able to bounce back. I got a bogey on -- shoot -- the par-5 No. 3 and I was able to birdie 7, 6, 9, almost made a eagle on 9, I was an inch from going in. And it definitely capped off the round.

Q. Both of you, neither one have won this yet. Andrew, this is your second time. Trent, you've been here a number of years. You've been in the hunt a number of times. And you've got the benefit of experience. So what are you thinking going into the next couple of rounds, feeling good with the good knee, but I mean what's your mental outlook?
TRENT DILFER: I've had four chances to win this. Twice I've had Del Greco and Chandler shoot 30, 31 on the back. So I don't count that as losing. I got beat in those.

And then I pissed it away a couple of times when I had the lead on the back nine. I think this is one of those places -- I heard John Smoltz say it, that you have to be -- you have to be aggressive. You have to somehow get out of your way and not be afraid of hitting it by the hole when you have a 12-footer downhill that breaks a cup.

It's almost you gotta go brain dead sometimes and do things that aren't -- that you wouldn't do at home. Right? And the years I haven't won I got tentative. Par is not a good score on some of these holes.

Back home, when you're playing from 7200 yards, sea level, I'm playing with a bunch of mini tour players and PGA players, and they're shooting 65, you know, it's a different mentality, right? Get your shots, take your par, you move on.

Here, you've really got to look at -- I can't think of a whole lot here that's not a birdie hole. Wedge in my hand almost all the time. And I'm not as long as some of these guys.

You've got to take that aim and try to make as many possible birdies as you can.

ANDREW BACHELDER: Like Trent said, this golf course, it's not real real long. You get extra distance in the elevation. So, yeah, having wedge 9-iron in your hand you've got to go after the pins. I think after my first year I was really timid. I had 15 points, I think each day. And it's good but it wasn't good enough for me. So you have to go after these pins and attack them.

Q. We see you played with Joe Pavelski, the leader now at 25 points. Were you drafting off of each other at all?
ANDREW BACHELDER: Joe, he was on fire. His flat stick was on fire. And he just hit maybe one or two errant shots that kind of cost him a couple of points. But, you know, we had a really good time. It was a good conversation between Bode, myself and Joe the whole time 18 holes. There was really no stress, which was --

TRENT DILFER: Great group. I got stuck with Alfonso. (Laughter).

ANDREW BACHELDER: Well, you guys were right behind us. But it was really -- it was a fun 18 holes.

Q. Nice to see Bode out here after what he's been through. We know you've been through a tough time. How was Bode doing out there, hanging real good?
ANDREW BACHELDER: He's doing really good. Obviously it's tragic what's happened to his family. But we pray for him and then just keep him in our thoughts and prayers. That's all you can really do.

Q. Andrew, I met your mother on 10 when you were teeing off. She told me how proud she is of you and the man you have become. And I wondered what that means to you to have her here in Tahoe?
ANDREW BACHELDER: You know, to have -- I think I've got a total of 10 people here. And my brother, his wife. The only ones not able to be here is my sister.

And we miss you, Rachel, but having everybody here, it means the world to me, because I'm not here because of my -- because of me. I'm here because of my family. My family that supported me when I was down, when I tried to attempt suicide, my family that stuck by my side when I wasn't myself. I'm still not myself. But who is.

But my family is the one that got me here and hopefully they're the ones that -- we're here to shock the world. So that's the idea. That's our new hashtag, letsshocktheworld.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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