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CONSTELLATION SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 14, 2018

Jeff Maggert

Highland Park, Illinois

Q. Going into the final round today, your game plan for that final round?
JEFF MAGGERT: Same as it has been all week, and especially today. The soft conditions with the rain, I kind of knew it was going to be a shooting match today, and just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I think it's going to be the same tomorrow. It's probably going to take somewhere in the 20-unders to get this thing finished off. I just need to stay aggressive. I've been hitting a lot of good iron shots, except for the one on 16. I was looking for a hot dog stand there for all the chili I laid on that one. But that's the way it goes. I was kind of uphill into the grain there and just didn't have a good thought in my brain. I'm playing well, just going to drive it like I've been driving it, try to hit the ball close and make putts.

Q. You talked about a shootout; with the leaderboard being so bunched up, will you start looking at the leaderboard late in the round or early in the round?
JEFF MAGGERT: I'm just going to try to make as many birdies as I can. I had a great start today, eagled 1, birdied 2, and I just tried to keep on the gas pedal all day, so I'm going to keep doing that tomorrow and not really pay attention to the leaderboard because I know I'm going to have to make probably six, seven, eight birdies tomorrow to have a chance.

Q. Playing so well this week, what's been the one thing that's kept you in the game so far?
JEFF MAGGERT: You know, driving is always a key for me, but I've been driving the ball well and hitting a lot of balls close to the hole, a lot of little two-footer tap-ins for birdie, so that takes a lot of pressure off. I've played the par-5s pretty well this week, so a combination of that is resulting in some low scores.

Q. In a couple years you've won two majors; what do you take from that experience going into the final round?
JEFF MAGGERT: Well, just in the four years that I've been out here, the competition seems like it's gotten better, so I just need to play well. These guys out here don't back up on Sunday. They keep the gas pedal to the floor and they keep going, and this course in particular, the leaders are going to be making six, seven, eight birdies tomorrow.

Q. Why does this golf course fall into a lot of players' hands?
JEFF MAGGERT: Well, I think the soft conditions today let a lot of guys back in it. I think if the course would have played dry and firm like it did yesterday afternoon all the way through the weekend, you probably would have seen some more separation in the scores. But the conditions today were ideal. They were ripe for making birdies, and if you were hitting the ball well, the greens stayed nice and smooth all day long, so it was an easy day today to make birdies.

Q. Talk about the start this morning; you were on fire there for 1, 2 and 3.
JEFF MAGGERT: Well, I knew today was going to be a birdie-fest with the rain last night and the wet conditions. My game plan today was to try to shoot low round of the day. There was probably some scores better than 6-under, but I felt like I needed to make six, seven or eight birdies today to keep pace with the leaderboard. It kind of turned out that way. Not only was I making a lot of birdies, there was 10 or 12 other guys making birdies, too. We've got a jumbled-up leaderboard. I think tomorrow's conditions are going to be very similar to today, so I'm going to have to keep the gas on and make birdies.

Q. How did that first hole play out?
JEFF MAGGERT: You know, it played a little shorter than I was expecting with the wetness. My ball got down there pretty far down into the fairway. I had -- I think I had just 228 yards to the pin. I hit a hybrid, just rolled up close to the hole three feet, easy 3. It was nice to start that way, knowing that you're going to have to make a lot of birdies. And then the very next hole, I hit an 8-iron in there about two, three feet again, so that was just a real easy start. And just kind of played that way all day.

The 15-, 18-footers, I had a lot just burning the edges, and I couldn't get any of those to fall, but fortunately I hit a lot of balls close to the hole.

Q. And then on 16, what happened with the bogey there?
JEFF MAGGERT: You know, that's golf, I guess. I had kind of an uphill lie there with the grain of the fairway going against me, and just didn't really prepare well enough for that shot. I was worried about that grain and coming up a little short. I should have just ripped a 7-iron and not worried about it, but it happens. It was a good 5 there. I made a good bogey, so it was a good day.

Q. You were the one getting chased most of the day there. Did you get yourself caught in any situation protecting even though it's too early in the tournament to do that?
JEFF MAGGERT: Yeah, Saturday you're not paying too much attention to the leaderboard. You just don't want to shoot yourself in the foot and go backwards, so I was just playing aggressive, making birdies. I knew there was going to be a lot of 15, 16, 14, 13s by the end of the day, so I was just trying to make as many birdies as I could.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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