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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

February 2, 2019

Denny McCarthy

Scottsdale, Arizona

Q. So I guess a bit of a different feeling right now than last night. Kind of talk about the conversation that you had this morning with rules officials and then when you heard on the 11th hole what went through your mind and how happy are you that it got reversed?
DENNY MCCARTHY: Yeah, I tried to put it past me, but a bunch of people were texting me and sending me pictures of other players yesterday. And I called a rules official over this morning, just and showed them a couple videos of pictures that people sent me of other players doing exactly the same thing and I was trying to find out what the difference was basically. And he said there was no difference and that they just, they missed it. So, yeah, obviously it's a great feeling to get those two shots back. Like I said, I tried to put it past me, I was in a pretty good frame of mind today, that made it a little better.

Q. Now a lot of players that I've talked to today so far have talked about what needs to change with the rule. Now whether the rule goes away or not is a different story, but what would you change in the wording, if you had to?
DENNY MCCARTHY: Well the way it was described to me is that if you're in a golf stance or posture next to or at your ball and the caddie is behind you it's a two-shot penalty. I think what needs to be cleared up is that the caddie just can't be behind you as you're addressing the ball and if the player doesn't move back I could see how that's a penalty.

Q. You should be able to reset?
DENNY MCCARTHY: Right. Correct. I mean, you know, caddies are standing behind or at the ball, they're trying to assess what the player's trying to assess and looking at the shot, so it's -- sometimes it's hard to do that next to the ball. So naturally it's just, they want to see what the player's seeing, it's not so much about alignment, they're trying to assess the shot with the player. I just happened to be in there next to the ball with him on the angle that my shot was on, trying to just assess the shot. And in my opinion and many others I think also that's not a penalty. If he was in there deliberately looking at where I'm lining up and I'm setting up to the ball and I don't back away, yeah, I could see how that's a two-shot penalty, but in no way, shape or form did I think what I did yesterday was a penalty.

Q. What does it mean to have the support of pretty much all of your peers? I mean, Justin Thomas going on Twitter last night, I think I saw like Brandt Snedeker had something to say about it. But what's the feeling having everyone's support?
DENNY MCCARTHY: Yeah, that made me feel a lot better, especially when you have fellow players and friends going to bat for you, that support made me feel a whole lot better. I think they're just also frustrated and confused with what the rules actually are, because everyone, as everyone saw from the video, what I did didn't look like that should warrant a two-shot penalty and I think that's part of the reason everyone was kind of lashing out. But it feels great to have their support, made me feel a whole lot better last night. Like I said, I tried to put it past me this morning and just having everyone's support coming to me this morning meant a lot.

Q. If the rule doesn't change are you guys going to continue to feel like you're walking on egg shells a little bit out there?
DENNY MCCARTHY: Yeah, we were definitely conscious of it today, that's for sure. I think we just need to be a little more aware -- I think that's the biggest one that's kind of getting away, I think we just need to be a little more aware of it. I need to be aware myself not stepping in when my caddie's there. We just need to maybe just go about things just a little bit differently, but it is what it is.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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