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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AMFebruary 5, 2019Ted Potter, Jr.Pebble Beach, California THE MODERATOR: We will get started. Like to welcome our defending champion here at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Ted Potter, Jr., to the media center. Thanks for joining us today. We're very excited to have you as our defending champion. Looking back a year ago, what still sticks out to you about your win? TED POTTER, JR: Just being here at Pebble, I mean it's just a beautiful place and having a chance to battle down the stretch with Dustin and some of the great players in the game right now and being part of that was special. And finishing the tournament with a three-shot victory was nice. THE MODERATOR: Looking back at that bunched up leaderboard you won by three shots but had some of the top competitors right on your tail in the final round. What did that do for your confidence? TED POTTER, JR: I mean it was great because especially at the beginning of the season to win early in the year and just getting my PGA TOUR card back again, definitely boosted the confidence for the whole season. So I mean going from that it was good. THE MODERATOR: Before we open it to questions, a couple top-25s this season. How do you describe your game currently? TED POTTER, JR: It's been pretty good. I mean it's just how my golf game always has been, just kind of goes up and down with valleys. So I have a couple good weeks and then have a couple bad weeks. So hopefully I can show some good form like last year here and see how it goes. THE MODERATOR: Open it up to questions, please. Q. All the tournaments you played and all the mini tours and all over the world, let's cut to the chase, what kind of a weather player are you? TED POTTER, JR: I feel like I play well in poor conditions just because of my demeanor. I'm usually, I mean I don't get angry on the course, I usually stay pretty calm and patient. So if I'm playing well, I'm pretty good at staying patient through out the tournament that way. Q. Could you expand a little bit on winning at Pebble Beach? I mean as a kid or teenager did you dream of even playing here and then becoming a pro and winning here? TED POTTER, JR: I probably would say I never really actually dreamed about winning here or being able to play here I guess when I was growing up. I never really thought of it that way. Born and raised on the East Coast, never really paid attention I guess to the West Coast and the courses over here until later on, probably I mean after I turned pro and played mini tours and stuff like that. But no, it's very special to win here at Pebble, especially my second career win, so yeah. Q. Why do you think it all came together for you here a year ago and how close have you come to that point in the ensuing 12 months? TED POTTER, JR: I think it was more I started putting well the last year here this week. Saturday I had a great round and got a hot putter on Saturday, so that really led into Sunday. I mean after the two rounds I wasn't really near the hunt and then Saturday, the third round, I really got a hot putter and I mean that's how my game is too. My putting goes up and down. One week I'll putt really good and next week it won't even be close. Q. Have you been with the putter since then at all? TED POTTER, JR: Yeah, this year's been like that. Last week I putted very poorly, and hopefully this week I can change that around. But that's how it's always been, I guess, that way with my putting. So it's more confidence, I guess. Once you see some balls going in the hole you start feeding off that and if you ain't seeing none go in the hole it's just tough. Q. A year ago you stood on the 18th green with Clint Eastwood. I was just curious if you had ever met him before at that point and just kind of is that kind of a surreal feeling? TED POTTER, JR: Yeah, I had never met him before, so that was pretty cool. And I've seen a few of his movies so it was pretty awesome to stand up there next to him on the 18th green. Q. You talked about staying calm as a key for winning. Can you explain how do you do that? TED POTTER, JR: I think I just, that's the nature of how I am. I've always been pretty level-headed when I'm on the course, I don't get mad over a bad shot. It's pretty natural to me to stay that way. Even if I hit good shots I don't get too excited or too mad when I hit a bad shot, so it's just always been that way with me. Q. I remember last year and years before that Russell Knox, who basically holds you up on a pedestal, the likes of which no one has ever seen. He said on the Hooter's Tour if you were anywhere near Ted Potter on the leaderboard you knew you were having a great week. Did you feel that way on the Hooter's Tour and have you ever come close to feeling that way since then? TED POTTER, JR: I would say out there on the Hooter's Tour and the mini tours I definitely felt a different level of golf. I haven't never felt that way on the PGA TOUR. The WEB.COM I have been close to that. I think 2011 I had a good, really good season out there and I felt like I was one of the guys to beat out there that year. I have never felt that yet on the PGA TOUR. It would be nice to get to that level, but. Q. How many people do you think feel that way? TED POTTER, JR: There's probably maybe a handful on the PGA TOUR I would say. There might be more but that's my opinion, probably about five or six or so. Q. Of all the times you played with Russell, did he ever ask for your autograph? TED POTTER, JR: No. (Laughter.) Q. A lot of players have swing coaches, psychologists, all kinds of specialists and I remember last year after you won you said that you don't even like to practice. Can I assume that you don't have any of those specialists one year later and you still don't like to practice? TED POTTER, JR: No, I'm still not big on practicing and no, I don't have any of those coaches or anything like that. Q. A follow-up to Doug's question earlier, how close last year on Sunday did you feel to feeling dominant on the Hooter's Tour? TED POTTER, JR: Once I got -- once I'm in the position to win a golf tournament, I feel really comfortable about doing it. It's just getting there to that last nine holes on Sunday, giving yourself a chance. I mean if I'm in the hunt I feel like can I win. So I just got to get there. Q. Curious about this though. When you think back to last year, Dustin's pretty good, how much, I won't say you're obviously not intimidated being in that position, but has anyone out here ever intimidated you? TED POTTER, JR: I would say not really, no. I mean if you're playing good, you're playing good. You got to play your own game, so if they beat you, they beat you, it's nothing you can do about it, you just don't want to beat yourself up out there. So if I'm in the last final round and have a chance to win, it's because I'm playing well, it's not because the other guys are playing poorly I don't think out here. THE MODERATOR: Ted, thank you so much for your time today. TED POTTER, JR: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: Good luck this week. TED POTTER, JR: Appreciate it. Thanks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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