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KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 25, 2019

Paul Broadhurst

Rochester, New York

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 20819 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship here at Oak Hill Country Club. I am pleased to be joined by the 54-hole leader, Paul Broadhurst, who's also our defending championship. He fired a 3-under 67 today for a three-day total of 240. All week long, Paul, we've heard and patience, patience, patience, here at Oak Hill Country Club. Difficult golf course, but I think your patience had to be tested even further today with a couple of weather stoppages. How did you manage all that and to come in here as the leader today?

PAUL BROADHURST: I guess determination. I think the tough one was to go back out and play the last three holes. You know, tough three holes to play. So I was pleased to play those in level par coming in, although I missed a reasonable chance on 18.

But, you know, I'm obviously delighted. Another bogey-free round. Doesn't happen very often back to back, bogey-free rounds, especially around a course like this.

A lot of it is because I've played sensibly. I haven't necessarily gone at flags. Got a little bit fortunate on a couple of holes today. Made a couple of nice putts for par and managed another chip-in for birdie. Things were going for me front nine.

JOHN DEVER: Any notable par saves maybe you could point out?

PAUL BROADHURST: First hole. Tee shot, and it kicked right, and I thought, oh, I could be okay, I could be on the fairway. And I get down there, and I got a horrible lie. Hit 9-iron out and just trying to get it somewhere near the font front of the green. And it ran a little bit left as its was running up towards the front and caught the left semi again or left rough and left me a really tough chip.

Played it a little bit clumsily and it's gone 20 feet by back of the green. I've got a real slippery one down the hill. I'm think thinking don't start with the double, just lag it. I lagged it, and it went straight in the middle. So it was a great start.

Q. How far was that putt?
PAUL BROADHURST: 20, 25 feet.

JOHN DEVER: Let's have some questions.

Q. The birdies, the shots you hit?
PAUL BROADHURST: No. 4, thought I hit a good third shot in with a wedge, and it caught the downslope, shot it through the back of the green into the rough behind the flag. And, again, it was a shot to nothing. I played it perfectly, I just had to let the weight of the club drop on the ball and just hope it popped out, and it popped out perfectly and it fell down in the hole.

No. 6, 8-iron. Tricky pin today, front right corner. Hit it just on the top tier, again, a really slippery putt down the green, left-to-right swing from about 15 foot. Delighted it fell in.

And then No. 10, good drive with an 8-iron, probably about 10, 12 feet left of the flag, left edge putting, dead center.

So I made some nice putts today. I dried up towards the end. I had a couple of chances at 14 and 18. But happy with 3-under and bogey-free again.

Q. Can you expound on yesterday you were kind of shocked you played a bogey-free round. You've gone 38 holes now. Can you expound on how that's kind of impossible around here?
PAUL BROADHURST: Fortunate, I guess, a couple of times. Hit a lot of greens, a lot of fairways, not spraying it. Trying to be as sensible as I can be. When I've hit a poor shot, I've played a good pitch. I think on scrambles I'm probably, I don't know, 12 from 14 or something like that. That can't be right. Can't be right. Will be right, 12 and 14, two bogeys.

So my short game's been pretty good out of the thick stuff. I've driven it reasonably well. My irons have been okay. They haven't been straight at the flag, but sometimes I've hit a way from the flag. But all in all, 2 shot lead, couldn't be happier.

Q. Just how does this -- this course -- what does it say about your game that you're able to do what you did a year ago at the Senior PGA Championship as compared to what you've been able to do at this course, to go from a 19-under and now to be in this position?
PAUL BROADHURST: Yeah, this has never been a 19-under course. To be honest, I didn't think Benton Harbor was. It's a little bit more forgiving off the tee, Benton Harbor. There's a bit more room off the tee. The greens are -- although they're undulating, they're a lot bigger than the greens here.

So the emphasis here is on accuracy. No question. You can't necessarily hit it 300 yards off the tee. It helps obviously, but need to hit the fairways, and then you got a chance hitting the greens on.

Q. So what does that say about the completeness of your game, when you compare the two years?
PAUL BROADHURST: I think it just shows I'm a lot more consistent than I used to be. I don't spray it as often as I used to. I've been driving the ball really well all season. Lost it a little bit at the last tournament, at the Regions, didn't drive it quite so well. So came here, a little bit of negativity there. But I've driven it well so far.

Q. Comfortable front runner when you're in this position?
PAUL BROADHURST: Am I?

Q. But as the nature of the over 50s game, you've got a some challenger in Retief, who's two shots behind you. Do you have a history with him over the years?
PAUL BROADHURST: In the match play where he did me 5 and 4. Not really, no. I played certainly not in contention playing with Retief. So it will be interesting. He's a great player. Hits it miles. I'm going to have to be on my best game and more than likely have to shoot under par again.

But you never know. It's such a touch golf course that level par tomorrow might be good enough, but I've just got to go out there, try and play exactly as I have played the last three days. Sensibly. I'm not going to say attack, but attack when you can and then defensively when you have to. Just try and play sensible golf, if I can.

Q. And how important is it having been in positions like this before, you know how to manage yourself going into tomorrow?
PAUL BROADHURST: So does he (laughing). Yeah, I mean, there's probably, what, 10 guys still in it, 10 guys within five shots. Five shots is nothing around here.

So like I said, I'm happy to be two shots clear. But I know we're in for a tough day tomorrow, and I'm going to have to be at my best again.

Q. Last year on Sunday you put on a putting display. Are we likely see that tomorrow? How does your putting feel these days?
PAUL BROADHURST: I'm not sure. The greens are certainly a lot faster here than at Benton Harbor. I started off today thinking I was going to hole everything early on. Like I said, I dried up around the back nine. But I guess that's golf.

It will be important I putt well tomorrow. No question. Not going to hit every green, so going to have to hole the 4-, 5-footers for par. It will be an important part. Hopefully I can reproduce what I did last year.

Q. Earlier in the week you were saying your confidence level might not be as high as you like. Is there something that happened?
PAUL BROADHURST: Just practice really, just hit a few good shots on the range and take that onto the golf course. So good so far, and hopefully it will be certainly better than my poetry reading.

JOHN DEVER: Is there something about you and the 10th hole? You've got three birdies in three days.

PAUL BROADHURST: I didn't realize. Probably because I've driven it so well down there. I've hit three cracking drives down there. It's not the widest tee shot. And then I've hit it close every day. Today was probably the furthest away from that, about 12 feet. I'm not sure. Perhaps the tee shot fits my eye. I don't know. I wasn't aware of that.

Q. Were you at all concerned after the first horn blew, you're just coming off a birdie on 4, I believe it was. Were you worried that would slow momentum?
PAUL BROADHURST: Yeah, I think I was lucky that I hit my tee shot on a 5. It's probably one of the hardest tee shots, No. 5, out there. And to go back out there after the delay and that's your opening tee shot. Just got my tee shot away, middle of the fairway.

So I knew not too difficult a shot when I restarted. I hit two good 8-irons into 5 and 6 just. Sort of settled me down and got me back into it really.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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