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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDEMay 31, 2019Troy MerrittDublin, Ohio Q. 9-under, must be pretty happy with that. Just talk about your day today. Pretty solid playing? TROY MERRITT: If you told me when I started out I was going to shoot 66, I wouldn't have teed it up, I would take 66 any day on this golf course. But I struck it really, really well. Just sloppy on 14 and accidentally nuked a 6-iron on 16, and missed some putts coming in; otherwise, it could have been in the low 60s. I joked with my caddie, I've never shot anything between 6-under and 10-under, it's going to be 6-under or 10-under. And today it was 6-under. Q. You've made three starts before, and this is your fourth. What is it this week that's different for you? TROY MERRITT: I think the fairways are softer and I'm hitting the ball well off the tee to help me find the fairways. I've struggled with that in the past. The greens aren't as lightning quick as they've been in the previous years I've been here. They're still quite quick and they roll very well. You need to make some putts on them. If you can get the ball close enough, you can make plenty of birdies out here. Q. How about the shot on 18 out of the bunker, was that one -- you thought you had that putt, didn't you? TROY MERRITT: I was trying to make par. I made par. But, yeah, I'm not a lag putter or dribble it over the front even at three or four feet, and when it's that fast down the hill, it's always going to have a little bit of pace. I still thought I had to get it outside the hole. That putt usually hooks. It just hooked from a little different angle. And it didn't. With that pace, I was lucky to get it in for par. Q. When you're a winner that's exempt, how do you look at the points now where you stand? Is it less daunting, more daunting? How does it feel for you where you are? TROY MERRITT: For me this year it was a little different just because I took off from the middle of January to pretty much the middle of the April, with the exception of THE PLAYERS, out dealing with having my rib taken out. So for me I'm just trying to get 20 starts. I'll play all summer long. Not really looking at the points race too much. But just planning on playing a lot of golf. Q. Can you just elaborate on that for those that don't know about the blood clot? TROY MERRITT: Last summer, not knowing it, I played all summer with a large blood clot that ran from my chest down to my left elbow. And I couldn't really lift my arm up. I could make a golf swing. So I kept playing, and I ended up winning Barbasol, and ten days later right before the PGA, I couldn't lift it anymore. It was twice the size of my other arm, and it was purple all the way down. My wife told me I needed to go to the doctor, and they determined it was a blood clot. And the underlying cause was a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome. You see it more in Major League pitchers. Basically my top rib and clavicle were too close together, and it pinched the vein and it caused the blood clot. So I played all last fall on blood thinners and a compression sleeve. And this past January I decided to have the rib taken out so I didn't have to be on the blood thinners anymore. Q. So you're off the blood thinners? TROY MERRITT: Yes, I've been off since March. Q. I actually just got off blood thinners myself for a whole different story. But I'm wondering about how different you feel. It's obviously a difficult thing to go through. Has it invigorated you? TROY MERRITT: I would say I'm in far worse shape overall than before I had the surgery done. I don't feel any different. Right now it's just trying to get the body back into playing every day again on PGA courses. And it's taken longer than I want. I don't feel a lot different. I'm not very good being regimented on taking pills once or twice a day, and now I don't have to worry about it. Q. Do you feel like the rib isn't there? TROY MERRITT: No, I didn't feel it was in there, and now I don't feel it when it's out (laughter). The only problem is I can't hurt it again unless I grow it back. If I can do that, I'll quit golfing and sell my body to medicine. Q. From a mentality standpoint -- you say you feel decent physically, but from a mentality standpoint, how has it changed your outlook? TROY MERRITT: I tell you what, it's freed me up a little bit more on my golf swing. My tempo has been better ever since it was out. I had tight scalenes throughout the years, and I get to the top of my backswing and it would pinch a little bit and cause me to get a little quick. Now they're not tight anymore and I can take my time, and as a result I hit the ball quite well in 2019. Q. What's your mindset heading into tomorrow? Obviously you're leading right now. TROY MERRITT: Yeah, the course is still very scorable and very gettable. I think you'll see a few guys get in double digits and stay there. We put ourself in a good position for this weekend. We'll see what the weather does. I can't imagine the course is going to change too, too much. Just go out and make a bunch of birdies. It's nice to be in contention. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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