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SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 2, 2020

Matthew Wolff

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii

Q. What a nice way to finish off your round. Showed a little patience, showed a little power, put up a good number.
MATTHEW WOLFF: Absolutely, yeah. I got off to a little rocky start, was a little uncomfortable with my swing at first, and with how firm the greens are and stuff, just felt like I wasn't hitting it as close as I wanted to, then settled down a little bit, had a nice putt on 7 and then a nice up-and-down on 8, and that kind of jump-started my round, and I played a really nice back nine.

Q. Were you frustrated leaving the 15th green? At the time it was the longest drive of the day, had you at 177 and a little bit of a downhill, sidehill lie, you end up walking away with par, you bogey 16, then you have a nice finish.
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, thanks for reminding me. No, it was a little frustrating with having a 9-iron in your hand on a par-5. You just kind of want to walk away with birdie on eagle. I was on a sidehill, downhill slope, and then I just felt like it squirted a little right on me, and if you miss that green right it's going all the way down. Yeah, the third putt on 16 was a little frustrating but bounced back with two birdies at the end. Like I said at the beginning of the week, I feel like staying patient was the main thing you have to work on, and I feel like I did that.

Q. You were standing over that putt on 18 for eagle and I said, you know, he's made eagle on the 18th hole before, thinking back to Minneapolis and 3M.
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, that putt really just didn't break on 18. I saw it with the whole side of the mountain and everything, I saw it breaking at least -- I saw at least a foot, and it really only broke a few inches. Yeah, I feel like it's really hard to judge the speed on these greens because with the grain and the mountain and the wind and all that stuff, I really didn't want to give myself too far for birdie, so I felt like just having good speed instead of trying to be aggressive is the play, and yeah, I was really happy with how I finished.

Q. Where do you put the fun factor on this golf course?
MATTHEW WOLFF: What are you asking?

Q. I'm asking where do you rate this in terms of what kind of a fun course to play or is fun the wrong word because it can be daunting at times?
MATTHEW WOLFF: You know, when it's really blowing, it can be frustrating, but this is probably one of the most fun courses that I've ever played, just with the views and all the slopes of the greens. I feel like there's so many different ways to play this course. You can hit it high, especially with the firm greens, or you can run it up. I just feel like there's so many different ways to play it and you can have so many different styles around this place, it's really cool to see so many different styles of -- different types of players have success here.

Q. What's the worst walk you had today, 9?
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, we got some shuttles. 9 was brutal up that -- to the second fairway. Yeah, I'd say 9. 15 was actually a lot worse than I thought, even though I didn't think it was that long, especially after a par makes it a longer walk up to that 16th tee. Yeah, it's not flat.

Q. Do you have any level lies out there at all?
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, on the tee box. Yeah, every single tee box is a flat lie. But yeah, no, for the most part they were all really -- I'm trying to think back. I really don't remember having a flat lie. I feel like maybe on 13, like the far side of the fairway slopes away from you, but I was on the edge of the bunker, so it kind of leveled out for me. But other than that, you're always hitting draws, fades out here. The ball is way above your feet or way below, so just having the ability to stay patient and not get frustrated with how many sidehill lies you get.

Q. Had you been here before this week?
MATTHEW WOLFF: No.

Q. Did it exceed what you had imagined it was going to be?
MATTHEW WOLFF: The views definitely did. Yeah, I think it did. I've watched it on TV, but TV really doesn't do it justice. I feel like that's kind of a repeating theme on the PGA TOUR. When I was in college and junior golf, I used to watch PGA TOUR events, and I'd see how cool it would be, and then I'd get to the course and just be like, this looks -- this is totally different than what I see on TV. It's cool to finally be here, and like I said, the views are second to none, so it's just pretty cool.

Q. When you look at the first part of the year, is it similar to what you've done in the second part of last year in terms of every course is going to be brand new to you except for maybe Phoenix?
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, everything is going to be brand new to me. I just feel like maybe when you're a veteran out here, been here or four or five years, you know the course so you can get out here on Tuesday, but for me I always plan on getting here on Monday, at least getting out to the course maybe if I don't walk it on Monday maybe just to get the speed of the greens or the grass or anything that that course has to offer. But I just think that the most important thing is I have a caddie who's seen pretty much every single course, so he's a lot of help, and I just think I go to some veterans out there, ask them for advice, what they think. Rickie is a guy I always go to. They've been really helpful.

Q. From Minnesota on, have you been there Monday of every tournament do you think?
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, yeah, maybe even Sunday night. But yeah. I've been there pretty early.

Q. Phil doesn't get there until like Wednesday.
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, well, he's played here for a lot longer than I have.

Q. You've talked a lot about the course and everything for your first time. Will you be able to do something outside of golf while you're here in Maui?
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, I got absolutely destroyed by some waves on Monday, so that was a lot of fun. But I'm going to try to go snorkeling actually because I feel like this might be the earliest tee time I get, so I'll have the afternoon to hang out. This is my first time in Maui. I'm scared of heights so ziplining is out of the question, and there's some things I'm probably not going to do, but I'd like to go snorkeling, and the pool at the Ritz isn't bad, either.

Q. When did you realize you were afraid of heights?
MATTHEW WOLFF: I was like probably eight. I don't really remember how old I was, but I was young, and I went to Big Bear because I grew up in California, and I think I went with a group and my dad, and I was on one of those lifts, and I was like about to get off, so I didn't fall from that high, but I fell from like 25 feet. Luckily there was enough snow to stop me, but I just fell flat in the snow.

Q. You fell off the lift?
MATTHEW WOLFF: Yeah, I fell off the lift. I had a bloody nose. I wasn't hurt at all, but I remember the feeling of falling, and from then on -- but planes don't affect me. If I'm inside something, I'm fine, but if I'm close, like in the air or open, then I'm like, uh-uh.

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