	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

January 16, 2020

Grayson Murray

La Quinta, California

Q. On a day like this, no wind, great conditions, obviously there's going to be birdies available. There's going to be birdies on the course no matter where you are. Playing, like they said, toughest of the three courses first off and going 8-under, how much of a boost is that for the rest of the week to know that it doesn't get easier but it maybe gets a little easier?
GRAYSON MURRAY: Yeah, you still got to play good golf at the other two courses, I don't like to just kind of overlook those two courses by any means. They have their challenges in each spot and tomorrow I'm just going to have to be disciplined off the tee and really focus in on just trying to hit fairways out there because if you do that then there's a ton of birdies at La Quinta Country Club. And, yeah, like you said, this is probably the tougher of the three, but I think we're all getting off to, if we like one course out here, then we kind of, we don't think about, oh, this is the toughest one, so to speak.

Q. And the wind does tend to kick up occasionally, not that often, but often enough to make it interesting. When you're, when the day starts, are you keeping track of the wind conditions and what you might expect and where it's coming from?
GRAYSON MURRAY: Yeah, typically my caddie will do that, do his homework about of the round and get a feel of what direction it's coming out of. But for the most part it's, if anything, it's two or three yards out there at the most. I mean we never really got a gust out there today and so you're basically playing in a dome. And for us pros, playing with no wind or no rain or not fighting the elements, we can always rely on a pretty low number someone's going to shoot at least.

Q. Do you have to resist the temptation to maybe be over aggressive in perfect conditions?
GRAYSON MURRAY: I don't think so. I think you just got to, we have a game plan and we just try to stick to that regardless of if I'm 8-under or 8-over. I would like to think that I would be playing just the same way as if I was over par out there. And that's the challenge that we have is when we do get it going we got to stay in it and keep pushing because you got three more days, so you're trying to get as many as you can.

Q. Now, I overheard you tell one of the other guys you've been out here for a couple weeks and kind of had a chance to get settled here. How much adjustment is required with the desert courses?
GRAYSON MURRAY: This is my fourth time being out here I'm pretty comfortable with these courses. If anything you just kind of know where the trouble is and where you can miss it. And that's kind of what I was doing the last four, five holes, you kind of, with the water right or water left, it catches your eye a little bit so you're just honestly playing for a miss at that point, you're just trying to play away from the trouble. But, yeah, I've been here for two weeks and I feel good about all the courses and I'm prepared for sure.

Q. Are there things out here that are a little different than what you'll see elsewhere on the TOUR?
GRAYSON MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I just think this is a tournament that birdies are a must. Next week at Torrey, not so much, you kind of are hanging on for dear life on some of those holes out there. Out here, if you shoot even par, you pretty much get lapped. So it's the same mindset, obviously you still got to hit your golf ball where you're looking, but as far as difference wise, yeah, I mean you just got to make birdies in the desert.

Q. I've always said driving out here from the west, if you go by the wind turbines and they're not moving, lots of birdies.
GRAYSON MURRAY: Yeah, exactly.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297