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THE HONDA CLASSICFebruary 28, 2020Gary WoodlandPalm Beach Gardens, Florida Q. 3-under 67 on this Friday, Gary, out early this morning. How were you able to get it around here with a good one today? GARY WOODLAND: I hit it a lot better today. Yesterday was a grind. The golf course is just hard. That north wind, it was cold this morning. The wind is blowing. But luckily the wind was out of the same direction all day, so we didn't have to guess at that. But today I hit the golf ball a lot better, hit the ball, gave myself a lot of chances. Would have liked to have made a couple more coming in, but all in all I'm happy. To shoot under par out here is pretty good. Q. How much does this place truly grab your attention? GARY WOODLAND: There's just no let-up. It's as mentally tough a golf course as we see all year, just so demanding, every shot. There's just a lot of holes where you've just got to -- no bail-outs, you've just got to step up and hit good shots and make good swings and trust what you're doing because if you don't you can make a big number out here. Q. Earlier this week you echoed those sentiments and said that you like this golf course. How can that play into the fact, coming somewhere, having those thoughts and being able to back it up with good results? GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, it's nice. I mean, obviously it shows where your game is. You need everything. You've got to chip the ball, you've got to putt it, you've got to get the ball in the fairway out here because if you're playing from the rough, fortunately it's down a little bit, but it's hard to control the ball into those greens, and the par-3s speak for themselves. All in all, it's supposed to warm up this weekend a little bit, so we'll see what the wind does with us, but I'm happy to be shooting under par today. Q. 3-under 67 today, Gary. Just a few comments on today versus yesterday. GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, yesterday was a grind. Today I hit the golf ball really well. Controlled it, drove it, hit a lot of fairways, which was nice, and the iron play really gave me a lot of opportunities. It would have been nice to make a couple putts on my back nine, the front nine, but all in all, you shoot 3-under out here, it's a good day. Q. You've shown that you don't mind tough golf courses, you don't mind tough conditions. What is it? Is it mental? GARY WOODLAND: I think it's definitely mental. I probably focus a little bit more. You've got to hit shots out here. You've got to work the golf ball both ways. You've got to ride the wind. I love playing in the wind. But this golf course is as demanding as we see, so you've got to be ready from the get-go. Bogey is not going to hurt you out here, either, so I like that, as well, and the par-5s I can attack out here, so all in all, I think this golf course sets up pretty good for me. Q. You were saying a moment ago that a course like this, it shows where your game is. Where did you think it was Wednesday and where do you think it is now? GARY WOODLAND: I was trending. Last week I started playing a little bit better, and like I said, this golf course shows you where you're at. Obviously we have a big stretch coming up, THE PLAYERS coming up and then leading into the Masters. I like coming here and hitting different shots and seeing what I need to work on over the next couple weeks, but all in all, I'm happy with where the game is. Q. After the U.S. Open you had a lot of good things happen. Did it take you away from the game a little bit? Did you have to kind of get it back? GARY WOODLAND: I don't know if it took me away. I probably changed the way I was looking a little bit. My short game won me that U.S. Open, and I think I got so excited about the short game, I did a little bit too much short game work, I think, and I lost my ball-striking a little bit. I've relied on my ball-striking my whole career, and I focused a lot after that U.S. Open on trying to be the best short game guy in the world. I need to rely on my ball-striking and have the short game save me, and I've gotten back to that a little bit. Q. How much did it help after 18 yesterday making that putt for birdie? GARY WOODLAND: That was huge. For me especially, I've got to attack the par-5s. Today I three-putted 18, which was frustrating. But that would have made dinner taste a lot better, I can tell you that. It would have been frustrating to hit two good shots like that and walk away with a 5. That putt was huge, and then coming into today, from the get-go I hit the golf ball like I did on that last hole. I hit the golf ball like that all day. Q. A big stretch in the season coming up, and having one under your belt now, does it change your mentality going into -- GARY WOODLAND: I think it just gives me more confidence. I know I can win. That's a huge deal. It's one thing to say, and it's another thing to believe it, and I've done it. So I know how to prepare. I know what I did that week, and I know what to expect, especially under the gun, so it's nice to get here, see where the game is, and I'll be ready to go for THE PLAYERS and Augusta. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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