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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARDMarch 5, 2020Scottie SchefflerOrlando, Florida Q. That was impressive to keep the card clean, let alone shoot 5-under par. Tell me how you did it. SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I made a nice, a few nice par putts. It's always great to be able to keep the card clean, especially on a day like today. It's playing really tough out there (wind noise.) Q. There was a lot of debris on the green there. I understand why you wanted to clear it, but when you ran it that far by, what were you thinking? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I should have left the debris on the green. I kind of made a joke of it. Q. But you made the putt, 15-footer there. 16-footer at 9. Talk to me about your approach there. Those are some difficult up-and-downs that you had coming in? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, those are tough. I feel like I'm rolling the ball pretty good. My pace on the greens was real solid today. Just been getting some difficult spots out here, and so it's definitely a great day to keep the card clean. Q. Your rookie season on the PGA TOUR (wind noise)? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think the WEB.COM season taught me a lot. I think in college I worried too much about my form and just too many, too much going on in the head pretty much. So when I turned pro, I kind of had a little change of heart at the beginning of the season last year and it kept me going. Just not over-thinking things and going out and playing. Today, I feel like (No Microphone.) I'm in a good mental place and kept it going. Q. Solid out there. Solid start? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It was a good start. It was good. Q. What was the biggest challenge of the day today? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Just trying to get the ball in play out here. When the winds blowing the way they were, there's a decent amount of crosswinds, and when the wind blows, you have to hit a lot of different shots and getting the ball in the fairway is really important. Get the ball in play. Q. You had a couple long putts too, right? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I made a few good putts. I felt like I was rolling it good. It's tough on these greens when, you know, they're so quick and the wind blows so hard. There's a few greens out here that are really challenging. I took advantage of the ones that were kind of protected and made some nice putts. Q. What did you make of this PGA TOUR University news that's come out this week? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: So I talked to some PGA TOUR officials about that in the past, and so I knew that was coming. I think it's good to give those guys an opportunity coming out of college. We were talking in the trailer this morning. When I turned pro last summer I couldn't even get into Q-School because so many guys were signing up. And I wasn't going to get a lot of starts out here, so I needed a place to play. So I think it's good for those guys coming out of college, playing all four years, I think that's nice. And graduating, I think they deserve to get out here and get a little bit of a shot. It's not a full season, but it's a place to play. Give them a chance. Q. When did you graduate? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: 2018. Q. Any other sport, you're a top draft pick? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I mean, our sport's so much different than that because we don't have teams. It's all up to you, so I think it's good to give those guys an opportunity. And I'm interested to see how it plays out because you might get a guy like, for instance, Doug Ghim coming out of college. He may not be playing on the Korn Ferry TOUR. He may go play on the PGA TOUR. Q. Take a start? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, so it's really up to the players. But I think it's good to give a guy who may not have as much hype and opportunity a place to play. Q. Do you have any experience playing here AJGA? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I played a Wyndham cup here, like, my sophomore year of high school, or something like that, which was a team event Match Play. And the course is a lot different now, so I wouldn't say I have much experience around this track. Q. You ever get to meet Arnie? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Nope, never did. Q. No Palmer Cup for you? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: No. I never made the Palmer Cup. I think the one year I was going to make it was my senior year and I turned pro. So I had a start in it Memphis. It looked like it was going to be my only start that year. And I got in the sectionals for the U.S. Open and so (wind noise) that was my opportunity to go play. Q. As a younger guy who obviously wasn't around when Arnie was here and hosting this tournament, what kind of presence do you feel out there? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Definitely a big presence. I feel I've gotten to know Sam well over the last couple years. I've played with him a few times, and I think he's carrying on, doing a great job carrying on his legacy. So you can feel his legacy through Sam. Q. What do you take from being in the hunt at American Express? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: The American Express, yeah, it was a good experience. I really didn't have what I felt like was my best stuff that week. My swing felt loose. And I just did a great job of staying patient and giving myself a lot of looks. I got off to a rough start the last day, but I fought back well. I gave myself a good chance to win, which I was happy with, but obviously very disappointing to not be able to get the job done there. But it was a good experience. Q. (Wind noise) Why is that? How prepared were you for this level and from what you've seen? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I feel like college golf, the way -- I can't really speak for the other guys and how they prepare, but I know playing in Texas, we played a very difficult schedule, a lot of good courses. So I think you learn a lot about your game playing more difficult courses and playing better events. And I learned a lot playing the Korn Ferry TOUR last year as well, you know, learning how to play week-to-week, play a lot of events a year, because I think I played 30 events last year, calendar year, total, so that's lot different than playing 15 events in college. So it was an adjustment. Q. Pretty aggressive mindset on the Korn Ferry where you've got to kind of go -- SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, you got to make a lot of birdies, yeah. Q. When you look back to this start of the season, what are you most pleased with overall? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I feel like I've been pretty consistent. I think that's -- it's been a good trait so far. Yeah, just a good consistent start. I haven't really broke through with a win yet, but I have given myself a decent amount of opportunities and just keeping myself in position. Q. (No Microphone.) Was that one of your objectives? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, so I don't -- I don't really make long-term goals. So for me, I noticed if I start making goals into the future, I'll start looking ahead and not focusing on the day-to-day. I remain really competitive in whatever I'm doing. So practice for me, I don't really need to get motivated to go do it. I'm just, I'm, I don't need those external factors, I would say. And for me, it's just better to go day-to-day and working on the things I need to work on. For me, looking long-term complicates things for me. Q. What's the last goal you set? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don't know. I want to play good this week. So Chantel was hanging around on the putting green yesterday and she's asking us about that and saying, Are you excited? Q. (No Microphone.) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I told her, I said, I haven't really thought about it, so I don't know. But, yeah. Q. I know you're looking one day at a time because you're suppose to say those cliches and not us, but you still have the Masters looming and a good opportunity here. SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, it's a good opportunity, in a good spot in the World Rankings to make it. I think I'm 51 right now. But I think winning here would get me into a few events as well, so looking at this week. Q. (No Microphone.) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Not really. I did a good job managing my schedule, I mean 30 events is a lot of events, but I did a good job preparing at home and not really putting a lot of stress on the week-to-week. And I took a decent amount of weeks off, it wasn't like I played 30 events and then had three months off at the end of the year, it was 30 events over 52 weeks or about probably 48 weeks for me. So, yeah, I did a good job getting rest when I was at home, not putting too much pressure on myself, making it a grind when you don't need to. Q. What was the best shot you hit today? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I'm not sure. I mean, I made a few nice putts, a few good up-and-downs, I mean, yeah, I don't know. Q. Another bogey-free day? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, bogey-free days are great. We'll go with the par putts, how is that? Made a few nice putts for par. It's great to keep the card clean. Q. What kind of round would really make you excited? SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: A low final round to win. It depends on the day. I think this week out here is going to be really challenging. Tomorrow morning the wind's supposed to switch and it's supposed to be cold. So it's going to be completely different than today. Q. It's tough enough to go around here bogey-free (No Microphone.) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I stayed really patient and gave myself a lot of opportunities (wind noise). Q. (No Microphone.) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It depends on the situation. If you're comfortable with the second shot (No Microphone.) FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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