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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 6, 2020

Sung Kang

Orlando, Florida

Q. Great round of golf for you today. Tough conditions in the wind. Tell me how you navigated it this afternoon.
SUNG KANG: I think I just made a good putts. I just kept the momentum on number 10. But the 60-footer on number 13, I mean, and the 12 really helped out. I was going down a little bit after I made bogey from like 7 yards on hole 10 and made a great birdie on that hole. That helped a lot. And then made some birdies coming in. So I played good today.

Q. Talk to me about the par save on 17, the up-and-down you made there. How tough was that second shot, that chip you had to make?
SUNG KANG: I saw his ball and even before he hit it it looked like it was going to be really fast, especially past the hole, so I tried to, I mean, I couldn't leave it short either, but then the next putt's going to be really quick. And then I just misread it, hit it a little left. I thought it was going it was going to go left to right, but it went right to left. So I've been putting good today. So I started rolling it nicely, started it on the line and reading it nicely. And also Damon has been, he has been living in Orlando for awhile and he can read the greens and everything here, so that helps out.

Q. I was going to ask you, what's it meant to you to have Damon Green on the bag?
SUNG KANG: Nothing. (Laughing.)

Q. He would appreciate that answer too.
SUNG KANG: For sure.

Q. Beautiful birdie there at 18. So you're tied for the lead at 7-under par. One better today than yesterday even though yesterday was a more challenging day conditions-wise. But you said you love playing in a north wind. Why?
SUNG KANG: When I won the tournament at Byron Nelson last year I played great with the north wind. Somehow I kind of like the north wind, because I tend to hit it a little further with the south wind. So my numbers fit perfectly. I don't have to adjust anything with the south wind. The south wind, when it gets warmer, now I've got to take some, actually, yardage off and then try to hit a little softer. But because it's a little cooler and colder it was easier so I just play my old number.

And then I drove it great today and then putted really nicely, so that helped out a lot today.

Q. Great playing today. Just kind of talk us through your round. What was working so well for you out there?
SUNG KANG: I really had trouble with the driver a little bit yesterday and I actually worked on it a little bit yesterday afternoon and then drove it really good. I then putting, I've been putting really good, because the week of the Mexico -- I mean, the week before Mexico I putted great and then Mexico, it was my first time playing on that poa annua that I thought was the same, but over there I had 4-putt from 10 feet and 3-putted about 10 times before that. I mean, I lost all my confidence and then really tried to get back on my putting and it's been paying off.

Q. Has driving it well here set up the rest of your game because the rough's so thick this week?
SUNG KANG: It's not really about the rough. I mean, even last week the fact that the greens are really small and the greens are rolling, so even it's kind of hard from the fairway so you imagine how hard it's going to be from the rough. So it's not really how thick the rough is, it's more about the course's design and where the pins are at and the grain and the wind. There's some holes that you try to miss it to -- like last week or where the pin is today, you can't miss it to the left in the bunker or you can't miss it to the right either, it's hazard. So the only way you can miss it is short of the green. And I was 104 yards in, it's kind of hard to hit it short, but that's kind of what it is, you got to play to the right spot.

Q. The game's obviously been trending, you said going back to Riviera. Did you kind of start to find something here as it's been going along this year or is it kind of just going for it?
SUNG KANG: It's funny, because I was hitting it really good before Riviera, but I was a little too confident sometimes, I'm going at it too much. So Damon just tells me, Oh, you suck, you can't do it, just hit it there. And then the other problem was, I mean I had high expectation on him, so sometimes we're right in between and then I listen to him and it's just no good and I got mad and I couldn't control it. So I just told him, Hey, you suck too, just get out of the way, I'll just do my own thing. So that's been working great.

Q. Just having a little bit of fun?
SUNG KANG: Right, a little bit of negative stuff that definitely helps in my game. I was getting a little too cocky, too aggressive and where I shouldn't have to really. So it's kind of right there, I mean trying to be, I mean smart but aggressive. It's kind of hard to do, but that's kind of what I'm trying to do. And then I'm also trying to go at whatever my gut's telling me instead of, if it's right in between what I'm feeling, I'm just trying to trust myself instead of just listening to him and then kind of not doing it and hitting a bad shot or something and getting mad, so...

Q. What was the biggest thing today, you know, the wind, the wind was very difficult. What was the biggest difference out there?
SUNG KANG: I knew the wind was going to blow hard today so before I tee off I looked at all the pins and the wind direction and then tried to prepare before I tee off what I need today. So I worked on it a little bit and then, I mean, I think putting's big key, too. If you're putting good obviously when you miss -- you're going to have to -- when you miss shots you can't get it up-and-down from the awkward spots, so that definitely helps here hitting it to the right spots.

Q. Are you pleased with your game plan by now going into the weekend?
SUNG KANG: I mean, as I say, I'm pretty confident, so I just got to give myself that little bit and he has to still keep telling me I suck at it, so, but whatever it is.

Q. Do you feel a little bit of pressure right now because you're on top of, tied on top of the leaderboard do you feel a little bit of pressure right now?
SUNG KANG: No, not really, whatever, I'll just go play my game tomorrow. If they play good, I can't lose anything, so I'll just go try to play and try to do my best. And, I mean, I won before so I'll just try and stick with our game plan, nothing's changing, just play my game.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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