SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 2, 2020

Denny McCarthy

Country Club of Jackson

Quick Quotes

Q. When we spoke to you earlier in the week you talked about being really excited about being able to putt on these greens. How excited are you now?

DENNY McCARTHY: Pretty excited, yeah. These things are so pure. You've just got to just wind it up and hit it on line and they stay pretty true. I've always liked coming to this course. I think it's a course where you've got to be smart. If you get out of position you've got to take your medicine. Some tricky pins today. You can get away on some pins, some putts you've got to be defensive on out there, and I like golf courses like this. You've got to kind of strategize, you've got to think a little bit, and it's a place I enjoy coming to.

Q. Bogey-free in your round today. Obviously coming into the week the golf course was a little bit soft. Has it changed at all since the week started?

DENNY McCARTHY: The greens are firmed up a little bit. If you're not in the fairway, if you're in the rough, it's just so unpredictable. Even though the rough isn't quite as high as I remember it being the last few years, it's just that Bermuda rough, you just don't know what kind of lie you're going to get. So hitting it in the fairway is important, and you can stop it relatively quickly if you're in the fairway, and the greens are so good. I'm excited to go out there and putt the next few days.

Q. Coming into today you were 20-under par on this golf course since playing here in 2018. Now you're 25-under par. I'm guessing you like this place.

DENNY McCARTHY: I do, yeah. Just kind of like I said, it's a golf course where you've got to drive it well, which I did last week. I drove it great last week and didn't really drive it well yesterday but got a good score out of it and hit some -- figured something out after the round last night. I was able to hit a few more fairways today, give myself a few more looks, and that kind of plays into the hands of the strength of my game, which is putting. So if I could just get a few more looks from the fairway, which will give me a few more looks on the green, and that plays right into my hands.

Q. 25 putts Thursday and 25 putts again today. What's been working so well with that club?

DENNY McCARTHY: It's just the strength of my game. It's the best club in my bag. Funny enough, I've actually kind of struggled the last couple months with my putter, and I've started to hit it really, really nice the last few months, and the putter has kind of been lagging behind. That's just kind of how golf works sometimes. But these greens are so pure, I really enjoy putting on these greens. I'm just having fun out there.

Q. For people watching the broadcast, what's the difference yesterday versus today in terms of how the course is playing and hole locations?

DENNY McCARTHY: I think there's definitely a couple more tricky pins today for sure. I think the wind picked up slightly throughout the round here and there. It was kind of gusting. It's mostly right to left, so it was kind of tough if it was helping a little, hurting a little, which definitely affects the shots. It's just a tough -- you've got to hit it in the fairway. If you're not in the fairway you're playing a lot of guessing games out of the rough. You've got to be defensive if you're hitting it in the rough. Even on the greens if you have some downhill putts or longer putts, you've got to be really defensive.

If I just keep doing what I'm doing, I'm driving it well, I'm not one of the longest hitters out here, but I'm doing enough to just give myself some looks and get my putter in the hands a few more times.

Q. We talk about horses for courses; what is it about this course that suits you, that suits your game?

DENNY McCARTHY: I think it's just kind of a strategy golf course. I didn't grow up playing on Bermuda golf courses, with Bermuda rough, but I just like the fact that you need to think a little more. If you hit it in the rough, where do I want to miss it, if this lie comes out jumpy, I'm going to take less club, I'd rather be short of the green if this lie comes out this way or that way. So I think you just need to strategize a little bit, and the greens are so good. These are some of my favorite greens on TOUR, and that's obviously the strength of my game. I always have a good feeling when I come here and step on these greens, and I think that's part of the reason why I play so well here.