SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 14, 2021

Joaquin Niemann

Waialae Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Great finish. Tell me about the closing eagle.

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: It was a good way to finish. Just happy the way I played. Nice chip-in to finish and will help me sleep for tomorrow.

Q. How did the great finish last week help?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, spent a few days thinking about that last hole, but just taking all the positives from the week and I think just taking all the positive and pull it out for this week.

Q. Spending another week with Sergio. Tell me about that friendship?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Last week was the first time we played together in a competitive round and now we have two more rounds together. It's always nice to have a friend to you playing in a tournament.

Q. Talk about your eagle on 18?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yes, a good way to finish, like I said, finishing with an eagle is always nice. Good way to keep motivated for tomorrow and have a nice round.

Q. Can you describe your round and what was really working well for you?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I think it's a little bit of everything. I hit the ball great off the tee. Hit my irons really close and made a lot of good putts. I think the only little mistake I had was on No. 12 that I just, I don't know what happened, just hit a really firm putt and I just three-putted there. Other than that it was a pretty good day.

Q. A continuation of Sunday?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: After I finished, I kept thinking of the negatives on Sunday, the way I played on 18, kept my mind a little frustrated a little bit. After that, I was thinking more the positive of the week; the way I played, the way I played on Sunday and just taking out the positive and try to put that into this week.

Q. You and Sergio have a lot of fun. Does it help playing together feeding off that energy?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, it's always nice to have friend next to you in a golf tournament. We had a lot of fun. Hopefully we can get a good day tomorrow for me and for Sergio.

Q. What shirt did Sergio have on today?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, we forgot. I've got to say, it was coincidence -- no, it was not coincidence on Sunday.

Today just whatever we wear.

Q. Sunday was part of the Adidas?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: No, I asked him by text, "Hey, what are you wearing tomorrow." And like he sent me a picture of his outfit. I'm like, all right, I'm going to wear the same.

Q. What how long does it take you, when you finish a round and you don't win, circumstances like that, like Kapalua how long does it take you to put it behind you?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: It was the first time that it really hurt me, like finishing a golf tournament. But like I said, probably one or two days I just keep thinking on how I couldn't make birdie on 18 and get it done.

But yeah, I mean, I was talking with my coach, with my psychologist, and it was -- we talk like for an hour about the whole tournament, not for that 18th hole. So it was a good way to take all the positives from that week.

Q. Sergio has more experience with that.

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, he gave me a good speech right after I finished. He told me, yeah -- he told me about the experience that he always had a lot of playoffs and he won a lot of them and also lose a lot of them. He was one that told me to take out the positive and not the negative from that week.

Q. Was Sunday forgotten when you teed off today?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, this is another week and it's another tournament.

Q. How do you play 18?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: On 18, I hit a high draw with a driver. I just missed the fairway. I hit it in the rough. Then I just hit it a little heavy. I thought it was going to be a little flyer and I hit it a little heavy and I just chip it in.

Q. On the tee shot, have you ever thought about hitting 3-wood to keep it from going through?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I feel really, really good when I hit high draws with the driver. So I think you've got to hit a perfect shot, you've got to draw it a lot. It's a little tricky shot but I feel good on it so I just went for it.

Q. Did you have a clear shot of trees for your second?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: It was fine. Just one yard too long.

Q. On 14, did you try and do the same thing?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: 14, dogleg left, yeah, that bunker was 295, 300 to carry. The ball was going far today, so I prefer to hit it over the bunker.

Q. Hard to keep it in the fairway?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: It's pretty firm. Just hit a bad second shot but the driver was pretty good.