SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 15, 2021

Nick Taylor

Waialae Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. A 62 today, and the par 5, 18, was the most interesting. When you saw where your drive ended up, did you think you were going to be out-of-bounds and have to walk back to the tee?

NICK TAYLOR: It was in-bounds. I've actually hit it there before in the past and I got relief because of the fence. So we just wanted to make sure, the way they were talking at the start, I don't know if they changed the fence over the year, but I was prepared to hit it somewhere if I needed to, but fortunately was able to get a drop and make birdie from there was nice.

Whenever you get another birdie, it's obviously a nice finish, but everything that happened, it's nice to walk away with 4. It was a fortunate break and nice to take advantage of it.

Q. Talking about your round in general, the 62 today as you reflect, what aspects of your game do you feel were strong?

NICK TAYLOR: I've putt well the last two days. Early on today, the first four or five holes, I made some nice par putts. I was 1-over and then I started hitting it better and giving myself opportunities and kept making putts.

Putting has been really strong. I've actually hit quite a few fairways, except for the final hole there. If I keep driving it well and hitting my lines; there's lots of birdies out there and I'm going to have to keep making them.

Q. Four rounds last week in the Tournament of Champions, shaking the rust off. Now at the halfway point, does anything shift for you? Do you still keep the same game plan heading into tomorrow or do you alter that at all?

NICK TAYLOR: I haven't looked at the forecast. I don't know if it's supposed to be really windy or not. If it's similar conditions with the scores, it's so bunched I'm going to have to keep making as many birdies as possible. I'll have the same game plan: Tees, greens, but the mindset is to try and make birdie.

Q. Would you say that was a Friday round worth the wait with a late tee time?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, after four or five holes I was kind of floating around the cut line and started hitting some nice shots. I was putting well early even though I was scrambling. One of those runs you hopefully keep your head down and keep it going. It was nice to finish that way.

Q. Leading the field in strokes gained putting, you get away from last week, looking up, looking down, finding an ocean to greens that are right in front of you. How much does that help to free you with your stroke this week?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, they are definitely flatter than last week. There's a lot of breaking putts last week in comparison. I feel like I've read these greens a lot over the years when I've played ere. My speed has been pretty good and just reading them right.

Q. With this golf course right in front of you, as it gets firmer and faster this weekend, what do you expect in terms of the challenge?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, scores are low. It's super-packed. I think the cut being 4-under, until I finish the last couple holes leading was 10. It's so bunched. The scores are going to be low. Ball is chasing so much on the fairways, and they are going to be shorter clubs into greens and they are not that firm yet. Unless they firm up, I'm predicting the scores to be pretty low so I'm going to have to be keep going.

Q. Any stock you're going to buy in range netting after the deflection you got there on 9?

NICK TAYLOR: Unfortunately, I've been there before, so I had a hunch I was going to get a drop. It took a little extra time but happy and I was fortunate we did.

Q. When you hole a nice chip for 3 on 18, what do you do? It looked like a very awkward moment of the ball going in the hole, great shot.

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it's different, no fans, we're used to it. You kind of say thanks to your playing competitors and go grab your ball and move on. It's different. Usually there's a great crowd on 18 here, so that would have been fun.

Yeah, it's something we're used to now, but it still it different.

Q. How much did that help in terms of your second nine?

NICK TAYLOR: It was huge. I was 1-over through five. Made a couple nice birdies and really started to hit some better shots, really that I'm trying to get up-and-down and make birdie and keep the momentum going. For that to go in was a bonus. Made a nice par on 2 and made some really nice putts coming in. I had some momentum going and just wanted to keep it going and try to hole as many putts as I could.

Q. When you did he hit on 8?

NICK TAYLOR: 56.

Q. And the swing on 9, you consider that a good break and were you worried walking toward your ball?

NICK TAYLOR: Not a good swing. I had been there in the past and got a drop. I called an official just to double-check. It was a fortunate break to get that job. Easily could have probably gone under the fence, but to bounce off and get a drop was a break and it was nice to take advantage of it.

Q. Now you have a two-shot lead, for the longest time, you had guys like a Harris English who was right on the cut line and all of a sudden he's right in the middle of it. It's so incredibly bunched and it's like that every year, it seems like; why?

NICK TAYLOR: I don't know. It's a good question. I think it's probably harder out here to make double and there's a lot of birdie opportunities. I feel like you can make four, five, six pars in a row you're probably getting lapped, especially with how the fairways are running. Through five holes I was 1-over and I assumed the cut was going to go to four. It's sometimes easy to get in the process of grind mode and think about the cut. I did a good job of that, hitting some good shots and moving away from that.

It's so bunched, the scores are going to keep going low, guys are going to shoot low, so you just have to keep the pedal down.

Q. So you did a good job of not thinking about the cut?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, just not shifting into grind mode and maybe playing more protective. It's easy to do that out here when it's so bunched. So it was nice to get a few birdies. 18 was one of those that got momentum and got me thinking forward of pushing ahead to ten or more.

Q. So when the winds aren't as strong as previous years, do you feel you can be more aggressive, but do you have to keep in your mind to stay more patient because of that?

NICK TAYLOR: A little bit yesterday morning the wind was actually up. I wasn't really paying attention and I saw for most of the day -- I had a good start yesterday and I was third, fifth, around there. I look up this morning before I teed off and I was in 40th. You knew you had to kind of go low and with the fairways as firm as they are, the ball is rolling so you're going to have shorter clubs in and the greens are still relatively receptive.

Yeah, I think when the wind is down, you just have to attack as much as you can.

Q. Do you feel like this is a course that suits your game?

NICK TAYLOR: I played well here last year. It was completely different conditions. It was really windy. It was wet. I've always liked here. In the past I've come here a little rusty. I'm usually back in Canada for December.

Playing last week in Maui helps getting the rust off and I went there quite early, as well that. Helped me out, just shaking rust off.

Q. How big of an adjustment from Kapalua to Waialae?

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it's a brutal walk, first off, but there's so many uneven lies, uphill shots, downhill slots, green are undulated and lots of breaking putts. There's really no comparison.

It's a nice walk this week. Our legs are very appreciative of that. I've always liked this golf course. It kind of suits my eye off the tee. I've driven the ball well the last couple days and really putted well. Obviously when you're doing that you're going to shoot some good scores, and reading the greens well, so hopefully I'll keep doing that.

Q. You've been a touring pro long enough; if you're 1-over through five, if they said you'd shoot 62 today, would you have believed them? I'm sure you've done that before.

NICK TAYLOR: You have slow starts and you get hot. I probably haven't done that a lot. Again, you go 9-under on a 13-hole stretch, that's not very often. But I felt good after those few holes coming off the back nine, chip-in for eagle and I just felt like I kept pushing.

Again with the wind dying down, you're able to attack and I just rolled a lot of nice putts in.

Q. What was so good about the par on 2?

NICK TAYLOR: I leaked my tee shot a little right. Just hit it long and putted up maybe five feet and just a nice par save to keep it going.