ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

March 5, 2021

Paul Casey

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Quick Quotes

Q. Out early in with 69, what stood out in your game that allowed you to go around here bogey-free today?

PAUL CASEY: To be honest it wasn't anything super special, but it was clean and tidy, which was nice. I don't feel like I've hit it brilliantly through 36 holes, but it wasn't disastrous, it wasn't destructive.

I managed the game really well, I missed it in the right spots and I think leant on the course management more than anything. And got the speed of the greens, I've always been a guy who loves really, really fast greens and the fastest greens I've putted on so far this year.

So, yeah, happy. Happy with the score, but, yeah, a little bit of work to do on the ball striking.

Q. Four years since you last played this event. How quickly does it come back to you when you return to a place like this in Bay Hill and it all sorts of the falls back into place?

PAUL CASEY: It's one of those cool golf courses that you remember. It's not bland, it's not dull, it's got some very cool features that it sticks in your brain. When you remember the golf holes, I think that's probably a sign of good design, good architecture.

So, yeah, remembering is pretty straightforward, it's just the little nuances of kind of contours on the greens and where to hit it, where not to hit it. A couple of new tees that I hadn't seen before, but again the lines hadn't really changed.

So I don't know my performances here in the past, I don't think it's been anything special, but I remember liking it and that's all that mattered.

Q. You and I have talked a few times over the past month, to the quick start you've had to 2021, when you put two rounds like this together, where does that go in terms of the confidence-wise of believing that, hey, the momentum's still going your way?

PAUL CASEY: I think it's good on a, for something like the last two days, where the ball striking wasn't quite as good as it was at Palm Springs or Pebble or out in the Middle East, where the ball striking was phenomenal. The fact I'm still around about the sort of the top of the leaderboard gives me confidence. So it means that a lot of aspects, a lot of other aspects of my game are obviously in a good position. My short game's been good, my bunker game was good the last two days, yeah, I'm relaxed, I'm in a good spot. Look, I'm down in the FedExCup, but as far as I'm concerned I've just got opportunities, nothing to lose.