THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2021

Bryson DeChambeau

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Bryson, tomorrow you look at that leaderboard, you and Justin, two of the top 5 players -- top 6 players in the world, you've got three or four major European guys on there. I know it's not the Ryder Cup, but in some ways would it even have a Ryder Cup feel, the atmosphere? Who you're going to be battling on that leaderboard tomorrow?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Maybe. Look, we're all focused to win this golf tournament, focused to win THE PLAYERS Championship. This is a chance that I've wanted my entire life. Growing up watching THE PLAYERS, and finally having this opportunity is going to be something special. For sure in regards to the Ryder Cup type atmosphere, maybe. But at the end of the day we all just want to do our best to win the tournament.

Q. Looking at it from a global standpoint, you've got the Europeans, they're going to be rooting for their guys, Americans, and obviously everybody knows what you've done here in the last few months. Looking at it from that standpoint --

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I think there will be a little bit. I'm sure there will be out there. How much, I don't know. It depends on the fans, and I'm sure there are Americans that are rooting for Lee and Europeans that are rooting for me. That's just kind of the way I look at it.

Golf is an amazing sport, and it's an individual sport, and this week we're all trying to win THE PLAYERS Championship.

Q. I think weird is the word you used when you walked off the first green about the bounce that you got there.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah.

Q. This is a golf course that you get kind of weird things happen to you?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, sometimes. There's really steep slopes in and around the greens. There's a lot of weird stuff that goes on around this golf course. For example, 17 was a very firm green and I got a huge bounce to the back of the green and I wasn't expecting that at all. It's one of those things that we've just got to be prepared for the unexplainable, and if you can do that, like I was able to on 15 today, got in a really weird situation, really weird lie and I managed to get up-and-down from there.

Q. I don't know if you heard what Rory said yesterday about he got into chasing distance because of what you've done. How does that make you feel?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: You know, I appreciate it, first off. The second comment I would have that -- I wasn't trying to influence anybody. I was just trying to play my own game and hit it as far as I possibly could. And I knew there was going to be an affect. I didn't know what it would be or who would be affected by it, but again, golf is a weird game. This journey that I'm on is not taken lightly. I've tried to figure out a bunch of different variables that you have to in order to hit it straight, hitting it really far. I knew that there would be some people that would try and some people it would potentially not work for them and some people it may help them. So I really don't know that, but I do appreciate Rory's comments, it's kind of a sentiment almost and something that keeps me going every day.

Q. What do you make of what Westwood is doing the last two weeks? Curious if anything stands out to you from last Sunday that he did that impressed you?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think Helen. I think Helen is a big part of it. She's keeping him steady and level headed and she's a rock. Keeps his mind focused on the right things, and she's been awesome for him, and that's one of his secret weapons, I think.

Q. Is there anything that impressed you about his game that maybe you wouldn't have thought?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, Mr. Consistency. I mean, his driving is impeccable, his iron play is impeccable and he makes putts when he needs to. Fortunately for me last week I was able to get the job done, and I think tomorrow is going to be an incredible battle.

Q. You said you haven't had your best all week. What have you been happiest with about what you've done the first three days?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Managing where I've missed it for the most part. I think there's been a couple holes where I haven't missed in the right place, but on average I've missed it in the correct places, and when I haven't I've, for the most part, been able to get up-and-down. That's what you need to do to win golf tournaments. Putting has always been pretty good and my driving was a little bit better today, I hope I can keep moving forward with that and working on it in the right way and giving myself a better feel for tomorrow.

Q. How much emotion can carry on from canning that putt on 18? Can that carry a long time?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, definitely a lot of positivity coming out of that. You feel pretty good the way I finished. Gutting it out, grinding it out and giving myself a great chance for tomorrow.

Q. Are we seeing a budding rivalry between you and a 48-year-old Englishman?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I guess so. He's making a lot of amazing putts, too. That's what it takes to win golf tournaments. I can hit the long ball, that's great, but again, on 18 I didn't hit the fairway and that's something I'm trying to do all week. I've been trying do it all week. No matter what, I just wanted to hit the fairway, even if I had 8, 7-iron in. From a putting contest standpoint tomorrow, it's going to be who can hit the most greens and who can make the most putts. That's always the way it is.

Q. Have you ever had back-to-back weeks where you have played with the same guy down the stretch in the final group?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, in junior golf. That's about it. But it was the same couple guys.

Q. Did you find anything yesterday on the range?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I did. It played out for me pretty well today. Still hit a couple not-so-great shots. For the most part I was able to keep it in play and hit some great drives off the tee. No. 14, that's a hole I want to hit the fairway on. If I hit the fairway on that hole, it's off to the races for me. But I'm getting really close to doing that.

Q. What did you find on the range yesterday?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah. It's just about keeping my right arm closer to my chest, not letting it get so far away from me. I just feel like when I'm trying to hit it really hard, sometimes it does that, and got to make sure the club stays more in front of me.

Q. What was your second into 18 and were you playing it to be short?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I was trying to run it up the front edge and I thought I was going to get a jumper out of there and I haven't had a jumper all week but I'm expecting to have a jumper at some point in time during this week. Again, just trying to miss it in the right spot. I didn't want to miss it long. I knew that long might have been a little treacherous, especially going off a downslope, if it jumped on me and hit the middle of the green, ran all the way past the flag. But I knew from the front part of the green I could probably have an easy shot going up there.

I just feel like having 8-iron out of the fairway isn't too bad on that hole, and I hit 5-iron today off the tee. 4-iron was going to go too far. Hit a couple 4-irons 290, and that's what I tried to go for the green with on 12 but I kind of whiffed it. It's weird, as time goes on I feel like I'm getting a little bit longer with my irons and driver is not as long, but you know, again, go back to No. 18. I'm digressing. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just babbling.

Q. That 8-iron you're thinking is going to go what, about 210?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, with a jumper I was trying to play it about 210, yeah, and it came out dead and only went like 195, 190.