HONDA CLASSIC

March 21, 2021

Brendan Steele

PGA National Resort

Quick Quotes

Q. Tremendous start with a birdie and an eagle in the first three holes. Did you feel that you still had a chance at the beginning of the day?

BRENDAN STEELE: It was funny because I was talking with Keegan last night and he said, You can still win this from where you are. You get out there early with maybe the wind a little bit less than the leaders get and remember that run that Tiger round, however many years ago, just going out and shooting 9-under, that kind of a thing. It's still, obviously, farfetched, but when you turn in 5-under then maybe you're thinking there's a chance there. So I was definitely trying to get myself, I thought if I got to 8 or 9 maybe some things can happen around the Bear Trap, but I think I'll come up a little short no matter what.

Q. We have just seen your par attempt at the 11th in one of our shots of the day. Can you talk us through what happened there?

BRENDAN STEELE: I thought I hit a great second shot. The wind's hard off the right and I've had trouble holding it against the wind all week and it started moving right and it landed up there and bounced into the water across the line, at least, so I knew I could drop up there. Got up there and it was kind of in a hole and we had to discuss it for awhile, some vines and weird things down there. I was able to hack it out into a decent spot and then just fully jammed the next chip. And I don't want to compare myself to Tiger, obviously, but it reminded me of the Tiger shot from St. Andrews, or sorry from Torrey Pines, I mean, when he holed it in the U.S. Open. And it just flies right in and all you can do is laugh, you know, so.

Q. Looking at the conditions today and the way the golf course is playing, how much easier -- it's tough to say easier on a golf course like this -- but how much easier is it today?

BRENDAN STEELE: The wind direction makes all the difference here. So not necessarily how hard it's blowing but which way it's blowing. And obviously each direction has different challenges, but this is a less objectionable wind than we had yesterday. Yesterday's the most objectionable wind for the golf course. Even the easier holes have crosswinds and just don't end up looking very good to your eye, and then the harder holes are kind of in on the Bear Trap, in off the left, like, kind of right-handers nightmare.

Q. Can you attack some of the hole locations in the Bear Trap today, do you think?

BRENDAN STEELE: I think the setup's pretty nice on 15 and 16. 17, I was playing with Joaquin Niemann. He hit it really close there and I was shocked how close he hit it. I didn't think you could hit it that close. But 15, I think you can hit a good shot there. 16, the pin's in a bowl, so you got a chance there, but if you miss the bowl, like I did, it's really quick and I ended up 3-putting there, so you got to be careful there too.