CHUBB CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SERVPRO

April 15, 2021

Bernhard Langer

Tiburón Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Bernhard, back at the Chubb Classic, a place you've had a lot of success through the years. Three times you won this event. New venue. Just thoughts on being in Naples.

BERNHARD LANGER: It's always great almost being at home living in Boca Raton for 36 years, something like that. So this is very similar conditions, similar grasses.

Enjoy the people here, and we had the pleasure the playing a number of courses in the Naples area and they've all been very good. Today was my first round here at Tiburon actually. I didn't have a chance to play a practice round.

And I'm very impressed. It's right there in front of you. Quite narrow at times and some strong finishing holes, so looking forward to next few days.

Q. You came in Wednesday. A little bit unusual is it? Usually do you typically get into town Tuesday?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, I had to go to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a couple of board meetings there, and they gave away the Lorraine Cross Award, which is like a Nobel prize, $1 million prize to the most or best invention in medical science.

So that was a lot of fun, being a part of that. And, yeah, that's why I came in a little later. Hopefully Terry scouted out everything and I'll go by his advice.

Q. Have you ever not played a practice round?

BERNHARD LANGER: Very seldom. There has been one or two times the occasion where I had to be home for whatever, a birthday or a kid was born or something, who knows.

But most of the time I've tried to play a practice round, especially when it's a new golf course that I've never seen before. It's different when you've been to places many times.

We'll fight our way through. I'm sure I'll learn something every day about the course, but that's all right.

Q. How do you adjust when you come from Augusta to a different course and one you've not seen before?

BERNHARD LANGER: Well, that's what we're -- do most of the time. We go from north to south, east to west, different grasses. In the west you have poana greens and then you have bent greens and then you have whatever, blue grass and I can't think of the name we have here now.

Q. Bermuda.

BERNHARD LANGER: Bermuda, thank you. So it's different sand in the bunker, different grasses. So you constantly are adjusting every week. It's hardly ever the same thing two weeks in a row.

That's nothing new. Playing a brand new golf course takes a little bit time to just know your way around, especially when it's windy, because what could be a 3-wood today may be a 3-iron tomorrow, or what may be a 4-iron could be a driver, that kind of thing, depending on the wind.

We're experienced, so we'll find a way to do it.

Q. (Regarding his week in Augusta.)

BERNHARD LANGER: I loved it. I thought the course was playing almost the opposite from last November. Very firm at first. The greens were actually firmer on Monday and Tuesday than they were on -- in the tournament rounds.

So I think they were close to maybe losing some of them so they put a little water on them then they had a little bit of rain here and there, but conditions were great. Weather was beautiful. I just didn't play good enough.

But I enjoyed playing with Zalatoris. He's a nice young man, exceptional good ball-striker, and we're going to hear a lot more from him.

That's my opinion on him.

Q. What do you think of Jose Maria making the cut?

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, great for him. Somebody said he hadn't played a competitive round in five months or something like that. That's incredible. Just shows you how good the guys are.

He's always had tremendous short game. That's important at Augusta. If he can keep his driver in play he's always to reckon with. He knows the place. He's won there a couple times, I think, so you can never count him out.

He's a great champion and I was very happy for him.

Q. Assuming practice round or no practice round, you show up thinking I'm going to come here to win a golf tournament.

BERNHARD LANGER: Yeah, that's obviously the goal to, be in contention and hopefully end up at the very top of the leaderboard by Sunday afternoon. We'll see what happens.