AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 13, 2021

Jordan Spieth

TPC Craig Ranch

Quick Quotes

Q. Jordan, bogey-free 63. Did you get everything out that round that you hoped for?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I could certainly look back and say I missed a couple pretty easy putts, but I also made the one on 18. So all in all, yeah, I was a little surprised by kind of picking right back up.

Really started on No. 1. I had nerves on No. 1 like it's the first shot of the season. I didn't practice for three weeks straight and then -- which is very unusual. Normally two days off is the most during a season, and then just starting back into it.

So I was pretty nervous on the first tee and getting started. To make the birdie there was kind of cool. It's almost like the nerves that you feel first shot at a major, Ryder Cup, and just to make a birdie just calmly, it was -- I thought that gave me a lot the confidence to start out today.

Q. You were able to play 18 holes in the pro-am round yesterday. You feel like it was a little bit better for you that you were able to knock a little bit more rust off?

JORDAN SPIETH: It was my third round I played since the Masters, first round walking since the Masters. Played nine holes walking on Tuesday. But I noticed it in my legs. It's just one of those things. It's like with basketball players. Basketball shape is nowhere near golf shape, but when they get out, miss ten games, it takes a couple games to get your legs back.

For me I noticed it in my swings coming down the stretch. Just got lazy in my lower body. On 18 I just said, This is the last one you got to do today. Let's give it everything you got, and roasted a 3-wood and capped it off with the putt.

Q. 12th hole, second shot. Take me through what you and Michael were discussing with the lie and your shot.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think he saw an easy layup opportunity and hit a wedge close. I saw hit a hybrid, open the face up, and cut it onto the green. The lie was actually better than it looked a little bit. I could get underneath it a little and flick up on it so that I could get it to launch a little higher off the bat.

I knew it would go through some tall grass but didn't think it would knock much distance off. Luckily just committed to the shot. I mean, if I bail out at all there could be disastrous. I committed and said, What do I have to lose? Let's get this thing up there near the green and make birdie.

It was a bonus to be the right distance and have inside 12 feet for eagle.

Q. What's it say about the teamwork between you and Michael to discuss all these options?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, in that situation everybody and their caddie is gonna discuss what to do. You've got a chance it either gain strokes or lose strokes with a decision, and I think for Michael it helped him when I said, This one is on me. I hear you. I know the risk. I'm going to take it and it's on me.

I think both of us really like when we are committed and in saying that, whether he's going to say I veto, this is a bad decision, you just made a bogey, trying to get it back kind of thing. That was more I feel good about the lie and I was thinking clearly and just said, This one is on me.

I hit it and he's just shaking his head laughing. Yeah, it was cool. It was a bit lucky, but also it was a good recovery.

Q. On 18 take me through the putt and then the second part of that with the roar and the fan reaction, the fans giving you a lot of boost all day.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I think late in the round they got some swing juice in them, and I think that certainly had something to do with it. We could hear that the last four or five holes.

It broke left to right at the beginning and the rest of it was straight. I'm just trying to get to tap-in and cap off a good day, and I kind of started leaning because I thought it was going to miss left and it just kind of fell in the left side of the hole.

The roar was pretty electric. I mean, it's just fun. It's just awesome feeling the support and then being able -- all three of us, we had two eagles and a birdie on the last in our group where they felt that kind of support the whole day.

We're not necessarily doing it for the roars, but it's a cool bonus at the end when it caps off a round like that.

Q. (Off mic.)

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I felt more like a regular tournament than it did a round in town because we didn't have a game. We were -- so we normally are all playing in a game together, but it was -- I mean, it was fun. They're both obviously incredibly talented. I told Michael on the second hole, Mikey, this is weird. I remember being on the green in the group with these guys when I was 13 and they were 11. So what a kind of cool experience to see that now and obviously the success they've had.

I've had obviously tons of respect for both of them since then, and if I've ever been asked about either one them I've said there is no doubt they'll be out here for a long time.

There are a lot of things that I say that are 75% BS, but that happened to be one that hit.

Q. Do you remember anything about when ya'll played?

JORDAN SPIETH: No.

Q. (Off mic.)

JORDAN SPIETH: Is that right?

Q. Yeah.

JORDAN SPIETH: That would be cool if there was a picture from there.

Q. (Off mic.)

JORDAN SPIETH: In '06 I had a considerable size and distance advantage that has gone away now.

Q. (Off mic.)

JORDAN SPIETH: There you go. They've caught up.