PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 20, 2021

Steve Stricker

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, welcome back to the 2021 PGA Championship here on the Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We are joined by Steve Stricker who opened with a 4-over 76 today.

It looked like a pretty damn good round going and then I bet you had a regret about the 13th hole.

STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I fought my way back. I made a couple bogeys on the front side and then made a couple of birdies at 11 and 12. And then one bad shot at 13. I let it leak to the right and just tried to hit it really on the left side of the green and get it on there and get my par and get out of there. Just didn't hit a very good shot. Actually played really, really nicely coming in, too. That one bad swing kind of killed my round.

THE MODERATOR: Funny how that works.

Q. Is this the kind of course where when you do get out of position, you can find shots that you don't practice more so than other major championship venues?

STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I mean, if you get out of position here, you're struggling and the lies become something that you've never seen before. You know, stances become a challenge. It becomes very difficult if you hit it off-line and it can happen in a hurry. You know you have a lot of wind, and you get that ball spinning in the wrong direction and it gets going with the wind, it can end up just about anywhere.

It's a fair test but it's a big challenge, too.

Q. You had the joy, I guess, after the 7, you had to turn into the wind and play a brutal stretch. It's hard to get back out here. What's the challenge like to battle through?

STEVE STRICKER: I was telling myself just to make pars coming in and maybe sneak a birdie in somewhere and get in with a couple over par. Almost did that. I hit a pretty good drive at 18, too, and it went up against the ball rough and didn't even have a play off the tee.

It doesn't take much around here, and like you said, when you make that turn back into the wind, you're not expecting to make a ton of birdies on the way in. So that's -- that's the challenge is to get, you know, as many under as you can before you turn around at 14 and start heading in.

THE MODERATOR: Nine years ago, you played quite well here. Does that help you, nine years later? It do you remember the course? Do you remember the breaks on certain greens when you get up there during the practice rounds or is some of that overblown?

STEVE STRICKER: Well, I was 45 at that time, and now I'm 54. The nine years, you know, probably didn't help me out too much as far as age and my game. The mental part of things, it gave me a lift knowing that I played well here, and you know, it's a course that I could, you know, find my way around and get around. But yeah, and I was doing okay. You know, I wish I had 13 over again.