PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 21, 2021

Gary Woodland

The Ocean Course at Kiawah

Flash Quotes

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Gary Woodland, who posted a second-round even-par-72. He is 2-under on the championship up to this moment. He's T10.

Gary, pretty steady play -- you started on the back side, I believe, but you made the turn and the front nine you played really well. Kind of survived and advanced to tomorrow. Is that kind of how you feel today?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, I didn't get off to the start I wanted to. Three-putted the first. But downwind the first couple holes, you've got to kind of take advantage of, and I didn't do that. I held in there nicely, made a horrible decision on 18, got a little greedy, which you just can't do out here, didn't take my medicine and ended up with a big number. So that was frustrating.

I kept telling myself and talking to my caddie -- I was playing great, hitting good shots. It's just tough to make birdies out here. Finally got a good break there on 3, made birdie there, hit great shots into 4, holed the bunker shot on 5, knocked it on the par-5 in two, made birdie there on 7. Gave myself chances on 6 and 8, and then unfortunately I three-putted the last -- hit a good putt. It is what it is.

Happy with the way I played and looking forward to the weekend. The golf course isn't going to get any easier today, I can tell you right now. It's played tough the last couple holes. Even the downwind holes were playing tough. Fortunately I get to go rest on the couch and watch these guys battle it out. Excited about where I'm at and looking forward to the week.

Q. Is it a little easier to accept a bogey or even an occasional double knowing everyone in the field is going to have a blowup hole out here?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, the bogeys you can accept. The double was frustrating just because that's a mental error. You can't get greedy when you're out of position. There's just too much trouble out here, and the wind is too tough. You're probably going to make bogeys, but there are some birdie holes out there, so you've just got to avoid that big number.

I learned my lesson. Hopefully I got it out of the way and won't do that again on the weekend. It's tough. It's tough to putt more than anything. The wind is blowing. The little four, five-footers, you get crosswinds, you've just got to trust what you're doing because the wind is definitely going to affect it.

Q. What did you try to pull off at 18?

GARY WOODLAND: I was trying to run it up on the front edge of the green, which would have left me a tough third shot anyway, so I should have chipped out. I talked to my caddie Butchy about it. Butchy didn't realize the ball was that far below my feet. He thought I could get it up there. You live and learn.

Like I said, even if I got it up there where I wanted to, it would have been a tough third shot. So I would have been better off wedging it out then wedging up there and trying to make 4, but live and learn.

Q. What's the sense of accomplishment at a place like this, where you almost got it going into the red, when you're able to battle back and pull yourself in, what do you feel doing that?

GARY WOODLAND: Really good. Like I said, I knew I was playing well, but it's sometimes hard to calm down, especially when you get off to a tough start and the golf course is this hard.

Very proud of myself to hang in there and trust it. Knowing my game is in a pretty good spot the last couple weeks, I'm trending in the right direction. Excited about that and happy with my mental side to hang in there and really keep myself in contention going into the weekend.

Q. If you would have been told one month ago or three weeks ago you'd be right in the mix going into the weekend, you would have believed it or no?

GARY WOODLAND: No, a month ago I definitely -- three weeks ago, Charlotte, or I guess that was two weeks ago -- yeah, three weeks ago I wouldn't have believed it, either. Going back to Butch, going back to Pete, just getting those old memories, the swing thoughts, simplifying things for me, and being able to do that and not be in pain, I'm in a good spot.

I have so much more confidence just walking down the fairway, standing over a shot. Even when I miss one, I know what I'm doing, I know how to get it back. I didn't have that three weeks ago or a month ago. I'm excited about where I'm at, and it's nice to have Pete here. Butch can see the shots on TV. That's the beauty of technology today. Everything is in a good spot, and like I said, I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Q. Dufner said yesterday with his golf knowledge if he'd consider a career as a coach, and he said TOUR players are psychopaths, no way. Would you agree with that?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, I do, and Duf knows a lot. Actually he knows a lot about golf clubs. He's actually helped me with some of my stuff. No, he needs to go into comedy or something. Duf is hilarious. I agree, we're all -- this is just a tough game. You're out here by yourself most of the time. I wouldn't want to be a swing coach, and I definitely wouldn't want to be a caddie. They go through more than anybody. Duf hit that nail on the head there.

Q. I'm curious what equipment did he help you with?

GARY WOODLAND: Driver, just driver. I was struggling trying to -- I spin the ball a lot. He knows a ton. I don't know anything about it. Played a practice round with him at THE PLAYERS, and we were talking about it. I made a switch to a driver after that, and it's been really, really good.

Q. Any commission for Duf?

GARY WOODLAND: No, no. I helped to win his charity event. That's enough.

Q. With what happened today on 18, you still played that stretch 14 through 18 in 1-over par. Is that a victory and why?

GARY WOODLAND: Those holes, once you get out -- 13 is downwind, but it's not an easy hole. Once you get to 14, you know you've just got to hang on. You've got to hit good golf shots. There's just no bail-outs.

I hit great golf shots on 14. 15 I hit a good bunker shot in there. 16 I gave myself a chance. 17, that's just a brutal golf hole. It was a great up-and-down, a lot of momentum going into 18, so it's frustrating -- for me I can miss that ball left in the grandstand, I can drop right there on the hard path and still knock it on the green. So it's frustrating to me that I missed the drive right. That was more than anything.

All in all, hanging in there, especially being over par going into the front nine and getting it back to even was a big deal.

Q. I'm not sure if while you were playing you looked up at a leaderboard and saw Phil on top, but when you do see him on top, what's the reaction?

GARY WOODLAND: It's amazing. He obviously played very well the first couple days in Charlotte, so his game is obviously in the right direction. He can obviously -- he's got one of the best short games in the world. He's won five major championships. Is it surprising to see him up there? I don't think you can ever count Phil out. He's one of the best players to ever play this game, so I don't care what kind of form he is leading in.

This is a tough golf course, and any time you've got to rely on not making a lot of bogeys, I think he can be right there with how good his short game is.

Q. He's 50; does that matter?

GARY WOODLAND: No. Watson almost won at whatever, 60 -- wasn't he 61 or 62? And Phil drops bombs now. Phil hits it a long way. If he keeps it in play with the way his short game is, he's obviously going to be in contention a lot.

Q. Speaking of length, I was curious what club did you need on 17 today?

GARY WOODLAND: I hit 4-iron. It was probably -- it was just in between. I hit 4-iron yesterday, hit a great shot. Today the wind was down a little bit when I hit, and it was probably too much club. But I was aiming over at that bunker, and if it comes up short of the bunker, great. It ended up in it and I got it up-and-down. But it's just one you just can't mess with. The pin today, that front middle right over there, you just bail out left and hope to get up-and-down.

Q. And 15, what do you hit into there?

GARY WOODLAND: 15 I hit 5-iron. 14, the par-3, I hit 6-iron today. I hit a great shot. 15, I hit driver, 5-iron. I'm hitting long irons on some of these par-5s. So you know it's tough. I don't hit a lot of long into par-4s. And the wind is definitely picking up harder now than it was when I went through that stretch.

THE MODERATOR: Gary, thanks for the time. Enjoy your weekend. Play well.