KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2021

Gene Sauers

Quick Quotes

Southern Hills Country Club

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, welcome back to the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Southern Hills. Tulsa Oklahoma. Joined by Mr. Gene Sauers. Opened up with a 19-under par 69 here today. Gene, started strong, started on the back on hole number 10. Birdie. Closed with a birdie on your 17th hole and you're 1-under par in a pretty good position.

GENE SAUERS: Pretty good position. I just told myself, especially on this golf course right here you got to hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, just give yourself some opportunities. A few of them I didn't do that. Of course I started on No. 1 right down the middle of the fairway -- on 10, started right down the middle of the fairway, had a 9-iron into the green and had water and all the grass on top of my ball, shoots it dead left in the bunker and then I chipped it in from the bunker, so I knew it was going to be a good day, good start when I did that. This is a good golf course and the wind's picking up a little bit more and it's going to play tough out here this afternoon.

JOHN DEVER: You've always performed at our championship, at least in the last five or six years, whatever it is. Is there something about a Senior PGA Championship course, a Kerry Haigh course that suits you pretty darn well?

GENE SAUERS: You know, I just love the harder golf courses. I strike the ball pretty well, so I can keep it in the fairway and hit a lot of greens. I'm a good ball-striker and my putter's a little erratic now and then but if I get the putter hot I'll be in contention every week.

JOHN DEVER: What do you see out there? Did the wind -- talk about the wind, what you experienced, did it increase as the morning went on, and what do you think's in store, if we are able to play a full grouping of golf throughout the afternoon.

GENE SAUERS: Yeah, I don't know what the thunderstorms are coming in later this afternoon or not. But the wind has picked up. But when I started today it wasn't that much wind. Just a little breeze here and there. It wasn't that tricky. But as I got on about the last six or seven holes the wind picked up and you had to think a little bit about it. You had to pick out your spots where you want to land it on the green, but it was pretty brutal out there the last few holes, but I made a couple birdies coming in which made it good. I thought I was going to birdie number 9 right there, but just missed that one.