June 4, 2021
Dublin, Ohio, USA
Muirfield Village
Quick Quotes
Q. Just wondering, everybody goes through ups and downs throughout a season and what have you. What have you been working on and what's working that maybe wasn't working a few weeks ago?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, just fundamentals and getting my swing back to a place that I can start the ball where I'm looking all the time. I wasn't too far off, just a little off. So golf's like that sometimes. You're not always perfectly on. But lately I've been playing really well. I played well at the PGA and my game's in a good spot.
Q. When you know you've got to play 33 holes, what's the mindset you have to get into to mentally prepare yourself, as well as physically?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I think you have to be really patient and I think you have to be aware of not falling asleep out there. I think you have to really even tell yourself, click back in, this is what we're trying to do and get really specific with clicking back in and telling your computer what you're really trying to get it to do. We're out there for such a long time today that you could fall asleep at the wheel a little bit. So being cognizant of that and checking in with yourself, are you as focused as you can be, when you need to be, I think is key.
Q. What time did you wake up this morning and just how tired are you right now?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I'm pretty tired. I woke up at 4:30 this morning and started my warm-up and played 33 and this golf course is one of the harder walks, so, yeah, it was a pleasant surprise to birdie the last three.
Q. You talked about focus. There was some noise out there with Bryson. Is that just, can you get distracted by that or not when you're hearing galleries?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I think it's pretty normal. I mean, we play out here in front of fans all the time. Last year's been abnormal with no fans, but you just, it just becomes normalized and I think if you ask any of those guys they feel the same.
Q. Is there a line that shouldn't be crossed sometimes and did it get crossed today with Bryson?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I don't pay too much attention to it, so you would probably be better suited asking him.
Q. Did you fall asleep at any point today?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Not that I know of. I know what you're saying.
Q. Can you explain what happens when you do that?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Not really. I was pretty good today. Just really being aware of where you want to land the golf ball and how far that is. And not just hearing 121 from the, from your caddie and just kind of blanking out. 121, but I really want to land it 125 and spin it back because the greens are a little soft and I want to leave it on the right side of the hole. Telling yourself all that before you're going to hit the shot and really clicking in and committing to that is important and I think sometimes it's easy to get a little fuzzy when you're out there for so long.
Q. Number 11, the par-5, what was your yardage in and was it doable to reach it in two and if it was, why did you change your mind?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I never changed my mind. I was 268 or 270 front. It's all cover over water and it's into the wind. So even my best 3-wood is about 270 and that's not into the wind or anything. So with the new length on all these par-5s, it's a lot of laying up. I've never laid up as much this week around this golf course on the par-5s by a long ways. So the par-5s are playing a lot more difficult and I think that's why scoring's worse this year compared to previous years.
Q. Kind of weird that you would want a par-5 with so many layups, isn't it? Don't you want to create some excitement?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Especially considering how this golf course in the past has played. But that's just the way it is now and I'm sure if the fairways firm out a little bit you will be able to hit the ball a little further and maybe get to some of the par-5s.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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