JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 8, 2021

Sebastian Munoz

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

Q. Sebastian, great round today. Can we get some thoughts on your round and the special things you did today?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: It was a really solid round. Hit the ball really good all day. I got hot with the putter coming in. I wasn't making a lot on the front nine, so it was nice to see them go in on the back. You know, overall solid golf, make the putts, hit the shots.

Q. You've been putting on some really good performances this season. What are you doing differently? What are you learning as the season goes on?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: You know, I think it was a tough start of the 2021. My swing wasn't where I wanted it to be, so it took a lot for me and my team to kind of get back to where we want to be, hitting the ball a little further, hitting it -- controlling my ball flight, kind of seeing my windows, and I think we've done that. We've put in the work, and now it's starting to pay off.

Q. Getting into position, I know it's only the first round, but it's really important to get off to a good start to get into contention. Just talk about what that's like and having confidence to get into that position.

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: Yeah, I mean, I come from -- last week from Detroit, I played three good days, never really got hot, and then Sunday had a bad round, and I didn't let that kind of keep me down. I just kind of stayed positive.

I was playing good, so I just kind of came in here, no expectations and see what happens, and 8-under, so I'll take it.

Q. Those five birdies in a row to finish your day, when you're going through the motions like that and you just keep making shots, mentally where are you at? How do you maintain composure to keep it going?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: Yeah, I just go blank, to be honest. It's funny because when I make a lot of birdies, I usually play a little more safe and pick my spots. I just kind of have like 10, 12-footers and they start to drop. That's what I did today, made a lot of like 10, 12-footers coming in, and that's where we're at.

Q. Talk about that stretch of five birdies; walk us through those holes, what did you do? Close approaches, good putts, what?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: We started on 14, I hit 3-wood to the right. It was a good spot to chip out of. Hit a decent chip, gave myself like six, seven feet, and I made it, but it was kind of like on the left of the hole, so it was a nice bonus there. When I hit it, I wasn't sure, and it was nice to pick it out of the hole.

And then on 15, gave myself a 12-footer up the hill, made it.

Then on 16, hit a nice 9-iron to like 12 feet again, made it, buried it down the middle.

17, I missed my drive left, had to chip out and then it was kind of like a tricky shot, like 105-yard wedge shot into the wind, and that pin is kind of dangerous because really if you miss the green either long or short -- I kind of took the safe route to the left, gave myself a 15-footer, made it.

On 18 it was a really nice drive, gave myself a sand wedge, and just went to keep it somewhere to the right of the hole, I knew everything was going to feed, so that's what I did, 12-footer and right down the middle.

Q. You bucked the trend today. The guys this morning who were on top of the leaderboard when you started, all have been here at least 10 times, know the course, local knowledge. You, this is your third trip here. What is it about this course that allows players, both veterans and relatively newcomers here, to score well?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: I feel like it's accessible. Like greens are not -- they're not really firm. The pins are -- you have some wedges in your hand. Par-5s are a little tricky. I feel like you've got to -- experience definitely helps there. But I just had good memories. I think it was the third round from two years ago I shot 7-under, so I knew a good score was out there, and I just let it flow, and it worked out for me.

Q. So you did have some memories that came back and a little familiarity?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: Yeah, not like pins precisely, not like I know how to play certain pins, but I know this course out here to get it. So that's something that worked for my head, and it worked today.

Q. Is it going to take three more of these types of rounds to win this? What are you expecting?

SEBASTIAN MUNOZ: I mean, who knows what the conditions are, but you always have to go pretty low out here to win it. I'll take three more of those.