TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 5, 2021

Joaquin Niemann

Gary Matthews

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. So was it always the plan to try to play as fast as possible?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: No, I didn't know how fast I could get 18 holes, but on the front nine, I decided to play quick but not like crazy quick, not like rushing and hurrying up. But then they told me I did like just over an hour, I was like, ah, I'm just going to rush it and try to break the record. It was pretty good, the back nine.

Q. Are you tired?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I am tired.

Q. Do you run as part of --

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: No, when I was a kid I used to run a lot in high school and like track and field and stuff but now I hate it. I don't like running. I just did it for fun and it was pretty fun.

Q. How did you convince your caddie?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: He was more convinced than me I think. On the back nine, he was like, we got to rush it. We got to break the record. And he start running and give me numbers and then doing some short cuts. It was cool.

Q. Did you have any conversations with the kids carrying the sign?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, they were hurrying me up at the beginning. They were like, all right, let's break the record, we have running shoes everything. And at the beginning I wasn't really into it, and then I was really into it.

Q. Are you going to rub it in to Kevin?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Yeah, I was happy to beat him.

Q. Do you think if you shot 3-under or 4-under on the front you would have slowed down?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Probably would have slowed down.

Q. What changed your mind?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: It has been a long week, a long three or four weeks that I've been playing and I wasn't playing my best golf this week. I was in last place and wasn't going to win. I was pretty far behind from the guys in front of me so I was like, let's make it fun and have fun. It was a lot of fun.

Q. What was the most difficult shot on the second nine when you were rushing and running? Did you have to stop and catch your breath?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I think my best shot was on 15. That was a good shot. I think I can sell that birdie for the leaders for a couple grand I think.

Q. Is there anything about playing golf that way that helps?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: No, it definitely doesn't help. I think it helps for your health but it doesn't make you play better.

Q. Are you going to play the season opener in Napa?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I start at Shriners. I've got to take a break.

Q. Do you think you'll ever do that again?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: No, I don't think so. Hopefully not.

Q. Who was keeping time?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: The guys that were walking with us, the scorer, the scoring guys.

Q. When you look back on today, what's the one thing that you'll remember?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: On 18 when Gary just went to the floor and passed out (laughing).

Q. Do you know how heavy the bag was?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I know it's heavy. He's running a lot and he's not in the best shape so it was impressive (laughter).

No, he's in pretty good shape, I was messing around.

Q. How heavy was the bag?

GARY MATTHEWS: I would say it was, I don't know, 25 pounds maybe. But definitely lighter than usual. I definitely knew that I needed to have it a bit lighter?

Q. What did you take out?

GARY MATTHEWS: He had three golf balls. He didn't have the usual nine. He didn't have a rain cover. He didn't have any little instruments that we had. He only had one glove, five tees.

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: Didn't have breakfast this morning so he was light.

GARY MATTHEWS: Not much shakes and stuff like that in the bag.

Q. Umbrella?

GARY MATTHEWS: Umbrella was gone.

Q. Did you know he was going to do this?

GARY MATTHEWS: Funny thing is last night we were told that we were going to be on one ball, tried to find out what the record was and when I heard 1:29. I texted him last night, I said "There's no chance we're doing that." But then I heard Kevin Na was 1:58 around here.

But the crazy thing was he made double on 8, felt like it took us 20 minutes to play that hole and we were walking up to 10 and the guy that helps us out in the caddie area there said, "You're at 1:03." So we were flying for nine holes.

But the best thing of the whole thing was we got to No. 15 and the group that was behind us was Cink and Matsuyama and they were teeing off 8. So that was pretty cool because we were trying to figure out how far we would be ahead of them and I think at the end we were trying to beat them before they got to 10.

Q. Did you notice the group of kids that had collected and were intrigued and following guys?

GARY MATTHEWS: It was really cool, really starting like going up 12 obviously with the corporate tents, everyone was clapping and I think they got the gist of what we were doing. It was pretty cool. I mean, if 10 people are running down 18 compared -- it felt like the Tiger Woods time here (laughter).

Q. On 18, your drive, almost hit it in the water --

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: That was my favorite drive of the day.

GARY MATTHEWS: I was running down 18, or I was going to go running down 18 and I said to him on 17, "It's a 3-wood down here."

He said, "I can't hit it 370."

I'm like, "You know what, hit it."

Q. And you told the sign guys, you told them you're going to hit a high draw?

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I have a few friends that were following me and he's like, "I want to see the little cut."

I'm like, "No, I need the high draw here," and hit a beautiful high draw and almost went in the water.

Q. Did you do anything like this ever before?

GARY MATTHEWS: Funny, Joaquin instead to me last week, I've been out here 21 years and he said to me last week, "Have you ever been in a 1-ball?" And I said no.

And he's like today, "Here we go." But I never have. But the best thing is we walk into the scorer's tent and Rick is sitting there and Andy Pazder is sitting right there with the rules official and I looked at him, this is serious.

Anyway, done with his scorecard and all that and Andy is standing by a table and he says, "Gary, come over here," he has his mask on, "We need to talk."

He said, "Listen, Joaquin, as a professional, you've disrespected the game, you've disrespected THE TOUR Championship. This is not how professionals act, and Gary you've been out here a long time and you should know that and here is a fine for $10,000."

JOAQUÍN NIEMANN: I look at him like, I was burning inside. I was going to say something and he's like, "All right, forgive me. Before you say something, I was just kidding."

I was like, "Oh, I hate you." He gave me a really hard time.