SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 13, 2022

Matt Kuchar

Waialae Country Club

Press Conference

Q. 64, always a good number for your first round here at Sony. Talk about the day.

MATT KUCHAR: Thanks. IT was a really good day. Felt like hitting the ball well here, I love it golf course. I love being at Waialae. I love the atmosphere. I love the people. I love the support.

And this golf course, it's totally unique. We don't see many that play like this. It's reminiscent of Hilton Head and Colonial, and you know, it's tough on the normal day, and this year, with the rough up, it's really penalizing. So finding fairways is a big part of having success around here.

Q. You mentioned the high rough this year. Obviously that's a different obstacle than you guys are used to but no wind, so you traded one obstacle for another. Talk about how the wind played into the round.

MATT KUCHAR: The course is a bit soft. They had huge rain about a month ago and I think some last week but all things considered, you want to say out of this rough. You want to find fairways. If you're in fairways, you have a chance to make birdies.

I think that's kind of the beauty of a good golf course, or test or testimony that good shots get rewarded. You hit good shots; you find the fairways; you have chances at birdie; you miss fairways, you feel like you're scrambling for pars, and I think that's kind of the way it should be.

Q. How does a round like this set you up for the rest of the week?

MATT KUCHAR: Certainly a good start. This is a start that I would hope for. Had a good day hitting and good day all around, and off to a good start and it's one of four.