AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

February 5, 2022

Jordan Spieth

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Quick Quotes

Q. While the rest of the world is watching in fear of something tragic about to happen, what's your mind going through when you're walking up to the ball on 8 and then walk us through what happened.

JORDAN SPIETH: Well, I meant to just kind of float a fade and I just missiled one. So I was asking the cameraman behind if it went into the water and the marshal said it went in the hazard. The cameraman said it's maybe playable but it's past the hazard line and I know obviously what that means.

I didn't realize the severity until I got up to it. As I walked up to it I felt myself like I was walking and then I started walking like this (Indicating), you know like falling back walking, just to get to the edge.

And then it was like -- it's so weird because if you can normally see the ball, like I never had a situation where you can see a ball, get a swing on it, but you're not going to play it. So it was just kind of weird because it was like, Well if I can get a swing on it and I can hit it then why would I take a drop? Like just whenever, you're never over, I guess I saw a 65-foot cliff. So it's an unusual situation, normally if you're walking into a hazard, you see a ball, you hit it out.

Michael hated it. He tried to talk me out of it three times. I don't blame him, looking back. I'm just glad I made the par to make it worth it, because I don't think I would have made par with a drop, but if I made bogey it would have really not been worth it.

But yeah, I mean it was, I was more like, it was more of a nervous and adrenaline hitting it and then when I got to the green as I was walking there it was more of like an anxiety feeling afterwards, luckily it wasn't before. But, yeah, I mean if I had, I think I'll hit less club tomorrow.

Q. You took two extra clubs, what did you hit?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah well I took a 7-iron and just, it was a flier, unfortunately, because I thought I hit a pretty good shot to be honest. I just tried to put like a half swing 7-iron on it. Just see if I could land it short and I had to line up a little left just given it gave me a little more footing. Probably should have lined up further left and played. But just tried to chip a 7-iron up the green.

Q. How solid was your footing?

JORDAN SPIETH: I mean, footing was solid, but I didn't have much room past where my left foot was and the problem was it's down sloped. Like if it was flat it's no issue at all. It's the down slope that worries you because you're going to try and, you're getting more forward to your left side on a down slope in order to get the strike, right? You want your weight with the slope. I didn't want my weight with the slope that time.

So those are ones -- I was almost sitting there going is it worth it because, yes, I can get a strike on it, but am I going to back up out of fear and just kind of thin this in the water, you know, like kind of top it.

So I was just kind of trying to weigh it for a minute and Michael was, continued to try and talk me out of it, I was just trying to, I was just trying to think clearly, like, what are the options here.

And clearly the -- if I felt like I was in real true danger of losing my life I would have pulled the ball back and dropped it. It wasn't quite that severe. But it was enough to where I certainly couldn't put a normal swing or shot on it.

Q. You ran backwards after you hit it.

JORDAN SPIETH: There's no reason to stay up there.

Q. I think that said it all.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I asked Colt, I was like, Colt, you know, I was the one hitting it, so, I mean, you looked at it, was it, was I being dramatic? He's like -- and he'll always call me dramatic -- and he was like, No. He's like, I don't know what you were thinking.

And, I mean, I don't know, just thinking about it now it's like kind of hard, it's weird. It's like, because there's a story of the guys that drove off that cliff so, when they used to allow carts here. So I, I was thinking about that obviously walking up.

So, not worth it, to be honest, but I guess I just, it was a weird situation. It was like, well, if I can hit it then just hit it.

Q. When you say Michael trying to talk you out of it what is he saying to you?

JORDAN SPIETH: He said, I just don't, I just don't see the point. I don't think it's worth it. I just don't see the point. Stuff like that, I think.

And I was -- he said that next, if that were to happen again he'll walk up, grab my ball and throw it in the water, so that I can't hit it. He said, I should have done that. He was like, I just didn't know what to do myself.

And I kept on, I was adamantly telling him, like pretty aggressively, like, Please don't get, go across that red line. To him. And that put him in a tough spot. But if he went across that red line he wouldn't have let me hit it I don't think.

Q. What was your distance?

JORDAN SPIETH: Like 155 adjusted hole. I had the furthest drive on that hole.

Q. The rest of the round was very good. I mean, we can talk about different holes, if you like.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, that was good too. I figured this would be the case when I finished today.

Q. What was the best shot of the day?

JORDAN SPIETH: My second shot into 6 was pretty nice. I don't think I've ever thought about hitting 3-wood, 7-iron into 6 at Pebble.

The course, all three courses are playing significantly different than they normally do for this tournament. They're playing so great, like exactly the way you want to play them. The firmness, the speed -- Monterey Peninsula was the top-3 fastest greens we'll see this year and they were firm, and those are normally soft and bumpy and all that.

And then Pebble's, they're taking hops, you can, you got float shots in on some, you got to drive shots on others, I mean it's really playing, it's more of a premium being in the fairway even though there is no rough just because of the shots you have to play into the pins.

So they have just done a beautiful job with the golf courses and the weather obviously cooperating is nice. So it's been really enjoyable to play these three courses this week.

Q. Your thoughts going into tomorrow?

JORDAN SPIETH: I guess I'm one back, I think the leaderboard's pretty bunched, Pebble can yield low scores. So I think I just kind of learned a little from last year, last year I went in with the lead and I was a little tentative early and Berger came out firing, I think went like birdie, eagle to start.

I think not being in the final group I just kind of approach it like today where I feel like, you know, sometimes it can be a little easier not in the final group to go ahead and fire away. You almost just set a goal for a number for the day and pretend you got to get there in order to win. So we'll just kind of see where the pins are and adjust on the range.

Q. How do you explain to your wife when you talk to her?

JORDAN SPIETH: I'm not really sure what's going to happen there. I just saw the blimp shot from overhead and it really bothered me. So I can't imagine while she was watching that live.

They actually came out, my son was out for the first time ever on 3 and 4 and I don't know where they went from there. And I don't know if they were over off the AT&T hospitality or anything.

So, yeah, I mean, my parents are here too, so not only do I have to explain to my wife, I got to explain to my mom, my dad.

Q. Agent.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah. Yeah. True. A little harder to explain to your parents, I think.

Q. Are you feeling okay, too, because we knew you came in this week and you weren't a hundred percent?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, it's getting there.