AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 13, 2022

Jordan Spieth

TPC Craig Ranch

Quick Quotes

Q. I want to go to your start. Your second shot on 10. Just sort of your mindset looking at that and how you pull the shot off.

JORDAN SPIETH: I didn't know how the ball got there. I thought it kind of was directly behind the tree from the tee box, which is just very, anyway, I could lineup maybe left side of the left greenside bunker, so if I could just get a good somewhat of a strike on it. I could get enough cut spin, I knew that, I just needed to carry far enough to carry the rough. I wasn't exactly sure, I didn't, I maybe didn't expect to hit the green but I thought that getting it out and up near the front of the green was certainly a possibility.

And I've, when you spend a couple years having a lot of those shots, you start to learn how to hit 'em and so when you are playing better and you happen to be in a tough spot you get a little, you've had a little more practice, I guess is the best way to put it.

Q. You had one of those escapes last year here on 11 similar to that in the weeds.

JORDAN SPIETH: I don't remember on 11. I remember 12. Oh, yeah, yeah. I hit a hybrid out of there. Yeah, I've been driving it nicely, haven't really had to worry too much about that stuff. Today didn't drive it quite as nice as yesterday, but I really don't plan on having those situations anymore but it's nice to know if I'm in 'em we can figure out a way to get out of 'em. Those are the fun ones to look back on, but boring golf is certainly preferred.

Q. Overall through 36 holes the boring golf has been to your liking so far?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, it has. I felt like I putted a lot better today, I missed my last three looks, I mean I missed like a 3- or 4-footer on just a bad stroke on 7.

And then had a decent chance on 8 for birdie and a decent chance on 9 for eagle. So certainly would have liked maybe those back to feel like -- I mean, I felt like I played as well as I was scoring, so go back and hit a few afterwards, kind of dial it back in and go into the weekend and try and do the same thing I did the last two days.

Q. How do you feel the course is playing so far? What you expected?

JORDAN SPIETH: I think I said ahead of time I thought that it would show a little more teeth than last year and I couldn't have been more wrong. I mean a 60 yesterday and a lot of 8s and 7s all over the board. I mean it's just, a lot of tees are up, it was very surprising. Like the 9th tee being up on the front box, I hit 7 and 8-iron into that par-5 and it's just designed to have to hit a shot from 250 yards. So obviously that's nice when you're in the situation.

But they moved some par-3s up too. They moved, like No. 2 they moved to the front of the box. Some interesting ones. And then I think they were looking at the weekend as a lot less wind and so they used more of the easier pins the first two days because I can only name one or two pins on this golf course that were not the easiest two locations that are on the greens.

So maybe that's the reason why, I'm not sure. I'm a little bit surprised at how, on a not-so-difficult golf course they have also set it up a little easier for us too.

Q. We asked you earlier in the week but playing with Scottie, you guys are close friends, how has that been just the energy around you guys?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, it was great. Yesterday he started well, like we didn't really, we had a couple stretches together where we were both playing well, but it seemed like we best balled 59 both days. Like I was a little off when he was making four in a row, I was making three in a row when he was off.

So with that being said, it's sometimes, if someone's like upset and someone else is happy you're not normally walking and talking a chatting it up together. But we're used to playing with each other, it's a very familiar pairing, we play with each other throughout the weeks off in town. So it was a good balance on the back nine today and we were both able to have a real really nice back nine.

Q. You've been in striking distance going into the weekend, how do you keep from pressing so much on a tournament that you said you really want to win?

JORDAN SPIETH: Because I tried to press for so many years and it never has worked out. Last year I think Sunday I really tried to press, I knew I needed a low one, I think I only shot 1-under or something. In a good position but who's to say that 20-under's not leading at the end of this day, so I could be way back.

The course, like put the ball in the fairway you can really get to any pin anywhere, so it's not really, there's a couple holes you got to watch out a little bit for and be careful but the rest of it it's kind of point, aim, shoot. So it comes down to making putts.

Q. You mentioned you like the boring golf and boring golf is the safe golf. But on shots like that on 10 or any time you make a save like that is there any sort of momentum boost when you got out of a spot like that or would you just prefer straight and simple?

JORDAN SPIETH: I would say I walked up still believing I was going to make par. Like even if I was 50, 60 yards short, the pin was back in a bowl, it would have been a very easy pitch.

If I had made birdie I would have thought, wow, I really stole one here. I kind of, I mean all things considered, I didn't walk away feeling like, oh, that's a huge momentum boost or anything I was just like, man, we actually got announced three minutes early it tee off, which has never happened, so they were announcing and I was like, whoa. I had just come back from the restroom and I was like, I guess I'm going. And I just kind of stepped up and never really looked at my book and just put a really bad swing on it and I was more just thinking about that than I was anything else. I mean such an easy hole if you hit the fairway. And once I walked up there, par was going to be a good score, for sure.