PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 21, 2022

Seamus Power

Southern Hills Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the 2022 PGA Championship. We're at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and we are joined by Seamus Power who just carved a 3-under par 67 today.

You're 3-under par for the championship. Your world changed in seven holes, or so it appears. Four birdies in your last seven holes puts you in a pretty good place going into your final round tomorrow, does it not?

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, absolutely. It was a funny round. It was a little frustrating there around the turn. Bogeyed 11, and then I actually hit it in the rough on 12, but guessed right coming out of the rough, and it got close. And that really got me turned into the right direction, and made some nice putts coming down the stretch.

Like you said, it changes going from 1-over back to 3-under, especially on a course like this. Gives me a bit of momentum going into tomorrow.

Q. A lot of birdies, but I want to ask you about the par 3s because everyone seems to be struggling with them for the most part. What makes them so difficult?

SEAMUS POWER: I mean, No. 6 is 200 and, I'm not sure, 15 yards dead into the wind, and it's a very small target.

I think 11 is a great par 3. It's not long. I think it's 164 yards adjusted. And you're trying to guess the wind, and again it's a small target. It's a fun little par 3. And I kind of made a mess of it today, but that's just the test of it.

Obviously the other three are just long. I hit 3-iron into 14, tried to hit a small 3-iron into 6, and I hit a 5-iron into 8. They're just long. 11, the one you might fancy, you have wind off the left and pin tucked in a very dangerous spot on the front left. You have to hit good shots, and you have to get the wind right. It's a combination of those two.

Today we are seeing the par 3s totally different. I hit 8-iron into No. 6 yesterday, for example, and today I'm trying to hit a 3-iron. And all practice rounds, they were all that south, southeasterly breeze, and then all of a sudden it's coming from the north, and it completely changes. And you're moving your targets and you're moving your eyeline, and I think that's some of the difficulties today with the par 3s.

Q. You're one of a few guys from one-half of the draw that are in the mix here. How did it get better for you today in each round?

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, I actually said to Simon on the last, this is the easiest day, in my opinion, our wave has had. Thursday evening, by the time we got out there, the greens are gone, with the sun and heat, they were a little crusty and bumpy and they weren't able to roll or cut them on Thursday night. And they were kind of the same on Friday morning.

Today I noticed a massive difference, obviously less guys on the course, and the greens are much smoother. For me, I was able to take advantage, make a few extra putts, and the rest of it was figuring out, like I said, the kind of whole new golf course, whole new targets, all that sort of stuff.

Q. Obviously we won't know for a while how far back you're going to be from the leaders, but how do you feel about being in the mix, certainly, in contention going into tomorrow?

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, I feel good. My game is in a good spot. Again, seeing some putts going in there on the back nine today. Obviously I'm going to being a few back, but it's one of those golf courses, whoever is going to win it is going to earn it.

Obviously I'll go out a little before any of the leaders. If I can get a couple birdies on the card, it can make the world of difference. Every hole here is pretty tough. You have no holes off. You have no easy shots, especially if it's going to blow last week today again.

For me, it's a lot of the same, and then you need a couple breaks to go your way. Obviously you're hoping no one is going to run away from you today, and then tomorrow just kind of maybe make one of those 35-, 40-footers or maybe a little chip-in, and that can be the difference sometimes.

Q. What have you done so well this week to be in this position, and what do you have to do tomorrow to shoot a low score?

SEAMUS POWER: Simon and I, our course management has been pretty good all week. Very few times I've been hitting in a spot where we're out of the hole, and that's a big difference. I have no doubles and no real like very troublesome spots around the green. And to me that's been the biggest thing. And that's what we were talking about the in practice rounds. They are older-designed greens, I know they are redesigned, but a lot of them gives you one general slope. And if you can stay on the right side of that slope, it makes things a lot easier.

Even on 9 and 18 is a perfect example. I haven't played them well, but when I've missed them, it's been short of the green. And really it's a pretty easy pitch from the fairway to both of those greens, whereas you get a bit too aggressive, it maybe jumps over and then all of a sudden you have a treacherous kind of shot back down. You try and hit it in the right spots, and we've been able to do that for the most part.

Q. Does it feel very much like a major now?

SEAMUS POWER: It does. The crowds are bigger obviously. But again, I keep saying, all that feels to me are off the course. Once you get on the course and get started and into what we do on a weekly basis, that feel kind of goes away.

I don't know, if I'm playing well tomorrow in contention, whether that's going to change. I'm obviously going to prepare as if it won't change, but I'll have a better kind of opinion on that after tomorrow probably.

Q. You're getting the full Oklahoma experience with the weather this week. How has your approach and preparation had to change from day-to-day this week?

SEAMUS POWER: On Thursday it was very hot. It was much more of a concern with electrolytes and that sort of thing and the greens were getting baked out, and that's what you were expecting coming into the week. Yesterday morning the wind was really, really whipping, and that's obviously different and this morning cooler and damper and the wind from the north.

It's been everything. But it really makes it enjoyable. As I said, you're out there today, and every shot is a new shot. And I thought that made it very fun today. And yeah, I'm not sure quite what it's going to be tomorrow, but I think it's going to be closer to this than the first two days. So really looking forward to it.

Q. To keep that run going, you had to make a nice save on 16. Can you talk about what happened and how big that is in the scheme of things considering where you are?

SEAMUS POWER: Yeah, it's a tough hole today, 500-something yards, and I hit a very good tee shot. I was on an upslope and got stuck on my back foot and hung it right. Then got not a great lie. Very nice pitch out to get it to maybe ten or 12 feet and knocked it in.

Yeah, it's one of those courses you're going to have to make some par putts, it's just you can hit some good shots the way the wind is blowing and the way the ball is bouncing, you're going to end up in some unusual places. It was a good save, as you said, and nice to keep the momentum especially 17 knowing that was going to be a chance with the tee box up.

Q. You fared well on the par 5s today, obviously you've got some long par 4s, long par 3s here. Are the par 5s relaxing or a break for you or is it all kind of a test?

SEAMUS POWER: I made six on whatever hole that is, on 5, the first day. Yeah, of course, they are obviously going to be some of the better chances. Especially 13 today they put the tee box up which is kind of a nice surprise. I thought it was going to be 616 into the wind, kind of thing. So moving that up was big. Turned into a better birdie chance than what I was thinking before I played.

But yeah, you still have to hit good shots. I thought I hit a pretty good tee shot on No. 5 and it just turned into that bunker and was fortunate I could lay it up properly instead. I was probably eight, ten inches away from having to lob-wedge it out and having a 230 yards, third shot.

You've got to be careful out here and as I said every shot is a good test, especially when you have these crosswinds and stuff. It's trying to keep your focus in on those holes because you have guys make sixes and stuff, and even on 13 today, you know, you get a little lazy with the second shot and especially into the wind you mis-hit it you're in the water fast enough.

So yeah it was nice to take advantage of both of them today. It's obviously something I want to try to do again tomorrow.