KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2022

Bob Sowards

Press Conference

Harbor Shores

JOHN DEVER: Welcome the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores. We are pleased to be joined by Bob Sowards, club professional, from Dublin, Ohio who just began his championship with a 3-under par 68.

Bob, good to see you, started off fast, you started on back nine, and then kind of smoothed out and played some major championship golf on the back with I think one birdie but talk about your round and how you feel here at the 18-hole Mark.

BOB SOWARDS: Played really well. I hit a lot of greens. I haven't done my stats yet but I feel like I hit a lot greens. Didn't really put myself into too bad of spots. The only bogey I had, I three-putted off the fringe, kind of a giveaway shot but overall, pretty happy with how I played.

Q. Is this your first time here at Harbor Shores?

BOB SOWARDS: First time playing here, yeah.

Q. What were your thoughts on the golf course as you arrived? You probably heard some things, did it match the reputation or notion that you had in your head?

BOB SOWARDS: Well, I heard you needed more than one practice round here, so I came up a couple weeks ago. Played with the head pro and he kind of gave me some pointers and the greens are unique. I've never played greens like these. Missed my number by a yard and had a 50-footer. But my lag putting was good, and it's exciting to be playing in a major championship and I'm playing well.

Q. Last year was such a great year at Southern Hills. What did it do for you confidence-wise and what were the types of things you heard in the weeks following the performance?

BOB SOWARDS: Last year on that golf course, which was I thought incredibly difficult and then watching last week on TV, it was kind of cool watching those guys play and hitting some shots where you know, I knew was trouble as soon as they hit it. But it gave me a lot of confidence knowing that my game will travel and hopefully play, compete against these guys. I just need to keep doing it and try to keep getting locked in and focus every shot.

Q. Do you think it was a shot in the arm for all of the club pros that are here to compete and have yourself that high on the board?

BOB SOWARDS: Possibly, yeah. I heard a lot of good things. I compete against a lot of these guys nationally down in Florida and at the club pro and on a section level and yeah, I mean, I know having Rob Labritz make it through Q-School gave me a lot of confidence that hopefully I can get through Q-School one day. But I'm sure that did.

Q. What do you think it says that the 39-odd club professionals in the field are playing and competing against the rest of the field?

BOB SOWARDS: I know playing in the National Club Pro and the National Senior Pro, it's quality felt fields. It's very deep. Tough to play really well to be in contention. Doesn't surprise me at all. I've played with PC a lot and he's a great ball-striker. This is a ball-striking course. You have to hit your irons good to play well here or you're going to have some putts you can't 2-putt. But that's good to hear that he's playing well, too.

JOHN DEVER: You come from Dublin which has a pretty famous Jack Nicklaus golf course there. What common attributes does this golf course have to other Jack Nicklaus golf courses and what's something out here that's distinct that you haven't seen out of any of his designs that you've played?

BOB SOWARDS: No. 10 is distinct. I haven't seen a green like that.

But it's a second-shot golf course, like most Nicklaus courses. The greens are relatively big but they are really small because there's three greens in one. So you have to be dialed in with your irons, and playing out of the rough, I don't think you can probably play very well on this course.

With it being a little softer, most of the people probably hit a lot of fairways, so they could attack. But you know, it's a typical Nicklaus second-shot golf course where you have to be good with your irons.

Q. How is your play coming into the week compared to where it was one year ago coming into this same championship?

BOB SOWARDS: I missed the Senior U.S. Open qualifier again at the same course. Kind of the same mindset. I was kind of playing mediocre to bad. Come up here, found something. Worked with a guy that I'm working with, Serge, with worked on some things. I'm hitting it great on the range. On the golf course, I didn't feel super comfortable starting out but hit fairways, hit greens, gave myself chances and then it started about mid round, started feeling good over the ball and hopefully that will continue the rest of the week.

Q. Can you help us through that birdie run on 14?

BOB SOWARDS: That's a good question. I need to figure out what 14 is first. What is 14? Hit a decent drive, hit a 9-iron to inside a foot. Made that one easy.

The par 5, I laid up. We weren't sure exactly how far I needed to lay up but got it in the fairway and hit a wedge in there about ten feet and hit a perfect putt on that one.

17 was straight downwind and I hit a perfect 7-iron, probably the best 7-iron of my life in there ten, 12 feet and just center cut the putt. It was a fun little run.

8, I missed my number so it came back down to the front of the green. I made a 50-footer with probably eight feet of break. So it was kind of cool. I missed a few -- I hit pretty close most of the day but on back nine, on my back nine. But that's the only putt I actually made. So keep it going.