SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2022

Nick Hardy

Country Club of Jackson

Quick Quotes

Q. Nick, nice position through two rounds here, right in the mix into the weekend. How would you characterize the first two days and what's been working well?

NICK HARDY: Yeah, real solid golf from tee to green. I'm hitting it great off the tee. Really making some nice iron swings, as well. If I can get some more putts to drop on the weekend, I really feel really good about things.

Q. Has there been one favorite shot or moment or a kind of defining moment of the first two days?

NICK HARDY: Well, I mean, on Wednesday I got two good tips, one from my caddie and one from my fiance Liz, like with a couple parts of my game, like driver and iron swing. Ever since then I've just been clicking on all cylinders. Just hitting it great.

As long as I keep those thoughts going, I think I'll keep on doing that.

Q. Caddie gave you a driver tip and Liz gave you an iron tip?

NICK HARDY: Yep, yep. That's exactly how it went down, yeah.

Q. What was kind of the genesis of the tips?

NICK HARDY: They've been around me a little while now. Obviously Liz has, and she's a golfer herself, so she gets the game. She kind of knows my tendencies. There were just a couple things that I tend to do, and sometimes I need reminders. Mainly about width in the golf swing and not using my hands to pull down and just keep the width through the body. That's really the gist of it.

Q. Is it cool to you that your fiance is willing to give you -- if she sees something she's willing to call you out on it?

NICK HARDY: Yeah, she's got a great eye, and very helpful having her. I love having her here. She's like a second coach on the road. It's great.

Q. Like a consultant?

NICK HARDY: Totally, yeah, second eye.

Q. What's it been like, you've had a unique month, you were on a medical but went to play the Korn Ferry finals, bettered your status that way.

NICK HARDY: Yeah, it's been a wild couple months, honestly. Ever since early summer, it's been wild. I've just been in survival mode.

In Napa getting the medical done was definitely a big weight off my shoulders. Now I feel like I've got plenty of opportunity headed into the year. I'm really ready to play free, and I've seen these golf courses now, and I feel a lot more comfortable out here.

I feel like I'm ready to play great golf.

Q. Along those lines, people say at times you don't really have your card until you keep your card. Is there an element of that where you feel just a little more --

NICK HARDY: For sure. They've got a lot of truth to that. You get plenty more opportunity when you're in that Top 125 category. It's just that safety blanket to fall back on. You're not totally off pressure to get off to a good start when you're a rookie.

Q. Thomas, he's in the mix with you; what are your memories of him from college?

NICK HARDY: Yeah, he's like basically my big brother. He was a leader to me in school my freshman and sophomore year. Yeah, I learned a lot from him in college and still am. Now that he's out here full-time, it's great playing practice rounds and just trying to beat each other on the putting green. We're very competitive, very competitive. Having that out here is only a bonus for me, and I think for him, too.

Q. What's you guys' normal game you play in a practice round?

NICK HARDY: We just play match play. It's simple. We keep it simple, and then we have this putting game we play against -- probably easy fish pumping against each other on the putting green on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which is quite fun.

Q. What's the putting game?

NICK HARDY: Six-footer drill we call it. There's six tees around the hole and we start on opposite sides. You make it, you move on to the next one, you miss, you stay. Basically you just try to pass the other person, and if you pass the other person, you win. That's our game.

Q. That's from college?

NICK HARDY: Yeah, we've been doing that stuff since college, yep.

Q. What are you looking forward to this weekend?

NICK HARDY: Just being in this position. Like I think I'll be about three back, maybe a little more, but I've definitely positioned myself nicely where I can play well tomorrow and be in a real nice spot on Sunday. I'm just excited for that.