HILTON GRAND VACATIONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 20, 2023

Jeremy Roenick

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Okay great round out there today. You were up there on the leaderboard. How was your round?

JEREMEY ROENICK: It was a good round. I hit the ball really solid. The bogeys, I made I made a couple three-putts, which I think everybody is going to do out there because of how fast the greens are and how tough there are to read.

But for the most part, I hit the ball really well. Made a great eagle on 9. Yeah, really happy. Happy where I am right now.

Q. Talk about that eagle. What happened?

JEREMEY ROENICK: So I hit a great shot off the tee box and I had about 222 coming in. So it's right in my 19 degree utility, and my caddie and I said, what should we do? We're going to hit something a little hard right at it or are we going to layup? We just got to go right -- and I literally probably hit the best 19 degree I hit in a long time. It never left the pin and it ended up a foot and a half from the pin for an eagle.

It is just one of those really ones where you just sit there and say, that was awesome. Yeah, it was a good shot.

Q. That's great. Got a lot of celebs out here that can really play, as you've seen through the years. Does the level of play keep rising?

JEREMEY ROENICK: You see more people coming in to play as the years go by. It's always been kind of the same crew. Mulder, Fish, Wagner, myself, Annika.

Q. Smoltz.

JEREMEY ROENICK: And now Derek Lowe has kind of come on to the scene. Smoltz, and when Tony Romo plays. So it's always kind of like the same crew, but we're seeing some really pretty cool young talent.

Watching Steel yesterday, Steel Lafferty, for a 5'7" guy hits the ball 3oo yards and has a beautiful swing. So we see some other guys coming up in the ranks, but it's still the top guys that have been here for a while that are still battling for it.

Q. When you play an event like this, what can you pull from watching some of the LPGA pros?

JEREMEY ROENICK: I think just their poise, the way they go about every shot. It's almost methodical. They sit there, read it, see the shot, they're patient. You know, for us, as amateurs/other sports, we want to get up there and hit it because we're so excited to hit it. They're much more methodical. They think about the shot, analyze the shot.

So the more that you watch them, if you bring that into your game -- like today was a perfect example of me staying patient and not getting ahead of, myself. That's because I'm watching players like Maja hit great shots and just nothing seems it bother her.

It's pretty fun. It's great playing with people in total control of their golf game.

Q. Your spot on the leaderboard going into weekend, how does that change your mentality or how do you approach?

JEREMEY ROENICK: Just makes you more excited. I mean, you play these events, and a lot of us athletes, this is our competitive time. This is where we compete again, so it brings those competitive juices out in us. When you're on that leaderboard, it accentuates that feeling. Nobody want to come into the leaderboard on the weekend and know they don't have a chance to win. That's what it's all about.

So just I can't wait to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and play again.

Q. Is tomorrow Game 6 in the NFL. Or still working to get to 7?

JEREMEY ROENICK: Depends if you're up or not.

Q. You're up.

JEREMEY ROENICK: If I'm up, then I'm preparing myself for a win and just put myself in a position to finish it off. But I like where I am right now. I just played Game 5; ready to win Game 6; finish it off. But I know there are two days left so just got to have some fun.