HILTON GRAND VACATIONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 22, 2023

Mardy Fish

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Mardy Fish, congratulations on an incredible accomplishment. How are you feeling now that it's over?

MARDY FISH: Yeah, mentally a littlest exhausted. It's a lot of golf for us. I don't play four days in a row very often. Five days in a row with the pro-am as well.

So it's been a blast. Phenomenal week. Thank you to Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions obviously for inviting me, putting on the event. It's been a phenomenal week.

Q. Playing alongside Maja and Charley today, both made major moves up to T2. That was that like to see their style a little, too?

MARDY FISH: Awesome. Played twice with Charley now this week. She hits the ball unbelievably well. It's super fun to watch all of them get their ball around and how they score and stuff. They putt lights out; all of them do.

So it's an honor to share the course with them. They're truly incredible golfers.

Q. What do you think led to you feeling more comfortable on this golf course as opposed to last year?

MARDY FISH: Yeah, it's a good question. I didn't get a lot of time to prepare for the course last year. Obviously this year with a year under my belt was nice to kind of get here Tuesday and to play nine holes, and then to play the pro-am and kind of get a nice feel for the course again, figure out where the attackable parts are and where you got to play defense and stuff.

Yeah, and so I got a nice -- seemed like a nice feel for the holes out there and made a lot of birdies, which was helpful. So, yeah, good.

Q. Lots of birdies. On a week like this do you set a points goal?

MARDY FISH: No. It's funny you ask that. I feel like I do that in Tahoe. May be something to that. It's a little bit different scoring system here; almost like stroke play. I feel like that helps me a little bit, even though I did make a lot of birdies this week.

There is an emphasis on birdies on that other Stableford that we have at the American Sentry, but this one sort of feels a little more stroke play-ish unless you're making eagles. It's an extra point if you make an eagle.

So, yeah, I mean, over the course of four rounds sort of feel like my game can come out with enough holes and stuff to play. So, yeah, it's super fun. I don't get a lot of competitive juices going anymore, so use these weeks to do that. This was a blast.

Q. Yesterday you were at the end saying it's never over. Then today you go out and basically keep that same margin throughout. Was there a point out there today where you felt comfortable that all I got to do is get it across the line?

MARDY FISH: I mean, you don't want to think like that because certainly going into the day, look, 14 is a lot on these -- with tough conditions as well. Pretty windy out there, so hard -- couple holes on the front nine that were pretty hard. 6 was the hardest hole on the course I felt like, and it was a par-3.

So, yeah, mentally you want to stay there. I just wanted to kind of shoot a number. Today conditions were more difficult. You kind of figure by hole 15, 14, 15, around there, that you probably have it in the bag. You just got to kind of finish the round. That's when, if you got that mindset, you can sort of -- that's when you can not play as well. You can lose -- I was sort of thinking that and ended up four-putting the 16th green with not thinking too much out there.

So you don't want that. So got through it fine.

Q. With the wind blowing as it was, does that make it easier or tougher to be in front?

MARDY FISH: It's better. I would assume it's better. I mean, look, I grew up in Florida playing this style of golf, so I'm used to the wind and these types of conditions. At least I used to be used to it. Now in LA it's more of a dome type, not much wind and a lot of sun.

But, yeah, I'm used to these conditions. I think it showed a little bit today.

Q. You talked going into the weekend about how driving was such an asset. Did that continue to be your strongest point all week.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, I mean, you drive the ball straight and pretty far on this course, the tees that we're playing, you can have some short irons into a lot of greens, some irons into a lot of the par-5s and stuff. I was able to take advantage of that. Not necessarily today, but most of the week.

Q. Nice playing.

MARDY FISH: Thank you, guys.