LIV GOLF MAYAKOBA

February 25, 2023

Peter Uihlein

El Camaleón Golf Course

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome Peter Uihlein from the 4Aces GC to the LIV Golf Mayakoba 2023 press conference. Welcome, Peter. You are our co-leader in the clubhouse. It was a bit of a birdie-fest out there today. I think you had seven birdies, five on the front nine. Tell us a little bit about your round today.

PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, played well. All you can do really out here is just keep it between the trees, and I did that quite well today. Yeah, drove it nice. Had a lot of good chances on the front, and holed some nice putts.

The back is tough. It's a tough nine. There's some tough driving holes with the way the wind is.

But yeah, all in all, it was a solid day. Yeah, seven birdies is definitely very solid on a day like today.

Q. You have been playing incredibly well since you came to LIV Golf. What do you think that difference is between PGA TOUR and LIV and why you're really showing up the way --

PETER UIHLEIN: I just think the reality is I'm just a lot happier playing golf. I wasn't happy the last few years. It just didn't really work out for me on the PGA TOUR, but this was an unbelievable opportunity for me and my family, and just trying to play well and keep putting good scores up on the board.

Yeah, I don't know if it correlates that I'm playing better and I'm happier, or if I'm happier and that helps correlate to me playing better. I'm not entirely sure, but things are going well, and I'm thrilled to be out there.

Q. How do you feel to be leading your first tournament with the 4Aces?

PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, it feels good. Obviously with the off-season, I knew I was joining them, and you don't want to come out and just lay an egg as the new member of the team, and since they were so dominant last year. I've been just trying to basically make sure my score counts, and the last two days have been very good, and I'm obviously helping out the team, which is all you can ask for.

Q. Looks like you guys are really close to catching the Crushers. There's a chance you guys could be on the podium tomorrow. What do you have to do to make that happen?

PETER UIHLEIN: Well, I think tomorrow it's a team effort. We've all got to keep playing well. It's a tough course, and you've just got to be smart and just try and capitalize when you can.

Q. You tied with Talor. Do you feel like that will determine which team got the better end of the deal?

PETER UIHLEIN: No, not week one of 14 events, no. I don't think so at all. But it's funny how sometimes those play out, don't they.

Q. Have you guys spoken at all about switching, just the whole --

PETER UIHLEIN: No, Talor and I are close. We're buddies. We played at Oklahoma State together. We played together yesterday, with CH3. I think last time I looked, I think it was going to be me, Talor and Charles tomorrow, so we're going to run it back with the same group, which is fun. We're all Cowboys and we're all close.

Yeah, I've told Talor a lot that I think he's handled this as well as anybody could have since joining, and being on the Aces and then obviously switching teams. Just the way the team stuff works out kind of thing with the finances and stuff, he's done it incredibly well.

I have a lot of respect for him. I like him a lot. Our wives get along really well, and we've both got two one-year-olds, so they mess around -- they goof around with each other. So it's a lot of fun.

Q. You did feel a certain amount of pressure or you obviously wanted to make a good first impression?

PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, I didn't want to come down here and finish 40th, that's for dang sure. I didn't want to come down and lay an egg and let the team down. So far, so good.

Q. Have you played out here before?

PETER UIHLEIN: No, no, I never came down here. It was always after our Asia trip, I think. So I just never came down. Then I didn't get in it a couple years ago or the last year I was on Tour. So I have no scar tissue, so that's always good.

Q. What is the trick to playing well here in El Camaleon?

PETER UIHLEIN: Just keep it between the trees. That's really all you can do. I just try to flight it down, keep it low, keep it out of the wind and keep it between the trees, and then from there you can attack because it's not the longest course in the world. As long as you keep it in play, you're going to have kind of wedges and short irons.

When you're in the fairway you can take advantage of it.

Q. Obviously you got close a couple times last year. Just kind of how important is it to take that next step?

PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, I just think if I keep putting myself in this position, that's all you can ask for. At the start of the week if you tell me you're in the lead or you're in the final group or whatever on Sunday, you're on that 1B starting time, that's all you can ask for. Yeah, I've done it now -- I think I've done it three times now, so this will be my fourth one. If I just keep doing that, keep knocking on the door, hopefully it works out in my favor this time.

Q. Do you think it fits any kind of game, El Camaleon?

PETER UIHLEIN: Not really, no. It's a pretty diverse leaderboard it seems like. I'm quite long, but Charles is an incredible ball striker, and Talor is an all-around great player. It doesn't really favor any style of game. I think last time -- I think Hovy won, Viktor won. He's notoriously one of the best ball strikers on Tour, so maybe it does. Maybe it favors ball strikers. But I think as long as you just kind of keep it between the trees, you can execute here.