THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9, 2023

Taylor Pendrith

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Good start; what was working well for you out there?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: I drove it great. I don't think I missed a fairway. It's much easier to play from the short grass around here.

I thought I managed my game very well, didn't really leave myself in too many awkward spots around the greens. There's some holes where I know if you miss it left or miss it right, you're probably making bogey, so just played kind of safe and picked my spots where to be aggressive.

Overall, yeah, it was a great start.

Q. 14 of 14 fairways. I think you're first in strokes gained off the tee, as well. To know you were a little bit up-and-down with the driver the last couple weeks, to have that performance off the tee, what does that do for you mentally?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, great. It's been very frustrating the last few months. It's generally my strength, and it had become a weakness for me. I've really been working on it, trying to get back to the way I was swinging it the last four years, driving it great.

Today hit a couple good ones early and just kind of got in a groove. But felt really comfortable with it, and yeah, drove it very nice.

Q. Do you look at the leaderboard at all during the first round like this to see where you're at?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I looked a couple times. I thought it was playing -- it was scorable out there today early. The greens were still a little bit softer.

I think I looked on 17 - it's hard to miss, it's a giant screen - and then I saw at the end of the round. Yeah, there's a couple low ones out there, but I'm super happy with my start.

Q. 16, 17, obviously eagle-birdie. That's pretty darned good. Can you talk about that stretch, and also if you heard Hayden make a hole-in-one next to you on 16?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I had a really nice up-and-down on 15 and hit a great drive on 16 and had 7-iron in, and just tried to hit to the middle of the green and caught the ridge and went down there to eight feet and made the putt.

17 I hit a nice shot, too, a little too much spin, didn't land far enough up the ridge, but rolled back. It was a couple inches in the rough and I chose to putt it and kind of hit it a little firm, but it caught the edge and went in, which was a bonus.

But I did, we were on the green on 16, and I was trying to see where the guys ahead of us balls were landing. I didn't actually see Hayden's but heard the crowd start going and then looked over and saw Hayden throw his hat up in the air. That was pretty cool, second group to that hole of the day, so give the fans what they want.

Q. Can you explain why this course suits your game well?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: I think you've got to drive it well here. It's really tricky; the rough is thick. If you're playing from the rough all day, it's difficult to get close to the hole locations. The greens are super firm. Playing from the fairway is definitely huge.

Last year I drove it really nicely here, and today I drove it really nicely. Shot 5-under. Yeah, you've got to be in the fairways and just kind of manage where you're hitting your approach shots. It's getting quite firm out there, so it's really tricky around the greens in certain areas.

But yeah, I love it. It suits my eye really well, and there's a lot of drivers, and when I'm driving it great, it's fun.

Q. Are you comfortable on the greens or sometimes picking the right lines and just keeping your strategy is difficult for you?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: No, I feel comfortable on the greens, yeah. They're super slopey and fast and firm, so there's some putts that are tricky and you can get fooled a little bit. I thought I putted decent today. I wouldn't say I putted great.

The putt on 4 kind of fooled me a little bit. I knew it was fast but didn't think it was that fast.

But yeah, I've really been working on it the last year now. Switched putters, and yeah, feel very comfortable.

Q. Would you like to have a second look for the putt on 7 for birdie?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: Yeah, I just didn't hit it hard enough. We had the right read, and it just burned the low side.

I think another ball of speed, it catches the edge and goes in, but it was kind of sitting on almost a straight line, but we thought it was going left, and it did, just didn't hit it hard enough.

Q. If last night I would tell you that you've been on the leaderboard, leaders in the clubhouse at noon, what would be your reaction?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: I mean, I'd definitely take it for sure. But I feel like I have been playing decent, just not driving it great the last five or six events. I feel like my game is solid, just can't get it in play. Today I got it in play, and everything else was kind of how it has been. Just had more opportunities to make birdies today from the fairways.

Q. What happened with your driver the past few weeks?

TAYLOR PENDRITH: Not sure. It's one of those things.

Certain things can come and go. It's golf. Just kind of got away from what I used to do.

But yeah, it's been super frustrating, and it's nice to have a good day today with the driver, and it feels great.