THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2023

Tom Hoge

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. I'm sure you've been asked this, but when you finished up this morning, were you sure where you stood? Were you heading home?

TOM HOGE: I finished yesterday afternoon actually and woke up this morning to watch the scores for a few hours there, and that was all over the place. So I just felt fortunate to have tee time this morning. Just tried to go out and make as many birdies as I could.

Q. When you get on a roll like that on a golf course that's this difficult, do you even let your mind wander to oh, course record, or anything along those lines?

TOM HOGE: No, and I didn't even know it was a course record until after we got done in the scoring there. Today was going to be the day to do it if you were going to out here because it was soft with little wind, so you felt like you could make birdies and keep trying to make birdies. So just felt fortunate and tried to take advantage of it the best I could.

Q. How many course records do you have?

TOM HOGE: I'm not even sure to be honest with you.

Q. What one do you remember? There's got to be one in North Dakota or something?

TOM HOGE: I shot 61 in a qualifier in college at Southern Oaks just south of Fort Worth. I remember that one. Might have one up in Canada somewhere around Toronto. Played with some friends up there. But I don't know. That was long time ago, those North Dakota days.

Q. For your round can you give us whether or not you hit driver or some other club off the tee and then if you had a second shot what the second shot was. We can get the putts off of ShotLink.

TOM HOGE: Yeah, I mean trying to think. It was driver off most of the tees, I would say. I guess some of the key shots, 11, I hit a hybrid in to start off the day and had about 14 feet for eagle right off the bat. 12 I hit a driver off the tee going for the green on the short par-4 and hit that to about seven feet. I'm not sure -- how many other ones would you like?

Q. It's a record. I want all of 'em.

TOM HOGE: That might take awhile.

Q. This tournament every year seems to have a pretty eclectic leaderboard. This year again it's the case. Why do you think that is?

TOM HOGE: It's just a golf course that really doesn't reward any sort of style of play. You got to hit it in certain positions and go from there. I feel like it's a golf course that's always suited me really well, just being that distance isn't as important; get the ball in play and then it's kind of a second-shot golf course. So I think it really favors the guys who whose games are sharp and it tests all areas of your game.

Q. Did you figure out what Luke List did this morning that got you into the field?

TOM HOGE: I don't even know what to say to that one.

Q. At what point did you realize you were in, and what were you hoping to do with this afternoon?

TOM HOGE: I would say, I mean, it wasn't until Eric Cole was putting on the last hole, until it was really confirmed. I felt like I made some really nice swings coming down the stretch yesterday when I was right on the cut line trying to make it all the way 15 through 18. So I felt like my game was in good order, as silly as that is to say, that I could have missed the cut. But I was excited to get back out there once I did have a tee time.

Q. What was the flight you were going to be on?

TOM HOGE: Well, I live in Dallas Fort Worth, so American Airlines. I think it was 2:59 I actually had both of the last two days because I shot 78 the first round, so I was expecting to be on that yesterday afternoon, so it's been nice to cancel a few flights.

Q. You didn't know it was a course record until you got into scoring. Have you ever tried to break a course record knowing that it was out there and you were sort of gunning for it?

TOM HOGE: Not really. I mean, so much of that is dependent upon conditions and just a lot of factors. I had a lot of putts today that I felt like were pretty straight on the reads. Just seems you get a little bit easier putts, a little bit better numbers with some irons so things just kind of work out to get to that point.

Q. What do you consider the highlight of your round?

TOM HOGE: Probably one of those two, hybrid into 11 and then a driver to about seven feet on 12 that kind of gave me some confidence going right off the bat. I missed both putts but was 2-under through three holes and it was a nice start.

Q. Is it true you prefer to eat sweets for breakfast, and if so, what did you have this morning?

TOM HOGE: All the time. It's actually my complaint here this week is the food is too healthy in player dining. (Laughter.) There's a QR code for us; I logged that complaint. They need some food like the rest of the obese people in America eat.

Q. What was this morning? Chocolate cake or something?

TOM HOGE: No, I'm not much of a breakfast guy so it was lunch before the round and a lot of vegetables and stuff. I'm pretty hungry right now. I'm ready for a cheeseburger or something.

Q. You started on 10?

TOM HOGE: I hit 3-wood, 8-iron on 10.

Q. You told us about 11.

TOM HOGE: Driver, hybrid 11. Driver to seven feet on 12. 8-iron on 13. Driver, 7-iron on 14. Driver, 8-iron on 15. Driver, hybrid on 16. Pitching wedge on 17. Trying to remember, 3-wood, 8-iron on 18. Driver, pitching wedge on 1. 2 I hit a 3-wood, had to lay up with an 8-iron and then had a pitching wedge in. 9-iron on 3. 3-wood and a 52-degree wedge on 4. Driver, 5-iron on 5. 6 I hit a hybrid in the trees, had to chip out, then I hit a 60-degree wedge and made par. Let's see, 7 was driver, 7-iron. 8 was a hybrid. And 9 was driver, 6-iron and a 56-degree wedge.

Q. It never crossed your mind that it might be a course record?

TOM HOGE: No, not until I finished and Shane Lowry mentioned it to me after I made the putt.

Q. Is this the best round you've ever had?

TOM HOGE: Definitely up there. The conditions for this were pretty good. I would say yesterday's round was pretty close to it, honestly, shooting 4-under in a very difficult morning yesterday. I played pretty well there.