THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2023

David Lingmerth

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. 10 years ago you had I think a T-2 here, and now you're right back in the mix. How would you describe the last 10 years for you, for your career?

DAVID LINGMERTH: I mean, roller coaster. One word sums it up. Yeah, I mean, it's been some really great moments, and then there's been some really, really tough moments in the last few years. Thankful in the last year or so been able to make some progress and golf is a lot more fun again.

Q. You live in the gates here, right?

DAVID LINGMERTH: I did. I'm 10 minutes outside of the gates here now. Yeah, so I'm not that close but still very near.

Q. Was it hard to have this thing go on without you and sort of know that it was happening?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Yeah, yeah, it's always hard. I remember I missed out on it in 2014, as well -- no, sorry, 2015, and I decided to skip town. I didn't want to be around.

Last few times I missed it I've stuck around and managed to be in town and do my practice and be a little bummed out, but it is what it is. I'm happy to be back in the field.

Q. What did you do in 2015, go skiing or something?

DAVID LINGMERTH: No, I can't remember what I did. I might have gone up to, back to Arkansas where I went to school and saw my coaches up there and hung out for a week.

Q. Was it injury related or just the game is a fickle game?

DAVID LINGMERTH: The last few years you mean? Yeah, I mean, yeah, I've gone through a fair share of injuries. They turned out to cause some confidence issues and stuff too. When you're hurt and you're trying to swing and not feel pain, it probably altered my swing a little bit, which maybe wasn't the most efficient way to go about it. But that's how it turned out, and I'm glad I'm back on better track again.

Q. Did you ever attend the event?

DAVID LINGMERTH: No. No. I did not. No. I had to think about it for a second. I think I came out for one of the concerts they had on like the Tuesday afternoons once, and yeah, that was about it.

Q. Do you remember who you saw?

DAVID LINGMERTH: No.

Q. When did it become fun again?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Just, it's been a long road. I felt like I was close to the peak of the mountain for a while as it relates to my abilities, and I went all the way back down to the bottom it felt like. I didn't know how to play golf at all was kind of my feeling. Then I steadily climbed my way back up but I really, it's really only been probably 10 months since I've felt like I can do this again, I can compete, I feel comfortable. But, yeah, that's about it. It took awhile.

Q. What sticks out when you think about 2013?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Just the atmosphere, battling with Tiger, being in the final group with Sergio. I was there until the very end. I had a shot. I'm sure most people were happy to see Tiger win, but I was fighting until the very end to try to force him at least into a playoff. You know, I'm proud of the way I fought that time and hopefully I can keep fighting again tomorrow and make it interesting again.

Q. Is there anything in particular about the last 10 months that you felt like made it click, that made you feel like you could play again at a high level?

DAVID LINGMERTH: There's so many things that goes into this game. There's not one straight answer. I've been working with a coach I feel very comfortable with. We're kind of speaking the same language as it relates to the golf swing.

Putting was an issue for a while, and now lately here since the fall I've figured out away to make it work for me. So that obviously helps. But there's so many things that goes into it, so I can't really point to just one thing.

Q. You talked about some of the work you've been doing. Particularly with putting, you started working with Russell Knox. How do you describe I guess the affect that's had for you?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Well, Russell started using like a split grip putter mid-summer last year and he felt like he, you know, found something for him that really seemed to work. After he had his honeymoon phase with it, he said it was still feeling great, and then I saw Spencer Levin kind of doing the split grip and he was pouring it in. I was like, I at least got to give that a try is what I thought and, yeah, I did. Then I messed around a little bit with the grip and eventually found something that I felt could work for me.

Q. Looking back at 2013, things have changed since your first time here. What's it like being back here in 2023 now with some of the adjustments, having to manage that, including the change from May to March?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Yeah, the course has changed slightly. They made some modifications, and obviously now we're playing it earlier in the year with overseeded grass, which we did not used to have. So some of the, yeah, small little things like that definitely changed the overall experience.

But I've lived here since 2012. It still feels like home. I feel comfortable. Obviously I missed shots in places I shouldn't miss them, but I know where I'm supposed to be and I know where I want to avoid. So it's kind of like a comfortable feeling when you're out there that you're pretty -- that you can play very aggressive with your lines because you know where you're supposed to be.

Q. When you're young and you get that level of validation like you probably got that weekend, and then you're spending years trying to touch it again, kind of what's that like and how does it weigh on your mind?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Yeah, I mean it was very frustrating because when it came to the injury stuff, you want to be out there and compete and you feel like it's hampering you. Then when you start feel better again and you feel like you should be there, like have you no excuses anymore, like what's wrong.

But like I said, yeah, I don't know, it's just so many things that goes into it, so you got to be so patient with it, but it was definitely very frustrating for a while.

Q. What's harder, you working on your own game to get back there, or having to kind of still watch the game go on without you, knowing like the next wave of these young studs just keep coming and keep coming and you're like, well, where does this leave me?

DAVID LINGMERTH: Yeah, yeah. No, both of those things are tough. Obviously as a golfer you can only really focus on yourself and what you're doing. You got to really stay in the moment, take one step at a time, whether it's tournament or practice or time off. You got to do the little things to try to get a little better every day. Yeah, I was able to take that journey and I'm still on it, but we're at least getting closer.

Q. When you come back, like what's the balance of I want to go out and win versus look I want to have a sustained career, right, and just play consistently?

DAVID LINGMERTH: No, I mean, I a hundred percent get your question, but I admittedly for awhile there when it was really tough, like definitely didn't feel like I could win golf tournaments. I had maybe other smaller goals for certain weeks. But at this point I feel like I'm back enough on track to where we are here to try to make a run at it, we're trying to win. It's nothing else, really.