VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 16, 2023

Alex Smalley

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. First off this morning, 3-under today. How did you feel about your round?

ALEX SMALLEY: I felt pretty good. I've struggled a little bit with the super early morning tee times this spring. So it was nice to have a good result in the morning that I haven't had in a while. But, yeah, everything felt really solid. I felt like I had a lot of good four to seven foot putts I made for par, which are kind of momentum builders. So once I saw a couple putts go in kind of middle of the round the stroke felt pretty good and it certainly helped my confidence a little bit. Felt like my reads were good, I just struggled a little bit with the speed early on. Then kind of got the speed down about middle of the round and saw some putts go in. So, yeah, felt pretty good with just about everything today.

Q. You mentioned some of those putts going in, building momentum, any stick out in particular?

ALEX SMALLEY: Probably the one on 9. I mean I parred the first seven holes and I bogeyed 8. 8's just a tough hole because it's a 240-yard par-3. 9 was a good one, I had been struggling a little bit with left-to-right putts and 9 was a left-to righter that was downhill and it was pretty quick. I hit good speed on it and picked a good line and it ended up going in. So that was probably one of the ones that helped me the most just to kind of see one go in. I felt like I've been hitting good putts the last couple of weeks and they just haven't been dropping. So to see one go in certainly helps a little bit.

Q. Hole-in-one Sunday at PLAYERS. What momentum were you able to take away from a good finish at PLAYERS?

ALEX SMALLEY: I was, I felt super lucky just to be playing the weekend at THE PLAYERS. I was at 2-over and was kind of sweating it out Saturday morning when the guys were finishing up. Ended up finishing tied for 65th, so made it on the number, on the person. So I just felt super lucky to be able to be there on the weekend playing. I had a good day Saturday and just didn't quite play the way I did on Sunday and it was kind of a little bit of a frustrating day. But golf's a fickle game and you could be down in the dumps like I was after 16 and then be on top of Mount Everest after 17. So it's a crazy game.

Q. What were the celebrations like on Sunday and then the next couple of days after that coming down off that high to getting ready for the tournament?

ALEX SMALLEY: Right, so there was -- there's a, there was an ice cream station in player dining at Sawgrass and I kind of went after that, after the hole-in-one. Didn't really do a whole lot after that. We drove over here Monday morning and just kind of prepared like any normal week. So I didn't, I guess I didn't go off the rails.