VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2023

Nick Gabrelcik

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. Great round. It looks like you're going to make the cut comfortably. You must be pretty happy with that second round today.

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, going into the round I was like we got nothing to lose, we're 4-over, so let's just go out and have fun, maybe it's the last round, maybe it's not. Got the putter going early, made four birdies my first five holes and was like, all right, let's just keep it together, let's not play defensive now, but let's just play maybe a little bit smarter than I was on the first few holes. It's an awesome feeling making my first cut.

Q. This is your first PGA TOUR event. What was it like, the apprehension, sort of beginning like the build-up to it in the practice days? How did you manage that?

NICK GABRELCIK: Just looked at it as another event. Just tried to prepare as best I could, like would I for any college event. The media and interviews were definitely different. This is probably the most exposure to that I've ever had. So it's been fun and a great learning lesson for me just to get used to it because this is what I want to do in the future.

Q. When you're kind of last night to this morning, such a quick turnaround, what did you lean on and being ready to go and did you work on anything this morning?

NICK GABRELCIK: So I went back last night, used our Normatec boots we have in our house to kind of refresh the legs a little bit, and then watched a little bit of TV and went to bed reasonably early for what I'm used to.

I just woke up this morning with the mindset of let's just good out, play my game, and whatever happens, happens. I played well enough yesterday where I could have shot a couple under, just a few bad breaks, putter wasn't going my way. I knew if I did the same thing today it would be different.

Q. There was a clip of you with a great putt on one of the holes on your second nine that hit the flag stick and lightly just bounced. What was the feeling of that not going in? It seemed like it was a perfect putt.

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, from my angle it looked like it was going off the green, so I took it more as, okay, thank God it hit the flag and went to 2 inches. But you can look at it from both ways. I'm just going to try and look at the positive way for me.

Q. How do you describe the feeling walking off 18 green and realizing you've just made a cut on the PGA TOUR?

NICK GABRELCIK: It was awesome. I wasn't expecting everybody out here to be waiting behind the grandstands to cheer me on. It was just a feeling that I don't think I will ever experience again because you don't get a first TOUR event ever and you don't get a first cut all the time. So it's just really special to me.

Q. What was the first tee like yesterday having your name announced?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, I actually wasn't super nervous teeing the ball up. Then when they called my name and everybody cheered and it was like a roar, I was like, okay, now it's hitting me, the nerves started going. I was like, let's just make contact and get it somewhere out in play.

Q. Is this spring break for you right now?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yes.

Q. It's a pretty cool spring break, but when you finish this week, what's your schedule look back at school, back to playing again?

NICK GABRELCIK: So, funny enough, Monday and Tuesday we had a college event in Myrtle Beach and today is the first round of another college event. So even if I didn't play here, I would be playing golf.

But after this week just catch up on some school. I'm sure my teachers are going to hammer us with assignments for giving us the week off. So I'll probably take one or two days and just try and get ahead on school.

Q. Coming into the weekend now what sort of expectation do you have? Like, is this just house money that you're playing with now and just go for it and have fun?

NICK GABRELCIK: No, expectations are still to win. It's always the goal. It never will not be the goal. So we're going to come out here, do our best, try to have as much fun as possible, obviously. That's the main goal is just to enjoy the experience. But the goal's still to come out on top.

Q. I followed you the last couple days and got to know your dad a little bit. How special is it to have this moment with your dad inside the ropes and your brother on the bag as well?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, it's going to be unforgettable. I think my dad could arguably be having more fun than I am with all of this, the experience, being inside the ropes. But it's just a blast having everybody here.

Q. Can you tell us about the your connection to this tournament as a standard bearer growing up and to now it being your first cut that you made on TOUR.

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, I've come up through the ranks here. I've done the range on Thursdays and Fridays, I've sign held, I've caddied in the pro-am. But just to be the one walking inside the ropes and to be able to give a ball to the standard bearer with my signature. That's what I looked forward to every Valspar week, was just get a pro's signature, even though I'm an amateur. So it's just a cool full circle moment for me.

Q. We saw you played a practice round with Sam Burns. How was that experience like and what did you learn from him?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, Sam's a great guy. I just kind of picked his brain a little bit on his tips for the golf course and also let him do his own thing because they're just like I am, they need to focus, do what they need to do to prepare. So I had to kind of learn when the spots were to talk to him, when not to talk to him, but he's a great guy.

Q. I've seen a little bit on your social media, like the term shock the world. You talked about that a little bit wanting to win, but can you talk about that term and what that means to you?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, growing up I wasn't the most recognized golfer coming out of high school and maybe even the start of college. So this was a week for me to just put my name out there and just to show everybody like who I am and what I can do. I think I did a pretty good job of that today.

Q. Not sure you had a chance to look at your phone yet, but are you anticipating many texts from your teammates?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, I will be getting a lot of messages from friends out here, friends back home, just everywhere.

Q. To clarify, your older brother is an assistant professional here; is that correct?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yes.

Q. How long has he been here?

NICK GABRELCIK: Three, four years. If I had to guess. Yeah, he just has been an assistant pro here. Then my swing coach was actually the head pro here but now he's down in Naples at Twin Eagles. So that's how I've had the connections out here for the pass two years.

Q. Your brother is Donnie, is that right?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yes.

Q. N N I E?

NICK GABRELCIK: N N I E. Yes.

Q. Last thing, can you tell us who all has been here this week? So family, friends. Your teammates here earlier in the week?

NICK GABRELCIK: No, so my teammates want to be here really badly, but they're out playing their own college event. So that's what I'm going to be doing is going to see how they did after this. But, yeah, just a lot of friends from high school that I have not seen in three, four years, just they have come out and it's been nice seeing everybody. Then family, uncles, yeah, just everybody, basically.

Q. Have you been a golf fan, like do you watch tournaments and follow the TOUR or what's your like kind of experience in that regard?

NICK GABRELCIK: Well my favorite sport to watch is football. I'm a huge football fan. Hockey. But I watch all the majors. I watch -- whenever golf's on and I'm not practicing or doing school work I'll throw it on just to watch. So I would say I'm a fan, yes.

Q. What's it like knowing all your family and friends were able to follow you on the leaderboard shot by shot today and kind of you were able to give them a thrill with kind of charging up from below the cut line?

NICK GABRELCIK: Yeah, I was thinking about that after hole 5. I was like, Oh, everyone's going to look at their phones now and see I'm 4-under through five holes. That's pretty cool. And see my name on PGA TOUR app. It's a cool feeling to have my name there and all my friends and family can just look at my name on the phone, not on Golf Stat, but on the PGA TOUR.