VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2023

Rory Sabbatini

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. This must be kind of a surreal week for you, playing your 600th TOUR event, but to shoot 6-under on the second day, it's kind of a nice little piece of symmetry. Tell us about your round today and what it felt like out there.

RORY SABBATINI: Obviously the conditions are tough, but played pretty awful yesterday, and then today, I played slightly better. I wouldn't say I played well. But there must be a little bit of Irish blood in me because I definitely had some luck going. I got fortuitous to make a couple of good par saves and then ironically hit a couple trees and somehow managed to make birdies on a couple holes where I should not have even had a chance of making par.

But, no, it was -- but that's how this golf course is. You need a little bit of luck out there. Conditions are tough. You've definitely got to hit fairways, hit greens, today and it's going to be challenging there.

Q. How does the body hold up when you've played 600 events out here and all the other stuff that goes with it?

RORY SABBATINI: As I told my wife, I said my body's breaking down faster than a Twinkie in a fat kid's hand. (Laughing.)

Q. Was there anything -- I know it's such a quick turnaround, but that you worked on this morning on the range or was it kind of just stay with what you did and hope it worked?

RORY SABBATINI: Yeah. No, as I said to my caddie yesterday, I said, you know, things were close. I wasn't that far off. I could feel it was there. It was just slightly off.

Unfortunately, this is a golf course that when you get slightly off, you put the e-brake on and you definitely handcuff yourself, and you don't commit to swings out here. If you're swinging good and you hit some good quality shots out here, you kind of start to get a little bit more free and you can actually take advantage of this golf course.

But if you're hitting it a little off-line, you start definitely guiding it around the golf course and it makes it more challenging.

Q. Was there any element of the 600 in the cake that allowed you to be a little bit more reflective this week or was it pretty much business as usual?

RORY SABBATINI: Actually, well, no, ironically enough the thing that got the round going today was it just didn't seem I could really make a putt on the front nine for birdie, and then all of a sudden I made the turn, and I made one on No. 1, hit it close on 2. But 3 I made a clutch par save from about 18 feet, and that kind of started the ball rolling. From there, it just seemed like the putter warmed up and made a lot of good putts coming in.

Q. Is it fun to be back in the mix? You're four off the lead, so you'll have a chance going into tomorrow.

RORY SABBATINI: It's been so long since I've played four rounds, I don't know if my legs are going to hold up for the next two days. It's going to be fun. It's going to be enjoyable to be there. I like this golf course. I've always enjoyed coming here.

But, you know, just got to wait and see what the rest of the day holds and then go do some good work on the weekend.

Q. Silver medalist in Japan at the Olympics. Is Paris 2024 on your mind as a target for you?

RORY SABBATINI: Paris 2024 was on my mind for a long time, but after my knee had gone out last year and things, it's kind of become almost like smoke and mirrors. I don't think it's going to happen. I would love it to, but I don't know if it will.