KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 25, 2023

Bob Sowards

Quick Quotes

PGA Frisco

Q. 1-under par 71 for you today. How would you kind of summarize your round?

BOB SOWARDS: I played well. Just made two dumb decisions cost me three shots. I made a game plan and didn't stick to it. Played a little too aggressive, which is not what you want to do. Cost myself a couple shots. But overall I'm happy with how I played.

Q. What do you think your game plan will be heading into tomorrow?

BOB SOWARDS: Play the par-5s with, try to make birdies with wedges instead of going for the greens. I had a game plan, like I said, and 4 and 5 is the only thing that's in play and I brought 6 or 7 into play. So that won't happen again.

Q. Curious what caused you to break your game plan.

BOB SOWARDS: I hit -- it was down wind, I hit, I had 5-wood in to, I don't know what the first par-5 on the back is. 14, 13, 15, something like that. Told KB, I said, I like my 5-wood. And he said, All right. And fanned it over into the junk and made bogey instead of following my game plan. So you live and learn, I guess.

Q. I think the other day Padraig Harrington described this place as a how Gil Hanse likes to tempt you. Do you feel that a lot out here?

BOB SOWARDS: Absolutely. Just like, on 18 the guys hit 5-irons in for their second shot. It's a square peg into a round hole for me off the tee, so I hit 3-iron, 3-iron -- or 3-iron, 6-iron and hit it a little too far so it went through the fairway. But it's just the way I'm going to play the par-5s and try to play as conservative as I can. Because I can hit my wedges close enough to make birdies and it takes big numbers out of play.

Q. As a really good player, how frustrating is that sometimes when you have your plan and it kind of goes off track a little?

BOB SOWARDS: Oh, it was very frustrating. I got pretty angry out there. I told KB, I got to be the dumbest guy on this whole property. Because if you're going to make a game plan you might as well follow it. I chose not to and paid the price. So, oh, well. At least I still shot under par and gives me a chance going forward.

Q. As a guy who had the great run at Southern Hills, you were kind of Michael Block of the senior set there. Did you get to see it Sunday and do you know him pretty well?

BOB SOWARDS: I played quite a bit with him in the National Club Pros. It was great to see. I got to see the back nine on Sunday. I didn't watch any of the prior three days. But, yeah, it was kind of cool reading all the stuff and having a dream week, one of your peers, and it was fun to watch.

Q. What was the ripple affect for you afterward when you hear how you inspire other club pros with a performance like that?

BOB SOWARDS: It's kind of cool, I've been around for a long time, so they don't say that about young guys, they say that about old guys (laughing.)

Q. Players this week, their practice rounds were talking about how tough the course is or can be. Do you think today's scores are a reflection of kind of the mild wind or you guys just being good players?

BOB SOWARDS: Well the golf course is absolutely perfect. The greens cannot be any better. I -- and they're not super severe. So I anticipate a lot of putts being made by everybody. When the greens are this good and the golf course, even though it says 7,200 plus yards on it, it's not playing that long because you're getting some roll. So it's just attribute to the greens crew and how good the golf course is.

Q. What's been built here is a lot more than a couple golf courses. As a PGA member when you come here what are your initial thoughts?

BOB SOWARDS: It was, it's fantastic. I didn't really have any expectations coming here. Then Tuesday we went over and took a tour of the -- they told me not to say headquarters -- but the home of the PGA. And so it's fantastic. John Newkirk, who's in charge of down here, he gave us a tour. He was in our Southern Ohio Section forever and I know him really well and he gave us the whole back story of the place and it's just an unbelievable facility.