KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2023

Adilson Da Silva

Quick Quotes

PGA Frisco

Q. 6-under after two days, are you pleased with your start here?

ADILSON da SILVA: Absolutely. The course is like I saw today, it just means one shot here and one shot there and the course just grabs you really quickly, you don't know what hit you. Also with the wind up there it was quite tricky to get right club. I found that it was, yeah, it was quite a test. I was really happy with the score that I had today.

Q. What were a couple highlights maybe in that three-birdie run starting on 14?

ADILSON da SILVA: Yeah, that kept me going so well. Didn't start really good. I was 1-over after three holes. Started number 10. I dropped -- again because I missed my drive and I was, that short cut is, the ball settles in and it's so hard to get out of there. And then by the green also, unfortunately, I got also into the little grass so I could hardly see the ball and the down slope and the green is up there. So as I said the course gets you so quickly, so if you are out of position I think it's such a hard thing to come into this greens. Then I managed to get a birdie on 14 and 15. That's sort of steadied up the boat a little bit. Then 17 I had such a good shot in it.

Q. What did you hit there?

ADILSON da SILVA: I hit a gap wedge. Then I think on the back nine I lost my concentration a bit there. I dropped two shots, 5 and 6 I think it was. Again, just mishit, misclubbed. I was quite short on the green. I 3-putted. Then again I was short the next hole. So it's hard to get the wind right today, I felt. It can be very difficult up-and-down.

Q. What is your sense of what will happen to the scores this weekend? Do you feel like the course is getting a little tougher as the week goes on or do you think there's still a chance to go low for some of these guys, including you, of course?

ADILSON da SILVA: No, I think so. I think the birdies are still out there. I said if you just drive it and if you keep it in play on the fairways you have a lot of chances. The greens have been so good as well. It's almost like putting on a snooker table. Those things if you get it on the line it's just going to go in. So, but, yeah, at the same time you got to hit the ball quite solid to be able to score.

Q. What got you going in golf? I know you're from Brazil originally, but did you start learning the game elsewhere?

ADILSON da SILVA: I was very fortunate on the beginning to actually have a chance to move from Brazil to Zimbabwe. I met a gentleman there who was buying tobacco in my hometown in Brazil and we, I started as a caddie. I was, after the school we used to go and caddie and look for golf balls and whatever. And I met a gentleman called Andy Edmondson and became good friends. And after a year or two he invited me to go to Zimbabwe and that's when golf started. So I was really fortunate to get a break. Brazil those days golf was a very closed society. My parents weren't able to afford it. So I was really fortunate to start the golf.

Q. Who are your idols as you started in the game there?

ADILSON da SILVA: Seve was there. Jack Nicklaus I think is, you know, it shows the man, he's such a gentleman. You never see him bragging about what he done and what he's not. I think he's such an amazing person in and out of the golf course. So he's always been my idol. Yeah, his mannerisms are just great.

Q. Have you always dreamed of playing here?

ADILSON da SILVA: Absolutely. Absolutely. I had a chance to come and I never did and it was a big mistake. So, but I may come back to the TOUR school at the end of the year for the PGA TOUR Champions. So all depends.

Q. Maybe the Q-School, do you think?

ADILSON da SILVA: Absolutely.

Q. I guess Nick Price was, is not that much older than you. But do you remember him?

ADILSON da SILVA: Absolutely. I actually -- in fact I had my first golf lesson with his brother, Tim Price, in Harare, because he was based at the club that I become a member there. So my first lesson was with Tim Price. And I did get to play with Nick, another gentleman, super guy. Amazing player. So, yeah, I was very fortunate to meet him.

Q. So you two are the most famous golfers from Zimbabwe?

ADILSON da SILVA: Well, I don't know about the two of us. But Nick was, he's such an idol there and so, and everybody loves him and, yeah, he achieved a lot. Obviously he put Zimbabwe on the map. A couple of the guys they don't good from there. Tony Johnston and other guys as well. But Nick I think was the biggest star.

Q. Where does this week rank for when it comes to your career, obviously it's your first time state side so just halfway through the tournament how do you feel?

ADILSON da SILVA: I'm feeling good. I need to go work on my driver. I missed a couple of drives today. I don't miss many drives normally. So also on this stage I was thinking about it here and that's not the way. So I just need to work on my driver a bit. My putting feels good. I holed quite a good number of putts. Yeah, it means a lot to me to do well here. Absolutely.

Q. What do you list as your biggest victory? You won a bunch, what would be the biggest victory for you?

ADILSON da SILVA: This one would be the biggest victory by far. Absolutely.

Q. As far as ones you've won. What do you consider the biggest?

ADILSON da SILVA: Oh, okay. Look, I won last week in Austria. That was the Legends Tour event. It means a lot to me. The year before I won in Formby, the PGA. So that means a lot to me because changing from a Regular Tour, because I used to play in Asia and South Africa to the Senior Tour, that meant a lot to me because a win obviously gave me the exemption and also to be able to play on the TOUR that I'm going towards, it was such a big deal. So Formby last year, the PGA, was one of definitely the highlights. Also to win in Asia a couple years ago meant a lot to me.