KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2023

Steven Alker

Quick Quotes

PGA Frisco

Q. 3-under today, 8-under overall. How are you feeling about your first three rounds so far?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, just keep a couple of bogeys off the card and I'm hitting the ball pretty good and, yeah, it's just those kind of few bogeys here and there just annoy me. So it's been some cheap ones. But otherwise it's been, I mean pretty pleased with everything. Putting wasn't great the first couple days. Just wasn't getting it in the hole. But, yeah, kind of feel like there's a low one in there somewhere. So coming up.

Q. You talk about a low one you had one last year we just saw Paddy made double at 16. So how, what's this course set up as far as chasing?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, depends what the conditions do tomorrow. If it's kind of calm you can get after it. I don't know. The other way, if it blows a little bit, then if you shoot a low number there's a chance of coming back a bit. So, I don't know, I just, I don't know how many I'm going to be behind at the end of the day. If I'm kind of within six maybe or something, could be a chance still. So, yeah, six is kind of the number where -- seven's kind of a bit iffy, but six is probably doable.

Q. Seems like the last two holes this week have been playing pretty tough. What's the difference between those, 17 and 18 compared to the rest of the course?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, I mean 17's just a kind of tricky wedge in there. Had some tight pins, so it's just trying to get one in there close.

18's gettable. We're just hitting -- I've hit a 4-iron every day. So you can come unstuck obviously if you don't -- like I did today, I just hit one short of the green and made a water ball. But if you get it up there you can make 4 pretty easily. So, yeah, I mean, it's a great finishing hole for the tournament. It's a par-5. Anything can happen. Bogeys, doubles or an eagle. So, yeah, it's going to be interesting on tomorrow, for sure.

Q. Curious, you were obviously here last month we talked to you media day and you played that day under much different conditions. I was wondering what you maybe visualize from that day versus maybe what how it's played out?

STEVEN ALKER: We haven't had the wind this week. Really surprised. Yeah, just now and again it's popped up. But I was kind of expecting a day where we were going to get 15 or 20 miles an hour. Just some wind to keep us honest. So I haven't looked at the weather forecast, but that was the difference. And the golf course is playing different. It's not as soft. Obviously getting some water on it ready for the tournament, but it's dried out a bit, it's running a little bit, the greens are bouncing.

So, yeah, it's a different golf course. I mean, I've actually enjoyed it. It's come leaps and bounds in just a month. They have done a great job.

Q. Seems like today we're seeing some bogeys. You talked about, you certainly are finding birdies and you talked about how hard sometimes it is to keep the bogeys off. Is it just this style of course?

STEVEN ALKER: Yeah, I think it's more kind of around the greens. Like I've just struggled with a little bit of the grain. Like if I miss it, rolling off and then down, you got a tough up-and-down in places with the pins. I think that's the hardest thing. Tee balls for the most part have been in the fairway. So for me it hasn't been a problem. But just around the greens. Those runoffs, you get down into hazards and long grass, it's, you got to work your butt off for a par.