U.S. ADAPTIVE OPEN

July 11, 2023

Max Togisala

Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 6)

Quick Quotes

Q. 2-under for Max today. What was working out there for you today? You shot 8-over yesterday and 2-under today. That's a pretty good turnaround.

MAX TOGISALA: Yeah, definitely the putter was feeling hot today, and as usual, fairways and greens. The putter was feeling good today.

Q. This is your first time in the championship?

MAX TOGISALA: This is.

Q. Were there some nerves maybe yesterday that dissipated today?

MAX TOGISALA: Definitely a little nervous yesterday.

Q. How does it feel to be here on property at Pinehurst at a USGA championship?

MAX TOGISALA: It's unbelievable really. A year ago I was just doing therapy, just finished at the hospital, and I heard about this tournament, and a year later I'm here. It's pretty unbelievable.

Q. Being from Utah, are you a Tony Finau guy?

MAX TOGISALA: I am a big Tony Finau guy.

Q. You talked about a year ago, your accident was in early 2022?

MAX TOGISALA: Yep, February.

Q. So a year ago you're getting out of therapy, and did you think you'd be back to golf? What was the timeline like there in terms of getting back to golf?

MAX TOGISALA: We were definitely not quite sure of when I was going to get back to golf, but I wanted to get back right away. I would just chip in my chair and stuff, and we looked up adaptive golf and there was adaptive equipment.

Q. You were a golfer before?

MAX TOGISALA: Yes, I was.

Q. What was your handicap?

MAX TOGISALA: I was a scratch handicapper before.

Q. Obviously you can still get it, right?

MAX TOGISALA: Yep. Try my hardest.

Q. The thing I'm most curious about is the mental fortitude. You seem like a really positive guy. Other people could have been devastated by something like that and never have been on the golf course again. What does it take to come through that?

MAX TOGISALA: After my accident, I kind of realized that I can't take life for granted. We don't get -- we don't know what the future is going to hold for us, so I'm going to live day by day and enjoy it as much as I possibly can.

Q. I read a quote from you, and this quote blew my mind, where you're like, I'm almost grateful it happened; I don't know if I would change it if I could. Talk to me about that.

MAX TOGISALA: Yeah, I wouldn't go back. It's brought so much joy to my life, and I've come closer to many other people, and I've built a better relationship with God and all that stuff.

Q. How does that happen? I know it's not the easiest to explain in two seconds.

MAX TOGISALA: It just takes a lot of faith. You don't have to know a lot about faith. You just have to trust in God because God's knowledge is perfect.