AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 14, 2023

Joe Pavelski

Edgewood Tahoe

Press Conference

Q. 23 points today. Currently in second place. Joe, just kind of talk about coming off the finish last year, do you feel coming into this week there's some unfinished business coming into this week?

JOE PAVELSKI: Yeah, I mean, you get that close, you want to give yourself a chance to get back there. Unfinished business? Obviously you're trying to win this. Haven't done that yet. But definitely could take a little bit of confidence, I think, from that last round. Today started a little shaky. I mean, I'll take that score all day long because it never really settled in. But had a couple of good stretches. The putts were dropping, which was really good to see.

Q. Let's talk about the round a little bit. So 3-over on the front, birdies, bogeys, got a good stretch on the back, was there something that clicked as you were hitting towards the back nine?

JOE PAVELSKI: I started hitting the ball a little closer to the hole. But it was kind of a big thing. I think on the front, this course, it's crazy in the sense the first tee you could definitely feel the nerves at times. Not that I was nervous, but the arms didn't kind of settle in.

It was just scraping it around at times out there. On the back, I started hitting my lines a little bit better as far as the swing. Just tried to really settle in that way, and it definitely was good to see a few.

Anytime you can go make three or four birdies together, it helps out here.

Q. The four birdies on the back nine, does that give you confidence going into tomorrow on kind of how you're hitting the ball out here?

JOE PAVELSKI: Yeah, I think so. This course is interesting where every hole you look at, if you feel like could you have a birdie opportunity with a good drive, and you have a lot of wedges in your hands he have. It's just about getting those chances. The greens are rolling great. They really are. Standing over those putts and a little bit downhill, a lot of them feel downhill. And it's just finding that right speed and letting them die in.

Q. You talked about the greens. The green conditions. Talk a little bit about the course conditions today, just kind of how they are. You've been here a few years, just how it set up for your game today.

JOE PAVELSKI: The conditions are great. They really are. Obviously this is the first time we're seeing a few of those new greens that have been redone.

They still have good speed on them. They're maybe a little softer in some of those areas, but it feels very much like a similar course to what we see as far as, you know, the greens are fast and they can be difficult at times. I made a couple of good short putts, four- or five-footers that had six, seven inches of break, it felt like. And it was good to see and it gives you a little confidence.

Q. Talk about the atmosphere out here and the crowds out here today, talk about that on round one.

JOE PAVELSKI: It's awesome. Friday, you could feel it. Yesterday, there was a good amount of people here. And obviously, we've been through Saturdays and Sundays with big crowds, but it has that feel already.

Q. What are you going to be looking to do tomorrow? What are the things you'll be working on for tomorrow?

JOE PAVELSKI: Trying to settle in a little bit earlier. I love my score. I'll take that score all day long with the way I felt out there. Just trying to settle in. Kind of get moving. I felt like I was pulling the ball a little bit with some of the wedges at times. But it's another day of golf, you wake up, you can feel really good the next day. Just kind of focus on those lines and get back at it.