SHRINERS CHILDREN'S OPEN

October 12, 2023

J.T. Poston

TPC Summerlin

Quick Quotes

Q. J.T., 8-under with some wind. Pretty impresive round. How would you characterize it out there today?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, I mean, it was really good. I thought it played pretty tough, pretty breezy around here. We just did a good job of kind of keeping the ball in front of us. They just told me I only hit six fairways. I felt like I hit more than that or drove it better than that, but I think we just did a good job of keeping it in the right spots and not really getting out of play too many times.

Q. This is your first start since BMW. It's a while to take off from playing. Nice to see it going well the first round out?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, we kind of finished the season with seven in a row, so I was running on fumes and needed a little bit of a break.

It was nice to be able to put the sticks away for I think almost three weeks, didn't touch them, which is a long time for us out here.

It was just nice to be able to do that and then kind of slowly get back into it and practice and sort of gear up for this week.

Q. Did you spend a lot of that time kind of relaxing or anything swing-wise you were working on that worked out today?

J.T. POSTON: Not really. I kind of just came out with -- when I first started practicing, not having a whole lot of expectations and kind of knowing that eventually I was going to get it to where I wanted to and just kind of take it slow.

I talked to my coach even earlier in the week. I wasn't hitting it great kind of earlier in the week when we got here, and a couple -- one little thing with my grip that we've worked on before in the past, but just an old habit that can creep in when I take some time off, and it clicked. I felt like I had a lot of control of the golf ball.

Q. You mentioned it to Fred, as well, but new look for you this week. Anything inspire that look?

J.T. POSTON: I mean, Wags is always my mustache inspiration, but no, just something I started having fun with in the off-season, knowing I was going to be in my own home and not out in public too much, and just decided to keep it. We're just having fun with it for now, but I don't know if it's going to be a permanent thing.

Q. Do you know what course you last shot 63 or better at?

J.T. POSTON: Wyndham?

Q. Here in the third round last year.

J.T. POSTON: I did shoot 63 here, didn't I.

Q. What is it about this course that fits your game well?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, I think you have a lot of birdie opportunities, a drivable par-4, par-5s are reachable, a lot of wedges. I feel like if you drive it well and get it in the fairway a bunch, you can really take advantage.

I love the bent greens. I feel like I can putt well out here. Bent greens are what I grew up on, and today was a good example of that. I feel like I definitely putted really well.

Q. As a veteran you've seen it all probably, but what's it like to play your practice rounds in calm perfect conditions and then come out on day one and it's blowing 25, 30 miles an hour?

J.T. POSTON: That's the first time I've ever been called a veteran. I like that, I guess.

You know, we've played enough tournaments out here, you get conditions like that. Sometimes it's the opposite, it's really windy and then it's calm in the tournament. You just kind of have to take it as it comes.

You're looking at the forecast ahead of time and the week and kind of knowing or anticipating it a little bit. That was kind of the case earlier this week. We were playing in a different wind. We knew it was going to blow today, and then was going to be kind of calm the rest of the week.

You're somewhat prepared for it, and luckily having played out here for seven, eight years, I've played here when it's been breezy and kind of know a little bit what to expect.

Q. How is this course different when it is blowing? That's kind of the main defense here.

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, you have to control your golf ball. You have to get the ball in the fairways. If you're driving it a little sideways and get out of position, it can be tough.

With the wind blowing like this, the greens start to firm up a little bit, and there's just enough slope in them and speed in them that it can make it tricky to scramble and get it close to the hole.

Again, you've just got to do a good job of hitting it in the right spots, and you can still shoot a number if you do that.

Q. We've been asking everyone about Lexi being here and what are your thoughts on having her on a PGA TOUR event?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, I mean, I think it's great. I think she's obviously a great player, and I wouldn't be surprised if she comes out and plays well out here.

I know she hits it plenty long. I haven't played with her. I don't really know what her game is like other than I know she's pretty long. Yeah, I'm excited to see how she plays, and I wouldn't be surprised if she plays well.

Q. Any specific holes where you had yardages that were much different because of the wind, playing it way up or way down? Anything stick out?

J.T. POSTON: The first few holes -- we started on the back nine, and it's kind of into off 10, and a lot of times that's a 3-iron, hybrid or maybe a 3-wood and a wedge, and today it was 3-wood and still hit a 9-iron to a front pin. But I'd say that one and maybe 6.

You kind of are still hitting it in the same places; it's just without the wind you might be hitting one less club, and today you're hitting a lot more drivers to those places and still having a lot of the same numbers into the greens. That's how we sort of approached it.

Q. How about 15? Was that a first-round decision to go for it there?

J.T. POSTON: We go for it every time. I'd be surprised if there were -- I don't know that I've ever seen somebody lay it up.

I think it's just one of those holes pretty much everybody can get there, especially with the wind today, down off the right. It's a big enough green and if you miss it even with a pin on the back left, you miss it in the right spots, you're going to have a pretty easy chip. I think most guys will go for it every day.

Q. If you go for it all the time, is that the best shot you've hit there?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, I think so. I've hit some good ones in there. I know I've eagled it another time, hit one in there maybe 15 feet. That might have been the closest I've ever hit it, but it just was a good number to hit that sort of hold driver up against the wind, and it just obviously turned out great, too, which helps.