SHRINERS CHILDREN'S OPEN

October 13, 2023

J.T. Poston

TPC Summerlin

Quick Quotes

Q. Good playing. You put yourself in a good position going into the weekend. Just an opening comment on the round.

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, it was a little bit easier today I would say with conditions. No wind. After getting off to such a good start, I really wanted to try and kind of get in the lead and extend the lead and shoot a low one, and wasn't quite able to do it.

Just kind of a weird back nine. Hit a couple flagsticks and a couple not-great bogeys. Greens got a little bit bumpy and firm, too. I think the weekend it could get a little firmer and could play a little tougher.

Just didn't quite finish the round off after a good start, but like you said, in a good spot, so can't complain too much.

Q. Are you proud of yourself as one of the only -- I think you and Lanto, the only guys up there in the top 10 that played in the morning wave yesterday?

J.T. POSTON: I mean, yeah. I don't know what the stroke average differential will be, but I bet it's pretty significant, which even though my better round was in the morning when it played the toughest. Again, I was kind of hoping to take advantage of playing so well yesterday, and with the calmer conditions today try and do it again and try and separate a little bit.

But in a good spot. Like I said, can't complain, and a couple back going into the weekend is always good.

Q. 15 was a little different today than yesterday; what happened there with that second shot?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, just a really bad break. I hit a great shot from the tee that we thought was going to be on the green, and it looked like it was within a yard, maybe less, of staying up there. Our decision on the tee, we were kind of in-between 3-wood and driver, and we hit 3-wood thinking, if I hit it great, it gets on the green. If I don't quite catch it or it doesn't get up there, it just rolls down there short of the green, it's a blind pitch but it's pretty easy with a lot of green to work with because the greens got so firm.

So we felt like it was the right play, and then get up there and it rolled down into the rough right in front of a bush, so I had kind of a bush obstructing my backswing and just was hard to get good contact on it and didn't get it up there the first time. It rolled pretty much down to the same spot again and was able to get that one on the green.

But just kind unfortunate to make bogey there after really hitting a pretty good shot and thinking it would be in a good spot from the tee.

Q. Crowded leaderboard, which is common on a Friday; what do you need to do on the weekend to separate from the pack?

J.T. POSTON: Me personally, I need to start hitting a little more fairways, I think. The greens are getting firmer. They've got a little bit of speed to them, so it just makes it that much trickier to get close to the hole and especially if you're not in the fairway.

It's going to be hard to make birdies from the rough.

I think the scores can still be a little low, but I could also see it playing a little tougher on the weekend if it gets firmer. Just solid golf.

Q. Nick Taylor was saying that you don't even look at scoreboards on Saturday at this course. Is that the same with you?

J.T. POSTON: Yeah, you don't really want to get too caught up with it because you can make a lot of birdies out here, and obviously we're only 36 holes in. A lot can happen, and it's going to take some really good golf, and because it's so packed, somebody is going to go out and have a great weekend and pull away probably.

Hopefully that'll be us.