HILTON GRAND VACATIONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 20, 2024

Derek Lowe

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. We are here with Derek Lowe. Great round out there today. You are in solo first right now in the celebrity division. Great day, even though it was a little chilly out there. Tell us about your round.

DEREK LOWE: Yeah, I think everybody in this competition, doesn't matter if you're amateur, pro, you knew it was going to be a tough day. Just put your head down and realize you're probably not going to hit as many good shots as you would like.

Kind of struggled in the middle of the round, but I was able to shoot 1-under on the back, which kind of got me back into it.

I think Annika still has three or four more holes, so she'll be leading. Again, we mentioned yesterday, just be in it, give yourself a chance, and you never know.

Q. What kind got you off the bogey train out there?

DEREK LOWE: Man, I got a nice group of people here. Six people flew up from Toronto. Good group and kept us together. Hey, like bad things are going to happen. It was just a kind of family atmosphere if I can be honest with you.

Just kind of kept going. 12, whatever it is, 13 more holes to go, and just, you know, one shot at a time. I know it's boring, but kind of what we did.

Q. What did you hit in at 18?

DEREK LOWE: 9-iron from 137. I'm telling you, this is -- I'm not going to cry -- so I was able to birdie two days ago and I tapped 49, took my hat off to my best, and he guided me in the hole again. 18 is kind of my thing right now. For him.

Q. Also for Tim, for sure. For you, been in some big moments in your baseball career, but making a putt like that in front of a crowd like that, does that get you going again?

DEREK LOWE: Yeah, I mean, 100%. I think I really try not to put any more emphasis on one putt more than the other. There is nothing like playing in front of people. We all love that. Kind of gives you momentum going into tomorrow.

It was a great way to end the day.

Q. How great is it for these events to scratch the competitive itch?

DEREK LOWE: It's awesome. Very fortunate to have four of them in a year. You meet great people. Rose Zhang today was absolutely phenomenal. Great person, very supportive. Playing with Taylor, awesome guy. These are opportunities that you normally don't get.

We just try to never take it for granted and be appreciative when you get an opportunity to play.

Q. How cool is it to be in the mix with Annika?

DEREK LOWE: Well, time will tell. You don't know what's going to happen. It would be fun. Phenomenal person, her, Mike, Will, great people. Again, time will tell. It would be fun.