COGNIZANT CLASSIC

February 29, 2024

Jake Knapp

PGA National Champion Course

Quick Quotes

Q. What was it like playing with Rory today?

JAKE KNAPP: Not nearly as nerve-racking as I thought it was going to be, to be honest. I met him this morning in dining and had some casual conversation, and he's a super, super nice guy. So is Chris. It was just a good easy morning.

Q. How did the course play today with no wind?

JAKE KNAPP: Yeah, probably as easy as it'll play all week, if I had to guess. Yeah, it was playing very easy for the first probably 12, 13, 14 holes. Really didn't get any wind until we were on I think it was like 4, and even then it wasn't too much. Very gettable on that back side for sure.

Q. We know the Bear Trap can be pretty difficult, but the stretch of 5, 6, 7 can also be difficult. Can you speak to how you played that today?

JAKE KNAPP: Yeah, I didn't play it very well personally, but 5, kind of made one poor swing of the day unfortunately, and then 6 is a tough hole. I'm not going to lie, I don't really even try to mess with that fairway for the most part. Both the guys I'm playing with draw the ball, and I hit fades off the tee, so they aim down the right side and draw it, I aim down the right side and cut it. I was able to make a good 4 and at least give myself a chance at 3.

Q. Watching Rory up close, what stood out in his game, his demeanor, just his presence?

JAKE KNAPP: Yeah, just overall, like I don't think he necessarily hit it his best today in terms of what he expected. He didn't hit a great shot into No. 1 and a couple others, but his short game is obviously great. You don't get to be one of the best players in the world without a well-rounded game.

Just everything. Obviously he's a great driver of the golf ball. He rolls it well. He does everything very, very good and just keeps it all really tight.

Q. When you were a young golf enthusiast, were you a Rory guy, Tiger guy, Phil?

JAKE KNAPP: I was Tiger for sure and then I was actually a big Luke Donald fan, big Dustin Johnson fan, so those were kind of the three guys that I looked up to. Then obviously over the last few years, a lot of people have tried to emulate Rory and just all the things he does on and off the course.

Q. What was it about Luke Donald that you liked?

JAKE KNAPP: Like growing up I was super undersized as a kid, and I didn't grow until like my junior year in high school. At the time he was around World No. 1 and just an insanely good short game, really good at putting, so I tried to take after his game and focus on those two things, and then as I started to hit it farther, started to transition more into the DJ category.

Q. You and Rory talked a lot while you were playing; what kind of things did you guys talk about?

JAKE KNAPP: A lot of normal stuff. Just as most guys know out here, just talking about what you do in your off weeks or how often you go home and how is the family and all that kind of stuff. I tried to pick his brain about a few things for the next few weeks, and hopefully the rest of my career, and he was really generous on giving very thoughtful answers, and we just had great conversation all day.