THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 15, 2024

Nick Taylor

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Through two days, second to last group it looks like tomorrow. Talk about the quality of golf you're playing.

NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, good. It wasn't as great off the tee today, but kind of missed in the right spots, laid up nicely on the par-5s. My wedges were really good again today. Again, putting solid.

17 at this time of day was brutal, so I was happy to get away with a 3 there. Then played a couple nice shots on 18. Yeah, I was happy with the finish.

Q. Were you expecting that ball on 14 to stay up the way it did?

NICK TAYLOR: I was hoping it would -- I had a shot. Yeah, not a great tee shot there. It was obviously a tough hole today so I was happy to walk away with 5, especially after the tee shot. When I knew I could get a swing on it and get it back in play, 5, I was fine with it.

Q. What makes you nervous around here?

NICK TAYLOR: Everything. It's a very visually intimidating golf course. It doesn't matter honestly how well you're swinging. You've got to really commit to your targets because you can have doubt at times and that's where I think you can have some loose shots. I did a pretty good job today scaling back the clubs where I knew I'd probably swing a little freer, so I've done pretty well with that, so I need to keep doing that.

Q. What didn't you like about 17?

NICK TAYLOR: I just think that greens gets firmer, so downwind today in the conditions when we played it, the bounces were so much different than all the other greens. You kind of know that going into it, but you could see with Rosey when I played with him, a couple okay shots, they landed a little far, but one-bounced into the water when a lot of greens are plugging. You know it, but I took a little too much off my wedge, but I knew I had to land it probably short of that ridge, which, again, I was happy to make 3 there.

Q. Is it just 17 green that's firming up?

NICK TAYLOR: You know, some are firming up a little bit. They've got that color coming, which I feel like at any point they could get firm if they turn the water off. 17 always, I don't know if it's the island green aspect or maybe it sits up a little bit higher, I don't know, but it always is firm at that back part of the green. If you can hit it up top to 20 feet I think that's probably a really good shot. I wasn't there, but I was happy to make 3.

Q. Walk me through the approach on 18.

NICK TAYLOR: I hit a great 5-wood there, so I thought. Obviously just ran through. It was almost better in the pine straw because you can get a little more spin off of that. I had to go kind of left of these branches and cut it around and obviously pulled off a great shot. It was almost easier off of the pine straw because I knew I could curve it a bit more than that first cut. Granted, if I was a yard shorter I probably wouldn't have had the branches in my way. I was happy to get on the green. I had a chance, almost went in, but I was happy with 4.

Q. Does this course feel like it fits you?

NICK TAYLOR: I said at the start of the week, a lot of times here I've had a lot of great rounds. I'm happy I've been able to piece together a couple nice ones. I feel like I'm learning to scale back at times and kind of play to my strength. I think I had to lay up on three of the par-5s today, made birdie on all three of those, so that was a nice bonus, I guess, on those.