VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2024

Chandler Phillips

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you assess your second round?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: It was a grind. Really windy. This course is not easy with no wind, and you put the wind that we had, I would say probably the first two thirds of the day, you you're just going to have to make some good par saves. I guess I did that. I'm not going to say it was perfect, but it was a fun day. It's really fun to make a lot of putts, at least the ones that I made. Hopefully I can just hit it a little bit better and if play as well as I did, I feel pretty good.

Q. What was your best par save? What are you most proud of?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: I had so many. Which one? 10 -- I've done it two days in a row. I've probably made about 50 foot of putts on 10 the past two days for par. But other than that, really and truly, I can't even -- I'm laid back, and I don't really think about my round too much. It's kind of hard to think back. I would really have to sit down and really think back. I just kind of go hole by hole and shot by shot, I don't really try to think about the past too much.

Q. Where did you pick up your birdies? I'm just asking you to do the same thing.

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: No. Birdied 1. Birdied, what was that, the first par-3. 4. Birdied 4. Then I eagled 14. That's it.

Q. What did you hit in for your second?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: I had 280 and I think it was like 255 front, pin's all the way back, and wind was behind me and I just hit a 5-wood as hard as I could and I smoked it and it landed probably 260 and rolled out. I probably had like 30, 35 feet up the hill. Made it. You know, a little bonus one, you know.

Q. How would you say your season's gone so far, how would you assess it?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: It's gone good. I mean, I feel like it could be better.

Q. Is this your rookie year?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: It is, yeah. The main problem for me has been the putter. I went through 10 this week practicing and trying to figure out exactly which one was the right one. And I think I found it. Also, the driver. The driver hasn't been great for me, which it's not the driver and it's not the putter, it's just how I see it.

Q. Did you go through only one driver this week?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: Yeah, no, I went home. I had last week off, missed getting into THE PLAYERS by three spots. I went home just started trying stuff. Went back to my old trusty shaft. It's, honestly, a joke what it is. It's just a stock Ping shaft. It's 55 gram stiff. It's not tipped. It's a joke. I don't know how it works, but...

Q. When did you first use that were you still in college?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: No, no, I actually, I used it all of last year, except for about the last third. I've been playing it before that probably a year and a half. I just kind of stumbled upon it. I was actually just jacking around on the range one day, and it's so embarrassing, but one of the girls on the golf team -- and I still practice at A & M -- and one of the girls on the golf team, her bag was out there, we were just hanging out, you know, whatever, and I grabbed her driver and I hit it and I was like, No, that's a fluke. And I teed up like five more and I hit 'em the exact same. And I ordered it, and I think I played the shaft for two and a half years. Then I think I did a little premature getting it out of the bag, because I was kind of hitting everything bad, and I think it was more me, not the shaft. This is the first week back in it, and I'm hitting it really good. So I'm feeling good with it, at least.

Q. Which putter did you settle on?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: It's the Monday, I think. I think is what it's called. It's got a softer face in it. I like soft face in the putter, just so I can feel like I can accelerate through it and I don't decel on it. It's just got one big line on top and I line it up well. I don't know. Honestly, I don't care what I putt with, as long as it goes in the hole, I'll putt with it, you know.

Q. You've had a couple of top 25s this year AmEx and Mexico. What did you feel like you did differently at those events to excel in them as opposed to the other events that you played?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: Yeah, you know, Am Ex, the first two days I didn't putt very well. And then I kind of figured something out. The next two days I just, I hooped. Like, I made everything. But I was so far back that top 25 was the best I could do. I shot 9-under the third round at Am Ex to make the cut on the number, so kind of behind the eight ball there.

Then Mexico, Mexico, I hit it really good, and I putted -- it's kind of hard to say if I putted well, because I missed a lot of putts that I felt like I should make, like the shorter ones, but I also made some long ones. I looked at -- I'm not a big stats guy, but I looked at it after the tournament was over and I was like second in birdies that week. I had, I don't know, I think I had like eight 3-putts. It was just stuff like that. But those weeks I hit it well, kind of like I am right now, I'm hitting it very well, and it's just kind of all depending upon the putter.

Q. You won on the Korn Ferry Tour I think it was the first event of the '23 season. Do you ever sit back in moments and go, like, what did I do, what did I do well or what did I do differently to put yourself in that position then and try and recreate that?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: Yeah, I mean, really and truly, I just try to go about every round the same. Just kind of laid back, not do anything dumb, just kind of go with the flow. Once I start trying to do too much in anything, like thinking about it too much, it goes south for me. So I just kind of sit back, enjoy it, and wherever I end up, I end up.

Q. Are you going to use that approach tomorrow, being around the lead?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: No, man, I'm not changing nothing. I promise you, if I start thinking about it, I'm done. Like, I'm not going to be near the lead.

Q. Where did you play your golf growing up? Are you born and raised in Huntsville?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: Yeah, I grew up in Huntsville. Yeah, it's now called the Bearkat Club, but it was called Ravens Nest, right off of Highway 45. 45 goes straight through my hometown. And, yeah, I used to go out there all the time. My dad would actually drop me off at about 8 in the morning. He would go to work, he owned his own business, so he could kind of get away any time he needed to if I needed to leave, but I wouldn't call until --

Q. You never needed to leave.

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: I wouldn't call him until about 6 in the afternoon, 7 in the afternoon he would come pick me up. It was just, go play all day, go hit balls all day, go putt all day. I just stayed out there. It was pretty much my home.

Q. Is Whispering Pines close to you?

CHANDLER PHILLIPS: Yeah, I actually, during high school, I used to go out there and caddie on the weekends. Had to make some money, my dad was stingy with it.