LIV GOLF MIAMI

April 5, 2024

Bubba Watson

Matt Wolff

Peter Uihlein

Trump National Doral

RangeGoats GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome three of the RangeGoats. We are joined by Bubba Watson, the captain of RangeGoats GC, Matt Wolff and Peter Uihlein. Welcome, guys. You are all playing absolutely incredible. Pete, you shot 5-under today, Matt and Bubba, you guys both shot 4-under, and the RangeGoats are in the lead at 13-under. Tell us a little bit about your day.

BUBBA WATSON: It was a good day. Ball-striking is key around here, and I thought I hit the ball really nicely all day. One three-putt, but other than that, it was a great day, and the whole thing was about getting the ball around the golf course.

Putts we'll figure out later, but getting the ball somewhat in the fairway and somewhere on the green so you can have a chance to score and have a good day.

MATT WOLFF: Yeah, it's definitely a ball striker's course. The greens were fast, and it wasn't easy to make putts, but yeah, getting the ball in play is the biggest thing. A lot of water out there, but I hit it really good, and it felt like I had a lot of control of my ball. Hopefully I can just keep it rolling.

PETER UIHLEIN: Yeah, solid. Played solid, other than one hiccup on 18. Played really well, putted nice, and just kind of felt like I was just kind of plotting my way around there, which was good. Wedged it close a few times and took advantage of holes that I had when I had the opportunity. So it was nice.

Q. With it being such a demanding golf course, do you have a strategy going into the next two days or is it just doing what you did today?

MATT WOLFF: Yeah, I mean, I think it's just kind of the same thing as today. There's not much game plan to this course to be honest. It's a lot of drivers and if you can figure out how to get the ball in the fairway you might have some looks, but off the tee is really important. We did pretty well today and even Thomas came in with an even par round which around this place is no joke. We're all in a good spot, so we're just looking to keep it rolling.

Q. Bubba, we're headed into Masters week and you're at the top of the leaderboard. How are you feeling after this round out here today?

BUBBA WATSON: I feel good. Just got to work on the putting a little bit. Trying on that, grinding on that, but the ball-striking has been there, and now I feel like I'm getting stronger. My leg is getting stronger. I can hit shots that I want to hit. Today I did that. I hit some shots I wanted to hit, trying some shots, and they worked out in my favor. It was a good way to start the week.

Q. Pete, with such a crowded leaderboard at the top, what do you have to do to break away tomorrow?

PETER UIHLEIN: Probably just the same stuff I've been doing. Just take advantage of times that I'm in the fairway with wedges and hole some putts. Just kind of stick to what I do really well, and hopefully just keep capitalizing on opportunities.

Q. Bubba, I know you guys launched Goats Give Back this week, so you guys are donating a goat to a community in need for every team that you beat this week, so you guys are currently --

BUBBA WATSON: Every week.

Q. But starting this week. Right now you have to donate 11 guys?

BUBBA WATSON: 12. Jon Rahm has a team.

Q. Can you tell us about this partnership and what it means to you?

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, Convoy of Hope, great organization. Been around, give or take, 30 years. You're researching what do you want to do and how do you want to impact a community and the world. They give the goats outside the U.S.

For us being the RangeGoats, it made sense. I've done some stuff with them before in the U.S., but now being able to help some people outside the U.S. and around the world, I thought it was cool, and I think these guys enjoyed it, too, because you're talking about nutrition, you're talking about families being able to farm, having goat milk but then being able to farm and giving back. When you have two goats you breed them, then the next community over, they have to bless the over community, other village, so you're giving, but then they're able to give, as well. It's a cool thing that we're part of. Who doesn't want to give away a goat?

Q. As you guys were leaderboard watching this weekend on the team leaderboard, are you going to be thinking about all the goats you're giving away?

BUBBA WATSON: They might not, but I will be. I've got to keep my mind occupied on something else.

Q. Bubba, you've got three seconds here and a third. What is it about this course that you like, and did you come into this week with confidence knowing that you play well here?

BUBBA WATSON: Well, I mean, I think any golfer here has confidence. You've got to trust yourself, and I was playing well. I haven't been able to score. I haven't been making the putts, close to dead last in putting. Ball-striking has always been there. It's always going to be there.

Around this place, you have to just put the ball in play. It doesn't matter if it's in the rough or what. You've just got to put it in play where you have an angle to the green, and I'm able to do that. I was able to do that the last few times I've played around here. I'm just going to try to keep that same thing going and try to out-ball strike everybody.

Q. Is that why you changed your putter this week?

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, I met with a putting guy and he said you won 13 times with this style of putter; why are you not using that one? I said, because I was trying to sell other putters, but no one is buying what I'm using.

Q. Pete and Matt, you guys played well in Vegas, fed off each other. Even though you didn't play in the same group today, can you still feed off each other when you're looking at the leaderboard, knowing that each other is doing well?

PETER UIHLEIN: I feel like every time I caught up to him, he was close to the hole, so I assumed he was hitting it pretty close. I don't know if he was there for birdie or for par, but every time they were close.

Yeah, you can a little bit, but at the same time, this course is so demanding. We had like a 680-yard par-5 into the wind. It was just so long. You couldn't really lose focus and lose sight of what you were trying to do.

MATT WOLFF: Yeah, I think I'm just trying to focus on my game and what I have ahead of me and stuff like that. But no doubt, I look up there and see Bubba and Peter and the RangeGoats up at the top, and I wouldn't say we're feeding off of each other, but I would say when the rest of your team is playing well it kind of motivates you to want to play a little bit better or have that little extra push.

These guys are awesome and great players, and I want them to play well, but there's no doubt I want to beat them, as well. I think there's that motivation, but I'm happy that they played well. I'm happy that we played well. I think at the end of the day we're all trying to just play the game that we can play, and that's going to benefit the team the most, but it's also going to benefit us individually.

Q. Is it any surprise that three of the longest hitters out here are doing well on a course that's 7,700 yards?

MATT WOLFF: It's no surprise, no. Not at all. Is Rahm leading? Who's leading?

Q. Sergio and Talor --

MATT WOLFF: Yeah, longer hitters.

Q. All three of you have been on the podium experience on Sunday. Bubba, do you do any motivational talk during the week, like I want to be on that podium Sunday? Anything to sort of Jack up the team to get you on that podium Sunday night?

BUBBA WATSON: No, you don't have to. You don't have to fire these guys up. First of all, they're trying to win. It's not fun being up there all by yourself, so you want your team there. I think we all have that motivation. I'm kind of speaking for them, but I think we all want to be up there. We want our team to be up there, we want our buddies to be up there, and if you're trying to win the golf tournament and you're playing well, you're going to help the team. I think that's just motivation itself to play well so you can get up there or have a chance to get up there.