LIV GOLF HOUSTON

June 6, 2024

Joaquin Niemann

Carlos Ortiz

Mito Pereira

Sebastian Munoz

Golf Club of Houston

Torque GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome Torque GC. We are joined by Carlos Ortiz, our captain Joaquin Niemann, Sebastian Muñoz and Mito Pereira. We are making our first ever appearance in Texas as a league, and a couple of you are Texas boys. Seb and Carlos, does this feel like a home game for you this week?

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Yeah, definitely. It's not a lot of times you can drive to events, and we're kind of used to the heat. We're kind of used to the people, the food. It's very comfortable for me at least. I think Carlos, as well. We've been in Texas, Carlos since probably '09, I've been since '11. Been some years.

Q. Carlos, are you excited to be playing in front of a home crowd this week?

CARLOS ORTIZ: Yes. Yes. We really like Texas. I actually really like Houston. My first PGA TOUR tournament, I won it here. I don't know, playing here, it feels at home for us. I'm really happy that we have tournaments in Texas now. We have two now.

Q. You won the Houston Open in 2020. Does that give you any extra confidence heading into this week?

CARLOS ORTIZ: Yeah, you can say that, yes. I like Houston.

Q. We are heading into the second half of the LIV Golf season. Torque is the only team to have finished sixth or better in the first seven events of the season. Mito, can you reflect a little bit on the season so far both for Team Torque and for yourself?

MITO PEREIRA: I think it has been good but not great. I think we have more -- we showed it last year, and I think we're really aiming for that first spot more than the top 6. But we're building. I think every week we're trying to give our best and trying to be the best version that we can be.

Q. Joaquín, you are still leading the individual championship after winning twice this season. Do you feel like you have the same momentum heading into the second part of the season as you did in the beginning?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, I think so. I feel like the season in golf is pretty long. LIV is a little shorter, but still pretty intense, especially now that we've got the second half and we've got a lot of tournaments in a row.

Yeah, I think it's been a big message for me, knowing that it's already half of the season and you are kind of feeling tired a little bit, but then you've got to keep pushing yourself and keep doing what you started doing and keep that motivation up.

I feel like we are just starting, and I think we're going to have like a fresh start for us on this half of the season.

Q. Joaco, we did a little event together earlier this week and I asked you what was your dream foursome and it was the sweetest answer. You said your dream foursome was to play with these guys. I just want to ask you guys, what does that mean to you and what does at that say about Torque as a team?

CARLOS ORTIZ: All jokes aside, if they asked us yesterday, what did you guys do, I went and played golf with my buddies. That's what we do every week. Then the weekend sometimes we don't play with buddies, but it's okay.

Q. Seb, what do you think that says about Torque as a team if your captain says that his dream foursome is to play with you guys?

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Well, it's special. It's a great compliment. There's plenty of people out there, so for him to pick us, the guys that he sees every week in and out, it's special.

Just as he said, we had fun yesterday. We played a little match, and we always kind of keep it light, keep it fun, and trying to build and put ourselves in a position and a mindset that we can perform week in and week out.

Q. Mito?

MITO PEREIRA: I guess he's living his dream every week, huh?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Mito paid me.

MITO PEREIRA: No, I think us four are really close and we really enjoy playing with each other on the course and off the course. It's obviously really nice to have a team like this.

Q. I just wanted to ask you about the seedings. Obviously we changed the format a little bit. There's only the top 3 seeds that get the first-round bye this year. Obviously you guys played really well last year. How much are you looking at those top 3 seeds? How important is it to get one of those during the next stretch? You're fourth right now, I think.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: I feel it's going to be hard to miss those three spots. We are four players who are some of the best in the world, and we're trying to prove every day, so I think the chances of us being in those top 3 are big. We just need to let things happen, and yeah, start seeing those wins as a team.

Q. Seb, how close are you guys, do you think, to the form that you showed last year? Do you feel like you're pretty close?

SEBASTIAN MUÑOZ: Yeah, I feel like we're trending. Definitely this year has been a little bit different. Joaquín started with a banger, and we're trying to keep up at the beginning of the year. I felt like slowly but surely we're finding our form. We're getting closer for that first team win of the year, which is something that we definitely have in our objectives of this year.

So yeah, I do feel like we have a talented team, and it's just setting the pieces together. We haven't had the wins, but we have, as you said, a lot of good finishes, and it's just waiting for that week that we can all kind of put it together and start rolling.

Q. Mito, how important is it to get that first-round bye? Is it super important? Is it kind of important? How do you put it in perspective?

MITO PEREIRA: I feel last year it was important to skip one day -- obviously the goal is to be in the top 3, but our goal is to win. To skip one day is good, and you have a little bit more security. But we're trying to play the best every week, and we're probably going to get in the top 3 if we do that.

Q. I wanted to ask you two about the Olympics because the final rankings come up in 12 days. Right now both Carlos and Joaquín, you're inside the rankings. How much are you thinking about that? Are you looking at the rankings? Are you excited about the possibility of playing in the Olympics?

CARLOS ORTIZ: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. I really liked playing in the last Olympics, and I think it's going to be really fun. It's also nice that we're playing just a week before right beside it.

We're definitely looking forward to it, and it's always really nice when you can represent your country.

Q. How much are you aware of where you sit? Is it pretty sure that you're going to get in?

CARLOS ORTIZ: Nothing is sure in this life, but yes, I think that's pretty much a done deal.

Q. Joaco, just about the Olympics?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: Yeah, obviously I enjoyed a lot being in Japan the last Olympics and being able to be in another Olympics representing my country and not having covered in the way that we would have more people watching will be I think more special. Yeah, I'm excited to be there in Paris and represent my country.

Q. Have you ever played in Paris before?

JOAQUIN NIEMANN: That course? If I've played that course before? No, never.