JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 5, 2024

Jordan Spieth

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

Q. Jordan, you were five back in 2013, five back in 2015, a little farther back now. How do you feel about putting a charge in the weekend?

JORDAN SPIETH: I feel good. Today was better than yesterday. Just try to be better tomorrow than I was today. It was a lot harder conditions today that we had to play in.

It was more than just a couple shots better. Burned a lot of edges. I left a lot of putts short. I missed a couple inside of five feet this week.

I just got to -- in order to make a charge you got to make a lot of putts. I don't have to do anything really differently other than be a little more aggressive.

Q. Is it the green speeds?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I feel like -- yeah, didn't hit a good birdie putt on 18 there. I kind of didn't love the line I was choosing so wasn't very committed.

The rest of them have been really good strokes. Yeah, I think they were a little slower today being in the afternoon, and then also they knew it was going to be windy so you can't have them too fast. That won't be the case tomorrow.

I'm sure early, probably don't have to make much of an adjustment.

Q. I know you don't come to tournaments to make cuts anymore. There are bigger goals out there for you. What's the mentality you do take into tomorrow now that you're back in the pack and chasing?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I mean, there is only stuff to gain at this point tomorrow, so I'll be attacking. Today I got to a place where I felt like I could start attacking by getting some birdies early, and then I just messed up 11 and 12. All of a sudden I was behind the cut line.

So you do think about it. It's something you have to prepare for. I made a really nice -- I left it short on 16 for -- made a really nice putt on 14, just, you know, left it short on 16, and then came back and hit two really nice shots and two nice putts to get a birdie on 17 and have a little leeway.

So, yeah, I mean, tee shot on 18 becomes important. I don't know if it's going to be five or six. You start to feel a little bit like you're in contention.

Unfortunately I've been in that position far too often this year and it's very frustrating and annoying. Once you make it to Saturday it's a freeing feeling. Just being this far behind on a course where it's not coming back to you is a tough place to be, but I'll try and shoot 14-under on the weekend and post a good finish.

I don't think it'll be good enough. I'm not going to try and shoot 20-under because you got in some trouble. Take chances when they come and be aggressive on the greens.

Q. Do you feel like you can still make that move tomorrow?

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, I've done it before. The course is -- it's one of the probably bottom half easier golf courses. It's a great golf course. When it's soft it's one of the easiest ones we play. Yeah, I can make a move, but everyone is going to make a move. So I will try and beat the field average by four or five shots, but that is going to take shooting 8- or 9-under.

So it's not like it's a walk in the park. You still have to hit nice shots. There is some great golf that's been played this week. I think the scores this afternoon are a little bit higher than they were this morning, and so got maybe a little bit against us on that.

But I had my chances. We had yesterday morning with no wind and a chance ball in hand to really take advantage. It's just one of those random tournaments where if you take ten holes off, you need something really special to make it up. And you've got to do it quickly.

I had 18 holes of a couple under yesterday, and unless you're absolutely perfect from there, there is not much of a chance of winning.

That doesn't mean you don't go out and try and shoot 10-under the next day.