BLACK DESERT CHAMPIONSHIP

October 12, 2024

Kevin Streelman

Quick Quotes

Q. 8-under today, highlighted by a great back nine. How would you assess your round today?

KEVIN STREELMAN: Yeah, really patience. I had a great warmup. The putter felt great all week. Didn't get off to the start I wanted to today. I was a little disappointed on what I did on 2 flipping it into the rocks and was fortunate to get out of there with a bogey.

Man, starting on 7 I kind of made a decision. That's a tee shot where you got to keep it very straight. You are rewarded if you can hit a nice drive or a 3-wood, and I just smashed a 3-wood down there and hit a great 5-wood just short, pitched it to six feet, and felt like I was off and running.

To birdie eight or nine the last 12 was pretty -- it was fun. In those states of play you kind of want to keep playing. It's kind of why we do this. It was pure, it was fun, it was easy.

But, yeah, I'll kind of do some recovery and get ready for tomorrow. Get some good rest and try and do it again.

Q. Any birdies stick out in particular from the round today?

KEVIN STREELMAN: I was proud of how I kept pushing towards the end. 16 was a very tricky putt. It kind of almost triple breaked, and I read it spot on. It kind of hung in there at the end and caught the lip.

And then 17 was a really sweet shot. I almost holed this one for a 1.

Two nice shots on 18. Had a very difficult up and down on the last, so really wanted get that up and down. Hit too good of a drive to make par. Was fortunate to make that 12-footer and make dinner taste a little better.

Q. Two-parter. You said yesterday you weren't really feeling it. You turned it around today. Earlier you mentioned almost wish you could keep playing. So how do you keep that momentum going into tomorrow.

KEVIN STREELMAN: Well, it's pretty similar stuff each night. I'll go and get my neck worked on. That's kind of a daily process for me. Jump in the cold plunge and get in the sauna for a little bit and do some stretching. Get my body as healthy as I can and just get a good meal and good night's sleep tonight. Watch a little football and talk to my kids.

Kind of the same thing I do if I would've shot 78 today.

Q. 2014 Travelers you went on a big birdie run to win that tournament.

KEVIN STREELMAN: Yeah.

Q. What's it like when you go on a run like that? Is it something like I hope this doesn't stop?

KEVIN STREELMAN: If you start thinking I hope this doesn't stop is exactly when it stops. It's really being pure and free and just it's a zone where you're just seeing and hitting. It's very quick, decisive, aggressive, not much thought. It's fun.

You just kind of -- I almost try to play faster because the decision is so clear in your mind. You can almost talk yourself out of hitting the proper shot. You're like, no, this is a perfect 5-iron. Like on my last, it was a perfect 5-iron. I flew it three yards too far or it would've been really close.

Just caught a little downslope and went a little too far. But from 240 yards way almost landed it within three yards of my landing spot. When we're in that type of mindset, that that type of athletic, swing is feeling right and rhythm, there is a beauty and purity to that.

It's what we train for. It's excellence, and it's sometimes there and sometimes very far away. It's those moments we train for. It's easy when we're home with our friends and playing for 20 bucks. When trophies are on the line is when you want it to come out.

So just hopefully I can get myself in position to have another shot at that tomorrow.

Q. When you're on one of those runs, is there less conversations with your caddie because you're so free and doing it and being aggressive and quick and you're going?

KEVIN STREELMAN: I would say so. Matt is usually pulling me back, kind of pullings the reins on me, slow down a little bit. It comes to me clearly in those moments.

You also didn't won't to get moving too fast where you're fifty yards ahead of everybody. I kind of was doing that a bit. He does hold me back at times and tries to tell a joke or take a breath.

But I do get fast and you get excited and you want to keep playing. It's kind of the beauty of that game.

Q. Matt McCarty is making a run. Last week he made his first cut on the PGA TOUR while you made your 300th. Being a veteran, how helpful is it to be in these experiences before, in contention?

KEVIN STREELMAN: It's always nerve-wracking. Doesn't matter your age. It's just stepping up, getting ready in the morning and stepping up and hitting that best shot as best you can and see what happens.

I love the course. I love playing this golf course. Yeah, I don't know. It's the swing feels nice. Try and do the same drills. Had a great talk with Jake Thurm, my coach, the other night. We kind of got some things back to basics and doing a simple drill, and going to go do a little more of that right now and get up early and do my putting drills tomorrow.

Like I said, whether it's 63 or 73, it's kind of the same day. But it's just at a point in my career where it's fun to go give it a shot and give it a run with nothing to lose. I truly feel it's not about anything except trying to win.

Hey, see what happens.

Q. Birdied nine of your last 12. What kind of zone were you in today?

KEVIN STREELMAN: That sounds good. I wanted to keep playing. Putter obviously felt pretty good today. Yeah, just one of those days the numbers were about right, the putts were falling, I was seeing the greens nicely.

Really just kind of staying aggressive and having fun. I mentioned it Thursday, I think making that 300th cut kind of freed me up last week a little bit.

I'm not in a great FedEx list. I'm content with what I've done in my career. It's like, let's go out and have some fun and keep swinging at this thing and see what happens.

Q. Wasn't like you made a ton of feet worth of putts today. You must have been around the hole quite a bit.

KEVIN STREELMAN: Yeah, just solid driving, leaving the ball in the correct positions. With the exception of 2. I got a good break to get out of there with bogey, but to be honest, it was my only really bad shot of the day.

Came right back and stayed patient and kept a good attitude. Just absolutely got on fire the last 12 holes.

Q. Based on your first answer, I'm thinking going into this thing tomorrow, right now you're one off the lead, who knows where you're going to end up, but a chance to win a golf tournament for the first time in a while.

KEVIN STREELMAN: Yeah, it's been a while. It's such a course that got to hit one shot at a time. We say that every week, but you can't get ahead of yourself. These lava rocks are so -- you know, it's just the end of the hole if you hit it in there.

You really got to keep it in front of you and take it one shot a time and do fairways and greens. Putter feels great. If I can give myself more looks, give it a run and see what we can do tomorrow.

Q. The last time you won mentally, how are you maybe a little different as you age and try to win a golf tournament again?

KEVIN STREELMAN: That was obviously a special Sunday there in Hartford. Birdieing the last seven was surreal. That was a similar zone of having fun, playing free, and not reading putts too intently. Just see it, hit it, they tend to go in. Sometimes we get in those zones at home. It's nice when it happens on the PGA TOUR. See if we can do it again tomorrow.