THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 14, 2025

Tommy Fleetwood

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Is this the easiest you've seen this golf course play?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Tough question. No, I don't think so. I don't think it's playing that easy. It's soft, isn't it. That's for sure. I still think the wind makes a huge difference. I think it's going to continue to dry out, so I think definitely this morning we had the absolute best of conditions that you can hope for, and as Sawgrass goes from a scorability standpoint, this morning was for a stretch as good as you're going to get it.

But the wind still picked up. There's still so many demanding golf shots out there. I just think everywhere these days it's -- you just look at the scores sometimes on tough days, on scorable days, players are just like -- the players are so good that they just, that there's always numbers shot out there. Yeah, it was scorable today as Sawgrass goes, but definitely not going to get brash about it, waiting for it to bite me. So I'll just leave it at that.

Q. You looked like you could have been a couple of shots lower.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I mean, I made some -- I putted well today. I think just the difference today was I drove it so much better. I practiced last night. Felt like yesterday, even though there was potential to get a score going, I hit two great shots into 11, couldn't make birdie, and then I had a six-footer on 12 to go 4-under, so I had a round going, but it just turned into a grind for the rest of the round. Then kind of struggled in.

Practiced well today. I just put it in play so often. I felt like I gave myself a lot of iron shots into greens, and when the course is soft, you can make the most of that.

Yeah, I played well. Would have loved to have holed that one on the last like everybody would. You always want more. But yeah, overall just very happy with the day, yeah.

Q. When you look at Rory's consistency for a big length of time, he's just kind of been there, many cuts, what's your impression of that as a fellow player?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I've always said it, I think for me definitely at the moment the amount, the length of time that he's been up there, I feel like Rory is the best of our generation, and I've always felt that, definitely talent-wise, and he's won a lot. I think longevity plays a big part in that as well. I think he's been injury-free for the majority of his career, and he's been one of if not the best player in the world for a very long time.

I think it should never be underestimated how hard that is to do, just continually be there.

Yeah, I have a lot of respect and admiration for Rory's game and his career and how he's managing to just stay well, you know, what is he, world No. 2 at the moment? So he's still world No. 2 at the moment, and, yeah, and he's going to be there for a long time as well, I would guess.

Q. There's a big discrepancy between his scores on the front and back. I don't know if you've got the same thing.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: In which way? Which one is good?

Q. Well he plays well on the front.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Does he? Well I think both -- look both nines have their different requirements, really. I think there's so many demanding golf shots on each nine. I don't think -- I wouldn't look too much into that. He might start off like a rocket tomorrow. But yeah, that's obviously just what it's gone like for him.

But I think, yeah, there's no real let-up on the golf course, I don't think.

Q. Tomorrow gusts of 30. Playing a place like this, how do you balance controlling it in the wind with having to play the --

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, we'll see. Clearly with the wind it's a completely different test. I guess, again, makes controlling your ball off the tee even more important than it normally is and just giving yourself the chance to control your golf ball and trying to be kind of relentless and patient out there and just keep hitting shots really. Yeah, whatever the challenge is, just looking forward to it.