VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2025

Nico Echavarria

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. Great playing today. 7-under total, in the mix for a title tomorrow. What were you able to do today to kind of flip a switch from yesterday and get yourself right back into it?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: I gave myself a lot of looks. I was leaving a couple birdie putts short on front nine. I got the speed right on the back nine. Made a lot of good putts coming in. I think the birdie on 11 was huge for me. Overall very solid round.

Q. Is there anything -- did you know Billy?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: He did play golf with my brother at Florida. So probably knew the last name.

Q. Being able to flip from yesterday to a good round today, what were the keys to giving yourself a good round?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: This course just, a loose swing are, you'll pay and those two double bogeys yesterday, they were just bad swings off the tee. I had good range session after the round. It was pretty late but I hit maybe 30, 40 balls. I'm not going to say I found it, but it felt right, which is always good after a such a bad back nine to feel good when you go to sleep with your game.

Q. Do you normally do that late range session?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: Just an emergency range session, I would call it. I'm working on the same things I've worked on, it's just sometimes on the golf course you just are very focused on hitting the shots and the tendencies come back, so it was good, it was refreshing to get back to the basics.

Q. Is there anything from having won before that you can lean on tomorrow? Do you feel more comfortable in contention as winner?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: Absolutely, yeah. I've been in this position before, we'll see how many back of the lead I'm going to be, but this is a golf course where you don't have to be one off the lead starting to get the leaders. We have seen that it's a hard golf course, you have to drive your ball very well out here. You have to hit the greens. It's tough around the greens. So we're going to have a chance tomorrow having a good round.

Q. Have you tried anything new this week or is there anything you've kind of, that's unique about this week and what you're doing?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: No. Nothing stand out. Just March Madness. I've been watching a lot of sports. That's probably good.

Q. How far do you have Arkansas going -- did you do a bracket?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: I do a bracket and I have them losing against St. John's but I did have them beating Kansas.

Q. Do you think in terms of -- like is this a course you arrive at and you feel like it suits your game, what's kind of your attitude just about this course when you enter the week and how you feel about what your chances might be?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: Well, I missed the two cuts the two years before, but it's one of those courses that not necessarily because you like it or you don't like it you're going to do well, it's just such a tough test it more depends on how your game is. I found some good things this week about my game, I struggled a little last week and two weeks ago, and just kept going doing what worked in the fall and it's been clicking.

Q. Your strokes gained tee to green numbers aren't too great this year, do you feel that you've been struggling overall or do you think it's a little bit of a misnomer?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: Yeah, it hasn't been great the last few weeks, but for example at Sony I drove it amazing. So it's one of those things that these golf courses that we play in Florida and in bad weather at Pebble and Torrey's tough and it's hard to drive the ball. Maybe that's why.

Q. What would you say motivates you just in general at this kind of, at this stage in your career?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: Just winning. Winning again and being in contention. That's probably what motivates me.

Q. How special was it to birdie all three par-3s on the back nine and which one of those stood out to you the most?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: All of them. But I think 17 was probably playing the hardest. It was 208 with a cross wind, it's a small landing area, I hit it pin high and made a great putt, so probably 17 was the best one.

Q. What do you do now to prepare for tomorrow?

NICO ECHAVARRIA: I'm going to go watch some basketball, maybe hit a few balls later today. I'm pretty hungry. I didn't have a great lunch. So starving and watch college sports.