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MAYAKOBA GOLF CLASSIC AT RIVIERA MAYA-CANCUN

February 25, 2011

Chris Stroud

RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

NELSON SILVERIO: Welcome, Chris Stroud, to the media center here at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Eight straight birdies, 63, I believe, today. What clicked out there?
CHRIS STROUD: You know, I've actually been playing pretty well. This is my fifth event this year. I played pretty well in California, only made one cut out of four, and that just goes to show you how difficult the PGA TOUR is. You can play well and not make a cut, and that's sort of what was going on with me. I knew if I just hung in there and was patient this week, and everything sort of clicked over nine holes. I made all the putts I've been missing for the last four weeks all came at once.
I got off to kind of a slow start. I actually birdied the first hole, almost chipped it in from like 30 yards, a little tap-in.
And then I made a bogey, hit it in two hazards, one on 6, the par-4, right hazard, and made a great bogey out of the bunker there.
And then I hit another one in the hazard on 8, the par-5, and then I hit it on the green and had a two-putt for par.
Even though I hit two -- and the tee shots weren't that straight today; I really kind of straightened it out in the back nine. I made a great two-putt from like 60 feet on 8 from the front of the green to make par, and I felt like I got a good rhythm there. And then I just started hitting it really, really straight off the tee.
And I hit a great shot on 9, a little wedge to about eight feet and made birdie and then just kept going.
10, I hit it to six feet and made birdie there.
11, par-4, I actually didn't hit a very good wedge to about 15 or 18 feet up and over a ridge and made that.
Hit a 6-iron on 12 right at it, almost went in, lipped out to six feet behind it and made that.
Par-5, 13, driver down the middle, 2-iron just short of the green, chipped it to four feet and made birdie.
13 back right edge of the green, made a 25-footer up the hill.
Par-3, 15, hit it like two feet with an 8-iron and then 16, finished up with a 7-iron; 2-iron, 7-iron about 25 feet and made that.
You know, everybody knows it out here. It's all putting. Most of us hit it pretty well, and a lot of days when you don't hit that well and you putt and chip well, you're still going to make a pretty good score.
But out here, this golf course, you have to have a little bit of both. You really have to have control of your golf ball out here with some side tradewinds and then also the tee shots are so crucial.
NELSON SILVERIO: Speaking of winds, we heard yesterday they were strong but consistent whereas the practice rounds were on and off. How was it this morning?
CHRIS STROUD: A little bit easier this morning. I thought yesterday afternoon it was really howling. We had some shots like on 12 that we were playing 20 yards of wind.
This is just such a great golf course because everybody can play well here; everybody can play bad here. It's just a good test of golf that's very fair. Norman did an awesome job, and I just hope this eventually becomes a regular TOUR event because this is one of my favorites.

Q. Were you aware that your eight consecutive birdies is the second most consecutive birdies ever recorded on the PGA TOUR?
CHRIS STROUD: I was told that. I think Calcavecchia has nine. I was told that when I got done today. I was just trying to stay out of my own way. I wasn't really thinking about it. I really had two good chances on 17 and 18, had about a 25-footer up the hill; and then probably an 18-footer on 18. 17 I left it a little short, and I told myself let's just hit a good putt. I hit a pretty good one but it didn't break.

Q. How do you get on a streak like that where you make eight straight birdies?
CHRIS STROUD: You know, that's a great question. We try as hard as we can as pros to stay level no matter what, mentally level, consistent. You know, if you're playing poorly, just be patient, stay level. If you're playing really well, stay level, because if you do that, if you can maintain your breath, keep breathing in, if you maintain your mental focus and make sure you don't start -- if you start making a lot of birdies in a row, all of a sudden if you're not prepared for it, you can get a little antsy and a little nervous and then you start seeing different things. You start seeing where the hazards are or you're worried about not hitting a good shot.
Trust me, every one of us out here every day fights those battles, especially this week with the tradewinds and the tight fairways. You've really got to stay very patient and very level.

Q. You're playing well. The course conditions seemed to agree with you. Is this a week that you feel you could earn your first win on the PGA TOUR?
CHRIS STROUD: Absolutely. I've had a few -- this is my fifth year on TOUR, and I feel like I've been able to win quite a few. But you can never get ahead of yourself. Tomorrow is another day. I've got to come out and do the same thing tomorrow and look for a consistent routine and stick to my process, and whatever happens at the end of the week is where I end up.
But absolutely, I'm going to do my best to win this tournament. But that's way ahead of us. I've got two big rounds to play, and I just take it one shot at a time.

Q. You hit a lot of good shots today. Is there one in particular that stands out as your best shot today?
CHRIS STROUD: Really actually probably -- I hit quite a few good ones. 10 I hit a really great 6-iron, a little chip 6-iron in a left-to-right wind to like four feet, and then 12 I hit a 6-iron again that lipped out. So I would say those are the two shots. And probably the third really good shot was 15, 8-iron to two feet.

Q. (Inaudible.)
CHRIS STROUD: Great question. Like I told him earlier, this to me is one of my favorite tournaments all year. This is in my top 10 for sure, and I'm really hoping that this golf tournament ends up being a regular TOUR event. You know, I know Norman and the PGA TOUR are going to be working hard to hopefully get that one day.
But CancÃºn, Playa del Carmen, Mayakoba, this is an extraordinarily beautiful place in the Caribbean. I'm from Houston, not too far away, just over the pond, like hour and a half. I wish I could come down here more often; too bad I have to play too much golf. No, it's a wonderful place to be. It's a wonderful place to visit in all realms of life, as a golfer, as a vacationist, as a business person. It's a growing place.
In five years this place has gotten better and better; the golf course, the accommodations, the food and the people are really starting to understand this can really be a big event here, and I really hope the best.
NELSON SILVERIO: Thanks, Chris.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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