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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARDMarch 24, 2011Spencer LevinORLANDO, FLORIDA MARK STEVENS: Like to welcome Spencer Levin, making his first start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. You have four Top 15s in your last five starts on TOUR this year. Do you want to talk about the round, which everybody else seemed to find a little difficult today, but you played quite well; just talk about your round and then we'll take some questions. SPENCER LEVIN: Yeah, I mean, obviously I played well today, 6-under, that was -- I didn't really even think about that on the range, because I know the course is hard, anyway, and then you throw 20-, 30-mile-an-hour wind and make it even more tough. I was just kind of hoping, anything around par, maybe anything just under par would be a good score in the afternoon for sure. It was just a good round. I played pretty solid all day, and then I made some putts that when you have a low round, you kind of make a few of them, and that's what I did. My putting was really good today. It was nice. Q. Some guys sent me a Twitter message and asked me to ask you this: How bad does it blow in Albuquerque, and is that something that you learned how to play in while you were there? I can't imagine in Sacramento or UCLA you had to deal with anything like this. SPENCER LEVIN: In Albuquerque, it blew pretty good. It was consistent. It could blow this hard but usually it was always -- it would do enough to affect your ball. So, yeah, learning to play in Albuquerque at the University Course, that definitely helped me. It's a little different there, though, because the altitude, so the wind doesn't affect it quite as much but yeah that definitely probably helped me playing there for a couple of years with a little different conditions for sure. Q. How big of a factor is the switch to the belly putter last fall? SPENCER LEVIN: You know, I've been playing -- my results have been way better. So obviously I've been making more putts. You kind of don't -- when you're playing, you don't really think about it but looking back, I think I've obviously made more putts with it than I was before, just because I've been playing a lot better and making a lot more money now with it. So obviously it's helped me out significantly I think. Q. He mentioned the four Top 15s, and then today's good round. What's been the key to you, swing changes, whatever? SPENCER LEVIN: Honestly I just try, and, I haven't really been doing anything different really. Last year I had a pretty good year. I just didn't play well on Sundays and I was fortunate enough to finish my year well to keep my card. But physically, swing-wise and all that, I wouldn't say I'm really doing anything different. I still try and keep maintenance on it with my dad, we'll work on little things here and there, but that changes week-to-week. So honestly, I don't know. I've been trying to practice hard and the more I'm out here, the more comfortable I'm getting, slowly but surely. So I think it's probably just a comfort level and then the better putting and then feeling comfortable has gone a long way for me so far. Q. Just wondered if we might call you tournament Top-10 -- ten out of 14 events this year you've played, you've played the last five of 2010; is that a big factor? SPENCER LEVIN: Well, last year, I played in pretty much everything I could get in because I was on the reshuffle deal so you had to play when you did, and I didn't have my card locked up until Vegas, so I basically had to play. So this year, since I've already got that locked up, I might take a week off here and there. I just feel like if I'm playing well, I want to keep playing. And the thing, is too, if I go home and take a week off, I'll sit on the couch for two days and then I get bored and I go play golf anyway. (Laughter) so I might as well take two days off out here and go play in a tournament or something. I enjoy playing; I enjoy travelling. Q. You had the first-round lead at the Honda, and maybe another tournament, what did you learn from those two experiences that maybe you can build onto take it a step farther this week? SPENCER LEVIN: Yeah, I mean, what did Nicklaus say? "You can't win in the first round but you can lose it." That's true. Three more rounds to go. I'm just going to go out there and just try to do what I've been doing. It's easier said than done but just try not to get ahead of myself and try and deal with adversity as well as I can and then try and play well again tomorrow. So honestly, I'll just try and do my same routine, same stuff, and then hopefully I can keep playing well. That's all you can do. Q. Did you learn anything from maybe the Honda or anything like that? SPENCER LEVIN: You know, I don't know. Again, ask me after this tournament, then maybe I will. Like I said, I'll just go out there and do my same routine and try to do my best tomorrow. Q. Wonder if you can just talk about the way you finished off your round with the two good saves on 8 and 9? SPENCER LEVIN: Yeah, that was great. I knew 8 was going to be playing tough with that right-to-left wind, and I kind of pulled my tee shot and then hit it over the green. And then hit a pretty good bunker shot and had about ten feet for par; and it's a tough hole and I made it, which is nice. Then on 9, I hit a bad drive. Actually I had a lot easier bunker shot on 9, but just did not hit it did good, and then made the putt. That was nice. Obviously a lot better mood. Parred the last two when I could have bogeyed, so that was good. Q. Would you have been in a foul mood if you had shot 68 today? SPENCER LEVIN: If I had bogeyed the last two, yeah, probably would have. Probably wouldn't have been in a half hour from now but probably right now I wouldn't be too happy. Q. You mentioned a minute ago about getting comfortable on TOUR. What was uncomfortable about it? SPENCER LEVIN: Well, I just think, I played the mini-tours for a couple years and went from Canada to the Nationwide and then out here, and this my third year out here. Playing mini-tours and stuff, and you come out and you're playing for this much money, and obviously you're not thinking about the money, but it's hard your first year out here when you know a putt is worth X dollars. I'm sure it is for everybody and it was hard for me. It's easier now to not think about that as much, because you get comfortable with the guys you play with, you know what I mean, you get to know everybody, you get used to the venues and you just feel more at ease with everybody around you and I think what I think has helped me a lot. Q. Did you ever have any feelings when you first came out that you didn't belong? SPENCER LEVIN: I think I did think I belonged, but I kind of looked at it -- once I did make it, then you know you belong. So I guess maybe there is some doubt; thinking if you don't get your card -- or, you know, I belong out there, but unless you actually do it, it's hard to get that in your mind. You can tell yourself that all you want, but unless you actually do something, it gives you confidence and realize you can do it. I don't think I ever thought I didn't belong but obviously there were some times when you might doubt yourself; just looking where you are on the Money List. Or this game, it's easy to let this game do that to you, and I'm sure everybody's gone through it. But now, after last year, keeping my card, I felt a little more confident earlier this year for sure. Q. A little housekeeping, two holes, 2 and 6 that you were credited with zero putts, were both of those chip-ins or putts from off the green? SPENCER LEVIN: 2, I chipped in. I hit it right of the pin and went over the green and I was in the rough, and then that was -- saved probably at least one shot, maybe two there. Chipped in there. 6, the par 5, I hit it long right, and I was fortunate. I had a really good lie in the rough and was able to plop it. It was hard to even keep it on the green, went just over the green in the fringe. I probably made a 12-footer from the fringe there for birdie. Q. Chipped in for par on 2? SPENCER LEVIN: For birdie on 2. Q. Sorry, did you say that your dad does a lot of the coaching? SPENCER LEVIN: Yes. Q. Is he pretty much your guy? SPENCER LEVIN: Yeah, he's my only guy. He's taught me since I started playing. Q. What are the pros and cons of having a family member as your swing coach? I can imagine, the way you're wired you must butt heads at times. SPENCER LEVIN: When I was a kid, yeah, for sure; 12, 15, 16, 17, when I kind of first started playing, I was always right. And then I was never right. But now, I mean, I've gone through it so many times with him, I don't argue at all. He always ends up being right anyway about my swing, so I just, you know, I just listen now. Q. What's his background? SPENCER LEVIN: He played the TOUR for two or three years in the early 80s, late 70s and he played in South Africa for a few years, too, when I was a little kid. I don't remember much of it but when I was, you know, maybe mid to late 80s he played South Africa and he's been teaching now for a long time. Q. Any thoughts going to the first tee and looking at the scoreboard and seeing 2 and 3 (under) are leading and the wind is blowing the way it is? Is that a mental thing or physical thing? SPENCER LEVIN: You know, like I was saying, I knew that anything under par would be good. Especially if the morning score low ones are 2- and 3-under. I know the course is hard, anyway, without the wind. So anything under par let alone 6 today was great. Q. So how did you do it? How can you get 6 when everybody else is doing 2 or 3, and you play in the hardest wind? SPENCER LEVIN: You know, like I said earlier, I putted the ball really well today, and I didn't drive it in too much trouble. I think I missed some fairways but not by much and you know kept it out of the water obviously. And was able to make -- I made some nice par putts, and the ones -- the shot I hit close, I took advantage of. I don't know how many putts I had today but it wasn't very many -- yeah, 24 putts, that's probably the lowest I've had in my career maybe. MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot, good luck the rest of the week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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