	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE HERITAGE

April 21, 2011

Matt Bettencourt

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Matt Bettencourt after a 6-under par, 65. Just a great start to the tournament. No bogeys on the card, let's just get your comments on the round.
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, it felt good. The golf course is just in immaculate condition, perfect condition. And the conditions were very benign out there today, so there are going to be some low scores. With the humidity up it softens the greens. Anytime that happens, it makes scoring low possible.
JOHN BUSH: I'm guessing you're just happy to be here. Sort of an eventful trip.
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, it's been a pretty eventful week for us. My wife and I were heading down here Monday morning and we were in a car accident. So actually a camper shell fell off the pickup in front of us. And we were coming over a blind curve on Interstate 26. There was nowhere for us to go. There was a big rig to the side of us, so I just plowed into it. Pretty much totaled the vehicle. So it was one of those things, you know. Probably if it wasn't for the safety of BMWs, we would have been in serious trouble.

Q. Was that one of the courtesy BMWs or your own BMW?
MATT BETTENCOURT: It was not a courtesy BMW. It was actually provided by BMW manufacturing. I have a deal with them.

Q. (Inaudible.)
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, there was nowhere for us to go. We came over a rise, and as we started down. There was a camper shell that fell off, blocking the whole lane, all of No. 1. And there was a big rig next to us, so I hit the brakes hard and just smashed right into it.

Q. Was anybody hurt?
MATT BETTENCOURT: No, fortunately we were fine. That's the most important thing. Vehicles are replaceable.

Q. How do you get from the scene of the accident on down here?
MATT BETTENCOURT: Our in-laws don't live too far from there. We were on the road 15 minutes. They came and picked my wife up. I waited around, finished the police report. I got towed back to BMW's manufacturing plant, which is 15 minutes from where we were, and five minutes from our house. Those guys are great. They took the vehicle, filled out the report there, and threw me the keys to another one and there I am, here.

Q. Great sponsors.
MATT BETTENCOURT: They're a great company.

Q. How do you feel about the way you've been playing recently?
MATT BETTENCOURT: How do I feel how I'm playing right now? I've been injured for the last month so I haven't played very much. I tried to play through the pain. I've been battling bursitis. I had that drained Saturday in Houston. I've been taking some time off. It feels good. Honestly I really haven't been practicing or playing a lot. Don't have many expectations right now. Played probably two rounds of golf in the last two and a half weeks. It feels good just to be out here competing and playing.

Q. The guys from South Carolina talk about this being a home course, but nobody from South Carolina has won here. Is is that in the back of your mind of kind of trying to --
MATT BETTENCOURT: It's always great to win in your home state. I think it would be fantastic. This tournament has so much history and tradition. It would just be very special to win this event, yeah. And you do think about it.

Q. You're obviously a California native.
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah.

Q. Do you feel like a South Carolinian now?
MATT BETTENCOURT: My wife is trying to convert me, so, yeah, I would say yes.

Q. What does that entail, eat grits? BBQ?
MATT BETTENCOURT: I haven't learned to eat grits yet.

Q. Put some shrimp and butter.
MATT BETTENCOURT: Shrimp and butter or cheese. There you go.

Q. How did you get to South Carolina, and how long you've been here?
MATT BETTENCOURT: I've been here for, gosh, probably five, six years now. My wife and from Greenville, so we live there. We've been married now for just over two years.

Q. So California wasn't an option? She wasn't going to California?
MATT BETTENCOURT: She wants to stay out here. Her family is out here, so that's probably the best thing.

Q. Let me ask you a Greenville specific question up there: You play a lot at Thornblade?
MATT BETTENCOURT: I play mostly at Thornblade and Musgrove Mill, and it gives me a different look. It's got a lot of elevation change. It's a great golf club. It's great. There's a lot of us who play out of Thornblade.

Q. That's where I was going. That seems to be the professional epicenter, because Lucas has been a member, Charles Warren is up there and the Haases are there. What's that environment like? It's got to be neat, you never have to go looking for a game.
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, it's great. Combine the Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR, there's probably close to a dozen players there. Thornblade is just fantastic to us. It's a great practice facility. They just renovated the course, it's in amazing condition. It would be great for the Nationwide Tour event, for the charity Pro Am.

Q. Bill Haas was talking about when he won at the Bob Hope last year, he was looking forward to going home. Every time somebody wins they put up a big banner on Thornblade --
MATT BETTENCOURT: It's unbelievable. I've been fortunate to have won a few times on the Nationwide Tour and last year on the PGA TOUR, whenever you come home, when you pull into the entrance to the club, the main entrance, there's a huge banner there. "Thornblade Club congratulates you." Everybody just treats you like family there. It's a great environment.

Q. How about just the competitive aspects of being able to say, here's a guy, Lucas Glover who won the U.S. Open in '09 or Jay Haas, who son the Champions Tour, Bill Haas who won two times last year, do you guys get some games going?
MATT BETTENCOURT: Absolutely. Everybody is still trying to beat Jay, though. Jay is unbelievable on that golf course. I've played with him a few times there. He's just unreal.

Q. The injury, is that something you're afraid will recur?
MATT BETTENCOURT: It's something that can recur. I just need to rest it. I continued to play a lot. It's been nice to be home at last few weeks. Not by choice, but getting it taken care of, rested up.
Fortunately there hasn't been any fluid to come back in my elbow, which is a great thing. There is always an option to go see Dr. Andrews if I had to, down the road. They can just clean it up, take the bursa sac out completely. It would be fine. After that it's very short healing process.

Q. What causes that to inflame and do what it did? Is that overwork?
MATT BETTENCOURT: It's just repetition, you know. Just making contact with the ground. Everybody has a bursa sac there. I just started getting fluid and it built up and caused pain for me. Fortunately, it didn't hurt every golf shot. It would hurt four or five times a round. And so I didn't notice. I was protecting it. You can't make a good golf swing when you're trying to protect it.

Q. Full shots, tee shots, what was it?
MATT BETTENCOURT: Tee shots didn't really hurt. It was more iron shots, hitting down on the ball. That's when I tended to notice it.

Q. Were you encouraged about your play prior to that injury?
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, I feel really relaxed. I'm just having a great time. It's nice having an exemption out here for a couple of years. It kind of takes the pressure off you. I'm just really enjoying everything. It's frustrating when you're injured, but I feel like I'm going to take advantage of every moment that I'm healthy and feeling well.

Q. Did you feel on the verge of putting something together before you were injured?
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, I did. I really felt great at the Honda. I played fantastic there. After that I had taken a week off and came out to Tampa and it really started bothering me out there. I didn't hit the ball well. And I tried to go on to Bay Hill and I had to withdraw. Couldn't even play on Friday. I went in to get therapy a few times that week. And they just kind of encouraged me not to play on Friday. I went home for a few days and tried to go to Houston. It's been bothering me. I had to withdraw last week in San Antonio. But fortunately the rest and being off for three weeks has really helped.

Q. When did you make the decision that you would be able to play this week?
MATT BETTENCOURT: I went out on Saturday and played with some buddies back home and I didn't feel any pain. And so I didn't want to push it on Sunday, I didn't play on Sunday. I just kind of rested. And that's kind of when I made the decision that I felt good enough.

Q. You don't feel gun shy about, is this thing going to pop up tomorrow?
MATT BETTENCOURT: No, I played Tuesday, and went out to Berkeley Hall yesterday and played with some buddies and didn't feel anything, and didn't feel anything today. I'll go ice it and take care of it.
JOHN BUSH: Your birdies came in pairs today, 2 and 3.
MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, on No. 2, I made about, gosh, I would say -- I didn't hit a very good drive, I missed that fairway, but made about a 12-footer for birdie there. It was nice to see an early putt fall in.
And then on No. 3 drove it into a divot and I hit it over the green. I had a good shot, and made about a 35-footer from the fringe. It was great to see a longer putt fall. I haven't seen too many long ones fall.
JOHN BUSH: 5 and 6.
MATT BETTENCOURT: No. 5, the par-5? I drove it through the fairway and laid up. Hit a wedge into probably about ten feet and knocked that putt in.
On 6, that's the par-4. What did I do there? 6, I made about a 30-footer for birdie there, as well. It was nice to see two long ones go in on the front nine.
JOHN BUSH: 11 and 12.
MATT BETTENCOURT: No. 11, I hit pretty close into 11. Made about a 10-footer, just a straight putt. Hit a great pitching wedge in there.
And then 12 hit 3-wood off the tee. Hit 8-iron to about three and a half feet and made the putt.

Q. How did the conditions change over the course of your round? And what are you expecting to watch for the guys going out this afternoon?
MATT BETTENCOURT: With the wind being like five to ten miles an hour, I think you're going to see some good scores. With the humidity up, the golf course has softened over the last two days. Tuesday was really firm. And I would think two or three under would be an incredible score. Then the humidity came into play. When that happens it sucks moisture up, so the greens have softened. You really don't notice the wind too much. You get out to the 16, 17 and 18. If you can keep it below the trees, like I said, the greens are perfect, you're going to see 5- or 6-, maybe 7-under this afternoon.

Q. Can we get a report on the caddie job on Tuesday?
MATT BETTENCOURT: My wife did a great job on the Wives Association tournament. It was fantastic. I enjoyed caddying. Got a different perspective out there.
Q. Were you really stretched out on a bunker on a cushion?
MATT BETTENCOURT: They had a hole -- after they finished play, they had lawn chairs and floats and a couple of floatable alligators in the bunker. And you had to go hit a shot out of the bunker, closest to the hole, so I just took advantage and kicked back and laid back.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297