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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 11, 2012Harris EnglishPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA ROYCE THOMPSON: We'd like to welcome Harris English to the media center, 67 today in round 2, second place. Why don't you tell us about your round. Any highlights today? HARRIS ENGLISH: I definitely got it going on the front nine today. Made some good birdies, and really just left myself a lot of 15‑footers, which is kind of in my wheelhouse for some birdie putts, and left myself in good spots. I was really controlling my wedges today, which I've been working on the past couple weeks, and it finally came together. Q. There's been a lot of trauma on 1 and 18 for guys. How does one play it in 2‑3? HARRIS ENGLISH: Some good numbers to some targets, and I hit pitching wedge both times. 17, I was trying to carry it 135 and carried it probably 137, and then on 18 I was trying to carry it 136. So it was good numbers and shots I was very comfortable hitting, and it worked out well, put them in good spots to make birdies. Q. Talk about how funny this game works. This time last year you're getting ready for the NCAAs and Brian Harman is playing on the eGolf Tour, and now both of you have made the cut in your first PLAYERS' start, and both of you guys have pretty good chances. Can things come that rapidly, maybe so rapidly that you almost can't get your head around it? HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, I mean, golf can come and go really quickly. I've had times where I've played really well. This past year was my best year of golf I've ever had, and I've had times in college where I couldn't find it. I understand it comes and goes so quickly, and you've just got to be patient. The past couple weeks I haven't played my best golf, but I've played patient and worked on some things, and I kind of kept a level head, and it's come together thus far this week. So I'm very excited that some of my work has paid off. Q. Did you have occasion at all to come across Brian yesterday or this morning and kid about what happened to him yesterday? HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, he actually played right behind us yesterday. He turned and was playing a onesome behind us. We were joking with him. But it was a weird situation he got put in. But he's taking advantage of it and played well today, and he's going to be a force on the weekend. He's an excellent player. Q. When you had a few spotty tournaments, was it difficult to stay patient? HARRIS ENGLISH: It is. I mean, traveling to a new place and playing a couple practice rounds and getting amped up for a tournament and not playing well, it's pretty tough. Missing cuts is not fun, but I've had to learn how to deal with it and just take some positives out of the week when you do miss the cut and come out the next week trying to hit on all cylinders. That's kind of what I've learned this year. In amateur golf there's not that many cuts to be missed, and it's hard to make cuts out here. It's just been a good ride this far, and hopefully I can keep going. Q. Have you trashed a hotel room after missing a cut or anything like that? HARRIS ENGLISH: Nothing like that. Hopefully that's not coming. I haven't gotten real upset. I mean, it's hard to have so many expectations my rookie year out here. Like last year, I was taking exams right now; it beats that, for sure. (Laughter.) I'm just glad to be out here, and got to kind of step back when you do hit a good shot and say, this is the PGA TOUR and this is exactly where I want to be. I've got to enjoy it. Q. You talked about hitting wedges into 17 and 18, and those exact numbers, 137, 136. Is it, for us uninformed hacks, that big a deal to be right on the perfect number with a wedge in your hand? Say if it had been 144, would that have been uncomfortable? HARRIS ENGLISH: It is. I mean, golf is a lot mental, and for me 137 is a really comfortable wedge. I feel like if I hit it really hard, I wasn't going to go over the green. If I did hit it hard, I was going to go over the water. If that carry number was 144, I would have felt like I had to jump on it a little bit. Golf is a crazy game. If you're comfortable hitting shots and comfortable with the numbers, you're probably going to hit good shots. Q. You seem to do well on courses that are tree‑lined. Does that kind of help you in your first time here with so many shots you're forced to hit? HARRIS ENGLISH: I definitely think so. I grew up on tree‑lined golf courses and Bermuda greens, and that's kind of what I've been used to all my life. Like Hilton Head had those and I played really well, my first top 10. I like to work the ball. That's what I like to do, shape shots and really get on some good, fast Bermuda greens. It's fit me well this week, and hopefully I can keep it going. Q. I know you live at Sea Island. How far do you live from Zach and Byrd? And I heard you took J‑Byrd to school on Tuesday in a practice round. HARRIS ENGLISH: I don't live too far away from them. The island is not big at all. I am probably within two miles of those guys. I finally played with J‑Byrd for the first time on Tuesday, and we had a pretty good match going. It was fun. I played with Zach last week at Wells Fargo in a twosome. So it's good to play with those guys. A lot of good guys there on the island to bounce stuff off of, and it's good to have some of those veterans to lean on in practice rounds when you've never seen the golf course, and they'll kind you help you along the way. Q. Who do you live with there? HARRIS ENGLISH: Hudson Swafford and Gator Todd. Hudson won the Nationwide last week. Q. How much did you win? HARRIS ENGLISH: How much did I win? We're going to keep that on the down‑low. Q. If Bubba wins the Masters, Chris won PGA TOUR as a rookie last year, Chris Kirk; you and Hudson have won on the Nationwide Tour, you and Brian‑‑ is there any particular thing in the water at the Georgia Golf Course? Is there any easy explanation for the success that all you guys have had in a short amount of time? HARRIS ENGLISH: Well, I mean, it just goes to show you how good of a job Coach Hack and Coach Douglas have done recruiting. They've done a heck of a job recruiting us into Georgia and kind of breeding us to play on the PGA TOUR. That's kind of what they do. I mean, we didn't win a national championships there, but we were really close every year I played, and it's just an awesome place to be a part of, and Georgia will always be home for me. Q. I apologize if this was asked before. How many times have you played this golf course before this week? HARRIS ENGLISH: I think I've played two tournaments when I was a junior, probably 13 and 14 years old, and then now. So, not a whole lot. I mean, I've watched every year on TV for sure, and Sawgrass is a course that everybody knows hole by hole what it is. Tuesday was the first real practice round I've had here, and I enjoy it. Q. Is it living up to your expectations? HARRIS ENGLISH: Oh, for sure. The fans are awesome. They have it in awesome shape out here. Q. You mentioned veterans a minute ago. What's the best piece of advice you've received this year, from whom and what was it? HARRIS ENGLISH: It might have been on the Nationwide Tour last year. I was eating dinner with Josh Broadway in Midland, Texas, who's played on the Nationwide Tour for many years, and been very, very close to getting his PGA TOUR card. He told me: Golf is a roller coaster. You're going to have downs and ups, and anywhere in between. You've just got to keep a level head and keep doing the things you're doing that got you here and not listen to everybody and anybody. Just keep doing the things you're doing that you know you can do and just keep going. Q. What was your first best cut? HARRIS ENGLISH: Tampa. I had actually won the Southern Amateur there last summer, so I knew the golf course very well, and I just didn't play well. I knew where to hit it, and it just wouldn't go there. It was kind of tough; I think I had made six cuts in a row before then, and it was just tough. I went to Bay Hill and missed the cut the next week. So it was kind of an eye‑opening experience. I had to get back to work and get back on the ground and figure some stuff out. Q. What kind of grade would you give yourself on how you handled those back‑to‑back cuts? HARRIS ENGLISH: I would say a B. I mean, obviously you can't be excited about missing cuts, especially two in a row, and I was lucky enough to get in Bay Hill. So I was very excited and very amped up to play that week, and I just didn't play well. But I worked with my coach and just trying to get stuff to where I do drills and the same stuff every week. I don't get complacent playing golf. I have to always be working on something and always trying to get better. ROYCE THOMPSON: Thank you, Harris. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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