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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 11, 2012Kevin NaPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA Q. Comments on your round? KEVIN NA: Yeah, I mean, I played great today. I got off to a poor start on the first hole, 3‑over par on that hole for the week. But I bounced back nicely with a couple birdies. I hit a lot of really good iron shots close within ten feet, and I was able to make a lot of putts. Q. Talk about 14 and 16, just to keep things going in the round. KEVIN NA: Yeah, 14 I had a pretty straightforward bunker shot and I hit it, and I put a lot of spin on it and I was able to hit it within about three feet, and it was a great save. And 16 I got way too aggressive. I know I was aimed a little left and pushed it, but my subconscious was thinking pin, maybe 3, but I was very happy to get away with a 5. Q. How do you feel going into the weekend tied for the lead right now? Are you comfortable? KEVIN NA: I feel good. You know, I've won before, so that win last year did a lot for me for confidence‑wise, and being a lot more relaxed out there when I'm in contention. I'm playing very well, rolling it great. I think the key for me is going to be the driver, putting it in the fairway. Q. How hard is it on this golf course to stay in the moment, in the shot, instead of thinking about what happened on 1 or what might happen on 5? Is it more important than other places do you think? KEVIN NA: Well, so many things can happen on every hole out here. There's a lot of birdie holes and there's also a lot of tough holes. You have to stay a shot at a time and stay in the present. Q. What happened to Scott in those four holes? KEVIN NA: Oh, Piercy? Yeah, it was unfortunate. He and I are good friends. We hang out together in Vegas. He just got a bad break on 15. The ball‑‑ he dropped it. He didn't realize there was a root under the‑‑ what do you call that, pine needles. It was just very unfortunate. I was kind of pulling for him. But it's unfortunate. It's at least nice to see George McNeill birdie the last hole to hang in there. Q. What's the impact on you when a competitor, especially a buddy, is going through something like that? KEVIN NA: It was nice to play with him the first two rounds. I was hoping he'd make the cut and play well on the weekend. But he's a great player. He's going to bounce back and have a lot of good tournaments. Q. You'll play late afternoon obviously. Is there anything you can take from today's conditions that will help you again tomorrow? KEVIN NA: Like I said, these greens are really firming up, and you have to drive the ball in the fairway. If it's in the rough, even though you have a decent lie in the rough, you can't put any spin on the ball coming into the green. The guy that's going to find the short grass is going to be the winner. Q. Talk about what happened at 13, just short of the bunker? KEVIN NA: Yes, I hit a poor shot and I had nothing. I was hoping I was in the bunker. If you're in the bunker you can put some spin on it. But downhill lie, buried in the grass, and I was hoping I'd keep something around the hole where it doesn't go over on the left, then you can make 5 in a heartbeat. I was trying to go right laying up to a spot on the fringe where I'd have a chance for a par, and even though I made a bogey there, I wasn't too disappointed. Q. Can you take us back a few years when you were 17 and decided to turn pro? KEVIN NA: That's more than a few years. Q. You're 28 now. What was your thinking then, and how is that panning out? KEVIN NA: Well, I didn't know any better. I was just doing what I thought I needed to do. I just took a lot of good advice from what other people had to say, and like I always tell people, I was fortunate how things worked out well for me. I think if I were to do it over again, I think I'd go to college for a year. Q. Why is that? What do you think you might pick up? KEVIN NA: Well, it's a long story, but Mark O'Meara told me this once. He goes: The PGA TOUR is going to be here forever, and it's going to wait for you. But college is something you do when you turn 18, and it's that time of your lifetime where you get to experience something new with all the guys that are basically going through something that you have no clue what's going to happen, learning how to be on your own. But I skipped that for the TOUR. It's okay. I think I can live. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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