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JOHN DEERE CLASSICJuly 11, 2013Matt BettencourtSILVIS, ILLINOIS JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Matt Bettencourt in today after a 6‑under par round, and maybe we'll talk a little bit about the round and then give us your thoughts of the golf course today and how you played, and then we'll chat about some other things. MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah. You know, the golf course was the best condition I've ever seen it here. It's always in great condition, but because of the humidity and the weather it seems to be a little soft. It's nice and firm. It's great through the fairways, bouncing in the greens. They're receptive but they're still firm, and I think they're only going to get firmer as the week goes with the low humidity. So kudos to the grounds crew here; it's just in amazing condition. As far as the round goes today, it was great to get out and obviously get in the tournament as an alternate and go out there and hit some great iron shots and make some putts. I'm very familiar with the course. I've played here five times, five or six times. I love this course. I'm just happy to be here. JOE CHEMYCZ: Can you chat a little bit about being the last man in the field and how that all came about? MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, actually I called the head official here, the advance official this week, Tony Wall, on Tuesday night, and he had said there was only a couple players that hadn't registered but he knew they were coming on Wednesday to register, so chances I was getting in were probably pretty slim. I called one of the trainers and they had said there was really nobody injured; you probably want to prepare to play the Web.com event. My caddie and I left home in Greenville about 4:30 in the morning to get on a 5:30 flight to Atlanta and then connect to go to Salt Lake City, and as we were just pushing back, my phone actually rang, didn't even realize it was on. It was the TOUR office and they were telling me I was in the event. But at that point we couldn't turn around. I mean, couldn't get off the plane. Flew to Salt Lake City yesterday, and fortunately my clubs and clothes, everything made it there, got it in baggage claim and went to a couple different airlines trying to find a flight into here and there was nothing into Moline. So flew into Chicago last night, picked up a car, made it to the hotel about 11:15, a couple hours of sleep out here. Just happy to be here. And everything made it. Q. Which city were you on when you got the call? MATT BETTENCOURT: I was in Atlanta. We were pushing back to go to Salt Lake City, so there was nothing I could do. So now you're flying four hours and knowing when you get there you're going to hopefully your bags show up so you can actually get on a flight to make it back to Chicago. Everything was there, which was great. Went to the ticket counter and got a ticket, and we flew here and drove. Q. With no practice, you shot 6‑under. Is this going to be yourregular ‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: No, that would be great. I think I'll stick to preparing a little bit better. Fortunately I know the golf course, pretty much know the setup, been here enough times. I love the area and I love this golf course. It's a lot of fun, so I was really excited the entire flight to Chicago and kind of adrenaline I guess this morning. It'll probably hit me this afternoon. I'll probably take a nice nap. Q. (Inaudible.) MATT BETTENCOURT: No, fortunately I've been in pretty much every event the last few years. Unfortunately I played so bad last year it's been sort of borderline this year. And I have been alternate going into a week and I've gotten a call Monday saying I was in, so I was able to get to the course on Monday or Tuesday. But this was definitely a last‑minute adventure. But it was well worth it. Q. Did you ever consider just playing the Web.com‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: Well, no, I never considered it. I was going to do everything I could to get here. If that wasn't available then I was going to play the Web.com event. But fortunately we were able to find flights to get into Chicago last night at 7:45 or so and then get a vehicle and drive over. Q. Does it almost help in a way to have so little time maybe not to worry so much about the week, to just go‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: It probably does for some guys. For me, like I say, I know all the courses out here. So no. I mean, it's just going out and taking care of business, hitting good‑quality shots. It would have been nice to see, know how the greens were recepting (sic) and the fairways. But after a few holes you can figure it out. The course is so consistent. It really wasn't that big of a challenge. Q. Did you not turn your cell phone off when you were pushing back? MATT BETTENCOURT: You know, ironically I normally do, and to make it worse, actually the ring tone was on. Yeah, I was probably tired from earlier, and it was in my pocket. I guess I broke a rule. Probably not the first guy to do that. Q. So you answered the phone then? MATT BETTENCOURT: I did, yeah, and it was strange because the flight attendant‑‑ where I was sitting, there was a flight attendant maybe five or six feet from me, and he came over and was like, whoa, what are you doing. And then it was just a real quick call. We hung up, and I was kind of talking to him, and he'd played a lot of golf, and he's like, that's really cool; to be honest with you, our captains and stuff, they keep them on all the time. He was a good guy. No, it was great. It was pretty neat. Q. If you would have stayed on the phone maybe they would have put you off the flight. MATT BETTENCOURT: No, we literally, they had just hooked up the little deal to push us back. Yeah. Q. So how does that change the mental, like you start mentally preparing for this tournament then? MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, I was excited. My caddie actually had never been here before, and so a good friend of mine from back home has been caddying for me this entire year, so these are new cities to him, as well. So I kind of went over with him the golf course and the setup, how everything would be, so there were no surprises. The only surprise I would say was to see pleasantly how firm the course was. It was amazing. It's only going to get firmer, so I think you'll see a different golf course than you have in years past. Q. The way he told the story was you could have gotten off the plane, but if you had you don't know if your clubs would have followed. MATT BETTENCOURT: Well, I knew my clubs were on the flight, yeah. At this point there really wasn't any way for us to get off the plane. The doors were shut. I guess unless you're a CEO or it's an emergency, but it really wasn't an emergency. It is what it is. I figured, look, I'm either going to play the Web.com event or if I can make it back here, great, I'll play in the Deere, I was really excited and really pumped up, I guess the first place when I got to Salt Lake City and my clubs arrived, so that was a really great thing. I went and we got flights, checked in and was really excited the whole flight back here. Obviously when everything shows up in Chicago, the rest is easy. Q. You drove over? MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, we drove over, yeah. It's a pretty easy drive. Yeah, last night. Q. How tough was it to find a flight? MATT BETTENCOURT: Well, obviously with United Airlines having a hub here, and Salt Lake City being a fairly major city, it was pretty easy. There was four or five flights, it was just getting on the first available flight. So there was no issues getting into Chicago. Q. Was there any kind of wait there at the airport? MATT BETTENCOURT: In Salt Lake City? Q. Yeah. MATT BETTENCOURT: We had a couple‑hour wait, so got a little lunch and relaxed. Just very simple. Could not have gone any smoother. It was amazing. Q. Does the firmness of the golf course change the strategy of how you play? MATT BETTENCOURT: Off the tee for sure. You have to take a couple of different lines, maybe some different clubs. Towards the end of the round I hit some 3‑woods off the tee where I normally hit driver, and I even hit a 5‑wood off the first tee today, which was my 10th hole, because the ball is bouncing and rolling, so it's awesome to see. Q. (Inaudible.) MATT BETTENCOURT: Honestly you can make adjustments. I started on 10 and hit a driver and hit it right down the middle, and I saw it bounce, and it probably rolled 50 yards. It was incredible. I was like, wow, this is amazing. You can tell when you're walking out in the fairway that there's not any softness. It was amazing. It's great. Q. Is this the best you've played here? MATT BETTENCOURT: I've shot a few 66s, so yeah, this is the lowest round I've shot out here, yeah. Q. Do you remember the year when you finished on Friday and it got rained out‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, I did. And then I played, also, gosh, one year I remember finishing, we had to play 36 on Sunday. That was a long day. That was the year it was real hot out. So yeah. Q. You came in earlier in year at the Texas Open, led after a round, got in as an alternate up there. Are there similarities there? MATT BETTENCOURT: No, that's totally different. I mean, obviously I guess being an alternate, that's the same, but the golf courses are totally different. I feel real comfortable out here. I love some of the lines off the tees, and this is one of my favorite courses to play on TOUR. It's great being here. Q. At that point you talked about with your asthma (inaudible). MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, I have managed very well. I feel great right now. The asthma is not bothering me at all. It's just a matter of going out and playing good golf. Q. What is your number alternate‑wise? Where were you on the priority list? MATT BETTENCOURT: I'm past champions. Q. You go out, you shoot a great round like this, 6‑under. As of right now when you come in here you're still looking at one name above you. Do you look at that and see Zach, somebody who's played well here, defending champion, does that change your approach, change your outlook for the tournament knowing Zach is right up there? MATT BETTENCOURT: Is Zach leading? Honestly I couldn't even tell you who‑‑ I know he played behind me. I didn't know if it was he or Stricker. I could hear the roars and everything. Yeah, those two guys, they own this place. It's phenomenal. It's pretty special to see the local guys come in and do so well. All I can do is play as well as I can play. You know, I can't control what anybody else does. If Zach goes out and shoots 32, that's amazing. I'm sure he's probably going to shoot three or four rounds in the mid 60s. It's out there because the course is in such perfect condition. The weather is just absolutely perfect. Q. Can you do a catch‑up over the next‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: I'm going to have some‑‑ no, no, my caddie has already got everything in the car. We're going to have some lunch and go take a nice nap. Q. Is it safe to say this is the craziest story for you getting into a tournament? MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, this definitely‑‑ this is definitely a good one. It makes a greater story if I have three more good rounds. Q. How does this kind of encapsulate the year for you, just what you've been going through? MATT BETTENCOURT: I mean, obviously it's a highlight to go out and play well and to be at an event like this. Looking forward to playing the next three days for sure. Q. Is this the kind of thing that helps‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, sure, it can, absolutely. There's three more days left to go, so if I can put some more solid rounds it'll turn my year around, and who knows, if you can go out there and get a win it could change my year around. Q. Talk about the struggles. I don't know if people understand‑‑ MATT BETTENCOURT: Yeah, I won a couple years ago out here, and it's just a battle of a few health issues. It's an up‑and‑down game. It's tough. There's only a few folks out there in the world, a few guys that play consistent each week, week in, week out, and even the top guys that you look at, they go through their struggles. So it's just tough. It's a very taxing, mental game. But you know what, the highs are high, so I'm looking forward to getting back there. Q. Could be another last‑minute change in travel plans come Sunday. Did you bringyour passport? MATT BETTENCOURT: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely I have it. You know, I travel with mine just in case. Yeah, it would be great. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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