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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 28, 2013Erik ComptonNORTON, MASSACHUSETTS JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Erik Compton, thanks for joining us here at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg in the 2013 FedExCup playoffs. Congratulations in moving on from the Barclays, and getting into this week's event. Maybe some opening comments about your experience last week, and make some goals for this week. ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, last week was really exciting, kind of a Major championship feel, great crowds in New York and New Jersey. It was nice to play well down the stretch. I knew I had to play the back nine in some good form or fashion. And to birdie 17 and then make a nice putt on 18 was obviously what I needed to get through to the next level. It's been kind of a funny end of the season. Been real close to the cut line. So sometimes being in contention and trying to make the cut are kind of similar feelings. So hopefully this week I can get off to a better start. Last week was tough, we had to play 33 holes on the draw that I was in. Looking forward to this week, teeing off early and then having a late tee time. Q. As Joel referred, you played your way in this week. And I was just wondering, how close will you be keeping your eye on the numbers as the rounds progress this week? ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, I don't think I'll keep too close of an eye until the end. I think my biggest goal is to start the week off in good form and hit the fairway, hit the green, get off to a good start. Like I said, it seems like in the last few events I've been battling to make the cut. So hopefully I'm not in that position. And then going into the weekend you have a chance to be in contention. Q. Just a follow‑up, how well does this playoff format set up for someone like you in the position you're in, on the outside looking in? ERIK COMPTON: I think it sets up pretty good. I think this week we have under a hundred players in the field, and I believe they cut to 70 and ties again. So I've never been one that misses cuts by a lot, so you have a chance to make the cut, then you have a chance to move way up ‑‑ I mean move way up on the weekend. I think this is a big week for everyone, playing the FedExCup, you can play yourself into the majors if you get to The TOUR Championship.  It's like a bonus. You're basically playing on a huge bonus. Anything is possible. It's just like any other golf tournament. I had good weeks when I started off in the beginning of the year. It's anybody's‑‑ obviously guys have a head start, but the guys in my position can really get a chance to move up and play in The TOUR Championship, which is huge. Q. What do you hope to get out of the playoffs, not to suggest you can't, obviously, work your way to Atlanta, and I'm sure that's kind of on your radar, what do you hope to get out of these weeks? ERIK COMPTON: Well, the goal is always to win a golf tournament. So if you win, whether you're winning a regular season event, a fall series event, which we used to have. A win is a win. You win here, it's huge. It just has that much more perk. So I still‑‑ I know I haven't put myself in contention that much this year, twice. And I don't see why I can't do that again this week or next week. So I think‑‑ answering your question, I just look at it as another golf tournament with a chance to win. Anytime you tee it up and your game is in good form you have a chance to win. You look at the best players in the world they seem to do it every week. Obviously I'm not one of the best players in the world, but I'm out here playing, and when my game is on I have a chance to do that. It's not like I haven't been in contention before. So I go back to those weeks I had early in the year, and if I‑‑ I need to hit the ball a little bit straighter off the tee. Last week I was 8th in strokes game putting, so if I give myself some chances I think I have as good a chance of anybody. Q. Have you played up here before, and if so, maybe talk about the course a little bit, and if not, maybe what you know about it or how it sets up for you? ERIK COMPTON: I played in Boston before in an amateur golf, Wannamoisett, it was a course I enjoyed. This is a different style of golf course. From what I see now, it's very early in the week, very soft, very long. I hope that it firms up and plays firm and fast. That's always‑‑ makes the guys that are playing well that week, allows them to really move up the leader board. But it's hot and the conditions are a lot like Miami. So it's a big golf course, but it doesn't seem to be a very narrow course. In some aspects, people see me as a small guy, they think, well, a great course for me would be a short, narrow course. Well, that's not necessarily the case. The last few years I've been in Top 50 in driving distance, maybe bigger courses do suit my game, like Honda or Torrey Pines. Q. What was last week, especially Sunday like for you? Do you wake up feeling nervous about what you're hoping to do that day or does that not come until the last few holes when you know what you have to do or do you sort of think that I've got nothing to lose here, so there really isn't any nerves? ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, you just‑‑ I don't really have much to lose. I have my card locked up already for the year and that's a huge accomplishment. There's a lot of guys that would love to be in those shoes, not having to go to the other playoffs that's going on. When I woke up on Sunday ‑‑ I did some good work on Saturday evening, I hit a lot of golf balls, even though I was tired. I didn't hit the ball very well during the whole week and was able to grind out making the cut, birdieing 8 and 9 and making the cut. In some form or fashion I was comfortable knowing I wasn't playing great golf and still hanging in there. It's a different feeling. I chipped it in the water on 16. I was around 40th place. In a normal golf tournament, you might think get the round over and move to the next week. Now I have a 15‑footer breaking half a foot to the right for bogey, and if I miss that I'm pretty much‑‑ my playoff is over with. And I knew I had to birdie 17. And I bogeyed 17 three days in a row and I bogeyed 18 three days in a row. My goal starting that day was to try to get as much under as I can, because everyone was choking coming down the stretch. It was tough. 17, 18, even 16 was a tough hole. In some ways I was like, okay, it doesn't look good. But I just went back to the fact that I birdied 8 and 9 to make it to where I was. So I hit a good shot on 17 and I made a 12‑footer there, and made an 8‑footer there on 18 for par. Q. I know you said you won't be leaderboard watching looking at point standings, how good are your math skills if you need to figure them out? ERIK COMPTON: They're a lot better than my English (laughter). Last week, looking at the scoreboard, I didn't know where I was standing. I think I would have played 16 a little bit different. They had George McNeill's scorecard up there and they were projecting where he was. I didn't know, so I played pretty aggressive on that hole. You do have to keep an eye and ask people, where do I stand? Because it dictates‑‑ even on 18, coming down the stretch here, whether you're going to go for it in two. Today I hit driver, 3‑wood in the middle of the green. Obviously it's soft today. But if you make up an eagle or have a chance at an eagle, one shot makes a difference between your whole year. JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Erik Compton, thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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