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WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPFebruary 20, 2014Matt KucharMARANA, ARIZONA Q. That was a heck of a match all the way to the last hole. MATT KUCHAR: It really was. Really we had some good and some bad golf, some interesting things happened. I think the third hole we had with double birdies was kind of a mess, but then things cleaned up. Ryan made a great putt on 9 to take a 1‑up lead. I kind of made an amazing up‑and‑down on 10. And then we both got after it. I made some good birdies coming in, really the last seven or eight holes I played some great golf. Q. You're the defending champion here. You've gotten off to a good start. What is it about this place or the format that you love so much? MATT KUCHAR: Match play is fun. It's unique, it's different.  We play 72‑hole stroke play every week. It's nice to change things up. Certainly makes for a lot of excitement. It's an 18‑hole battle. I'm a little more tired then I would be off just a regular Thursday round coming off the course. It feels much more like a Sunday round than it does a Thursday round. It's fun. This course has been good to me. I'm hoping to keep the good luck going. Q. Jordan Spieth dismantled Thomas Bjorn today, 5 and 4. Any thoughts on playing Jordan tomorrow? MATT KUCHAR: Man, I got my work cut out for me. He's been playing some awesome golf, hits it a long way and putts it great. Certainly got my work cut out for me. Q. You won the match 1‑up. How satisfying is it to hit shots like that under that sort of pressure? MATT KUCHAR: It was great. It was quite a nerve wracking match. You play a match like this and it feels like you've just played a Sunday battle for the tournament title. It was one that went back and forth. I was one down for a while and then finally I pulled even on the par‑5, 14. And then maybe it was 13. I made a birdie on 15 to go 1‑up, and then hung on from there. It was great to finish. I played really good golf on the back nine. That backside golf was really good. That gives me a lot of hope for tomorrow. Q. You were telling us earlier in the week you made one or two adjustments to your swing. How is it feeling now? MATT KUCHAR: Better and better. I think it's one that needs some time. Trying to figure out the parameters of kind of how to avoid certain areas. A lot of times you got to play around this golf course. I think a lot of places where you got to avoid missing it. It's taking me a little bit of getting used to, but feeling better and better with it. Q. Jordan Spieth tomorrow. They don't get any easier, do they? MATT KUCHAR: No, they sure don't. That's how it should be in match play, I think. You see guys that are in better and better form as the week goes along. I've got my work cut out for me with Jordan. He seems to play great golf every week. It should be tough around this place. Q. Not a lot of holes winning this match. I think you guys halved the first eight. When you're in a battle like that against another good match play player, what separates, you know, a win and a loss out there? MATT KUCHAR: There's a fine line. Ryan Moore is a heck of a player, great match play player. I had a great amateur career with a win at the U.S. Amateur. I think his amateur career topped mine by far. He won an Amateur and did all sorts of amazing things. He definitely knows the match play game and has become a great player on the PGA Tour. It was a battle. It was some steady golf. A couple of mistakes made early, and then I started playing some really good golf on the back nine. It was fun to close it out by stiffing a wedge and just walk up and shake hands. Q. How much does your past success here help you when you're in a match like that? MATT KUCHAR: I think there's a lot of course knowledge here helps me. Certainly I go in with a lot of confidence in my match play ability, but that only takes you so far. You have got to outplay your opponent. You have got to play the golf course the best you can. It's worked out well. You really do never know in this format of match play. You can play some great golf and go home. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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