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VALERO TEXAS OPENMarch 29, 2014Matt KucharSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS DAVE SENKO: I would like to welcome Matt Kuchar after a 7-under 65 today which is the low round of the week so far. Matt, maybe just get us started, talk about your day and looking ahead to Sunday. MATT KUCHAR: Conditions are still pretty tough out there. Still surprised to be 7-under today. It's not a score I would have thought was really out there with these sort of conditions although the course was completely opposite. It was still windy, it was blowing 15 to 20 but just from an opposite direction. Hard to know exactly how difficult the course is going to play. First couple holes we play 1 through 4 playing downwind are kind of the holes where you say, "Man, this is playing a lot different, maybe a good bit easier, I want to take advantage of those early holes." Got off to an interesting start. I drove it in the right rough and basically I thought my best play was just to put it in the front right green-side bunker figuring that's my easiest chance at 4 and sneak away with a 3. It was a pretty easy bunker shot but never think you're going to just hole the bunker shot. 2, straight downwind. Was able to knock it on in 2 shots and 2 putts for a birdie. Made a good birdie on 3. Tough pin, straight downwind. Only 160-yard hole but straight downwind over that water is not easy. And really just kept going. I've been hitting the ball really well all week, was able to continue playing some good golf and made a few more putts today. DAVE SENKO: Questions? Q. Played pretty well the last two years here, too. What is it about this place that you think you like? MATT KUCHAR: It's a demanding driving golf course as well as approaches. I think approaches are really tough. You've got a lot of big fall-offs around the greens. The greens have a lot of movement in them. So, I think from a ball-striking perspective, particularly off the tee I feel like that's one of my strengths is keeping myself in play, giving myself a lot of chances and been doing a good job of that this week. So, you know, it fits my eye pretty well off the tee. I think that's probably the most crucial part around this golf course is putting yourself in the fairway. Q. Matt, you're a guy that's been here before. What do you think of the growth of this tournament that you've seen throughout your time here? MATT KUCHAR: I think it's a fantastic tournament. I've come for a number of years. I like the golf course. I like the test of golf it provides. But I had dinner last night at the Cibolo Moon and all the automatic kids are playing. It's a fantastic family atmosphere. I was thinking what a great set-up this is for people, families to be able to be on this property at a great resort, very good golf course and then when you have kids, it's just -- it's really a lot of fun to bring them here to see all the kids play together in the big lawn and play in the pool. It's been a great week for me as a golfer an and. It's been fun. Q. After your round today, how confident are you, really, heading into tomorrow? MATT KUCHAR: Game is in really good shape. I'm very pleased with the way I'm hitting the ball. Scored better today. I felt like the first two days left a number of shots out there today. Was a much better performance as far as scoring is concerned. Looking forward to it. It's an exciting position to be in, Sunday afternoon with a chance to win or teeing off late Sunday. It's a fun position to be in. Q. I know you tried different things to get ready for Majors in your career. Being in the last group under the gun, you know, chance to win, obviously that gets you in the Masters but you're already there. Is that a way than can help or is that too wearing on someone that's got to gear it all up in two weeks? MATT KUCHAR: I think no better way to get ready to win tournaments than by winning tournaments. I think winning breeds more winning. I think that's just a thing comes with confidence, comfortable with winning golf tournaments. The more time you're in a position to win tournaments, the more comfortable you get. I think that's how you play well. I think you get yourself comfortable in those situations. It's not as often that we put ourselves in that situation so it's -- more times you can do it, the better. I'm excited to be in this position and hope that good things come from it. Q. Does that work for Majors, do you think as well? MATT KUCHAR: I think winning breeds more winning. Having chances just gets you more comfortable and more confident. Q. What are your thoughts on Jordan Spieth's upside and what advice would you have for him playing in his first Masters in two weeks? MATT KUCHAR: I think he's got a great game for the Masters. I think he'll do very well. Lot of upside. I think we've all seen it. I don't think there's anything else to say. He's played some fantastic golf. I think a lot of him as a person and as a golfer. His game is a good fit. I don't think there's a whole lot of advice. He's quite mature and seems to be able to figure out all these courses first time. Lot of these courses he's done well at his first time seeing them for him. Nice kind of being in my position where I feel like I know the courses well. I don't have to do a whole lot of figuring in my practice rounds, just getting re-familiar again. It's been impressive. He's really the whole package. Q. Matt, Tiger is hurt, Phil gets hurt today has to withdraw. MATT KUCHAR: What happened to Phil? Q. Right side oblique pulled muscle. MATT KUCHAR: Sorry to hear that. Q. Jason Day having a thumb issue and this and that. Is it just a strange, odd year or guys going about their business of fitness too much for a golfer? MATT KUCHAR: I have to say that would be a strange thing. Most guys doing what we do, that one-sided repetitive motion, it's not a natural, healthy thing for the body. It's a hard thing. Granted, it's not -- we're not baseball players or football players, but what we do is not the easiest thing on the body. There's going to be tweaks and injuries and I think that we probably had a bunch of these that aren't to the high level of players, I think the list of injuries would be long; you. May not have taken notice because it's not Tiger or Phil. So, it's a tough thing. I would say this is just one of those kind of coincidence kind of things. Q. Matt, you said the winds are pretty stiff out there at times and opposite of what they have been or at least yesterday, right? MATT KUCHAR: Yes. Q. Seeked like it didn't bother you that much then. MATT KUCHAR: Some adjustments to be made trying to figure out how to attack the golf course with the opposite winds. Again, here I was on the first hole in the right rough trying to play defensive, trying to figure out where is my best chance to make par. I'm going to put it in the front right side green bunker. From there I know it's an easy bunker shot and able to make the bunker shot for a birdie. It's kind of figuring your way around where to be aggressive, where not to be aggressive and my ball striking has been really, really good so I feel like I'm in very good control and the wind, you better be striking the ball solidly or else the wind is really going to takeover and kind of show you your weaknesses. So, I feel like these conditions I was able to really play well because I've been striking it so well. Q. Lot of guys around you on leaderboard looking for their first win or first win in awhile. You've kind of done both. What was it like getting the first win after awhile or just the first win? What might they be going through, what kind of things did you go through, how different now like winning yearly like you've been doing? MATT KUCHAR: You always think it's going to come. Everybody shows up here, Tuesday, Wednesday, tees it up Thursday and thinks they're ready to win the golf tournament regardless if you won last week or haven't won in five years. You tee it up Thursday thinking you're going to win. Doesn't happen in awhile, you just -- you continue to try to put yourself in a position and still believe. It, everybody that's out here, thinks they can win. I don't know as much about that process as the relief that there is when you do win. That great feeling of joy from a long absence was just an incredible feeling. I'm not sure my journey to then -- I know I always thought it was going to happen, I was going to win again. It took me 7 years from 2002, didn't win till 2007. Q. Sunday gotten easier as you've started to win a little more regularly? MATT KUCHAR: Yeah. Yeah. I've learned kind of how to play my game and I think I've been in the situation enough. I think I relate it to first tee experiences. Used to get really nervous when I teed it up on the first tee. You get enough of those experiences that you start getting more and more comfortable with the first he tee experience that winning a tournament provides. You're not that often in the last group on Sunday trying to win the tournament, you don't get as many experiences. So that comfort level is harder to come by as quickly. I've gotten more comfortable. I'm sure there are people that are more comfortable than I but I feel like I've gotten more comfortable and thus kind of play better golf. DAVE SENKO: Okay. Everyone okay? MATT KUCHAR: Thank you guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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