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RBC HERITAGEApril 20, 2014Ben MartinHILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA Q.  At one point you got it to 10‑under par and really had a chance to catch Matt? BEN MARTIN: Yeah, it was a special weekend. Easter Sunday. I had my brother on the bag. Yeah, had it going all day, and then kind of was in jail on whatever, 15, and hit the best shot that we could come up with. And really more disappointed in the third shot that I kind of had to punch out again. So take that out, I would have walked away from there with a par, because I hit my 4th shot where I was trying to hit my third shot. It was an awesome week. Couldn't ask for a better place to do it than here in my home state. Q. Third in Puerto Rico and here, but what does it mean to look up at the leaderboard and see names like Kuchar and Donald and Furyk and be right with them? BEN MARTIN: I didn't look at the leaderboard until I putted in on 18. I heard a roar when Kuch was finishing on 18. Did he make birdie? Q. Holed out from the bunker for birdie. BEN MARTIN: I was out there focusing on what I needed to do to give myself the best opportunity to play well and add them up at the end. Q. And just having all the Clemson fans rooting you on was special? BEN MARTIN: That was special. I heard a lot of Greenwood cheers and Clemson cheers and State of South Carolina cheers, so it was a good week. Q. Your brother says he was just kind of carrying the bag for you today, you asked him some questions, and he got a little scared. BEN MARTIN: Yeah, I kind of like just going out there and playing my game and he's carrying the bag, and we're talking in between shots and he's keeping me relaxed. The one shot I asked him about was on 15 where I didn't really have a shot. So we just tried to pick the best of the bad options, really. And I think I hit the right shot but it just didn't work out. But he did a good job and just what I was looking for. Q. Did you hear the roar on Kuchar's shot after you hit in the bunker on 17? What went through your mind? BEN MARTIN: Yeah, I was teeing off on 17. I think he either made it right before I hit it or right after. So the only time I looked at the scoreboard was at the turn, and I saw he was 11‑under and I think I was 8 at the time. So that kind of took a little pressure off me, because I was playing well, but I was three shots back and had to make more birdies. I figured I was somewhere on the lead. But it was out of my control. All I could do was play as well as I could. Q. Talk about the momentum swing. Did you sense the crowd got louder than it was before? BEN MARTIN: Yeah, I hit it well all day, really, and I had two two‑putt birdies and a tap‑in for two and a half feet. I hadn't made a birdie all day. But finally rolled it in on 13. And hit it right on the stick on 14, and looked like it was going in and made that one. Sometimes after you get that high, that emotional high you need‑‑ for me, at least, I need to reel myself in and keep it at that kind of level temperament to play my best. And maybe I got a little too excited. Like I said, I really didn't feel like I hit a bad shot, but it didn't work out. Q. Do you feel like maybe two swings cost you the win on the golf tournament? The drive on 14, the triple on day 1 and the drive on 15 on the final day? BEN MARTIN: I think that's just golf, and that happens out here, especially in Harbour Town. So I'm looking more at what I did than what could have been. I just remember a lot of the good shots I hit and just erase the handful of bad ones. Q. You had a lot of support. BEN MARTIN: Absolutely. I went to an event Wednesday afternoon for Clemson alumni and the South Carolina Golf Association had tents set up on 18. I like playing in front of hometown support. Q. When you hear that somebody birdied 18 in these conditions to possibly win the golf tournament, what's your reaction there? BEN MARTIN: It's just a tough hole. It's playing into that wind. Yeah, I hit a good drive and 3‑iron kind of ballooned on me. I was in between 3 and 5. I don't have say 4‑iron. But I'm glad I hit the 3. And if you make four, you're making up shots on 18. So three is pretty awesome. Q. Talk about what this means for your career and moving forward, confidence‑wise and status‑wise. Now, you're going to get in more tournaments where you were teetering on the edge prior to this week. BEN MARTIN: Yeah, I think I talked about this earlier this week, I've been really focused on results. Last year I won twice, and that was my goal. So this year I kept the same goal to win two events. And I think I got so outcome oriented that I kind of reassessed last week and came up with playing The Tour Championship, finishing in the top‑30 on the FedEx. So that, to me, that made me focus more on what I'm doing and my process. And it's a long year. Instead of focusing so much on winning tournaments, just going out there and playing good golf. Q. You talked about this already maybe, talk about letting your brother caddie. BEN MARTIN: Yeah, my new caddie that I'm starting with, is an old teammate of mine at Clemson, and he couldn't be here for the weekend. I wanted him to start Monday so we could get five days together. The plan all along was for my brother to do the weekend. I don't think it could have worked out any better. On an Easter weekend and having family in town and my brother on the bag is a special week. Q. How many times has he caddied for you? BEN MARTIN: He caddied for me twice on the Web.com Tour. We had a top‑25 and tie for 6th in Kansas City out there. He caddied for me at two U.S. Junior Ams. Q. Is the first PGA event? BEN MARTIN: This is the first PGA event, yeah. Q. This being your in‑state tournament and doing what you did out there today, could this be at the top of your best performances as a golfer? BEN MARTIN: I think winning out there, and just the consistent golf that I played for such a long period of time over, I don't know, seven or eight events, is probably the best I've played. But I think this is just a step getting more comfortable out here and getting up on the leaderboard on Sunday and a couple of the last groups, and putting myself in that upper trajectory on my career path. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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