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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANSApril 24, 2014Ben MartinAVONDALE, LOUISIANA Q. Welcome Ben Martin to the media center, a 62 today is a new course record by a couple of shots and really just a heck of a round. Maybe you could tell us a little about what worked well for you out there today and we'll open it up for a few questions. BEN MARTIN: Really, everything was working well. I got off, I think, I birdied 1, 2, 4, 5. So I was 4‑under through 5. Got off to a good start and just kept it rolling. Got a little nervous on the putt for 29 on No. 9 at four or five feet, but it was one of those days that it's just like you draw it up. Q. You were saying once you got nervous, how did you kind of start to deal with those nerves and end up keeping the run going into the second nine there? BEN MARTIN: I think it was good because I'd never shot 29 before, so that's why I was a little nervous. I got that out of the way. Then went to No. 10 and made a 12‑ or 14‑footer for birdie, and I think that kind of kept me rolling. Q. Ben, did 59 cross your mind, and when, if it did? BEN MARTIN: It never did until I was in the fairway on 18 about 250, and I hit a hybrid and just flagged it. It landed and came up short of the bunker. But I told my caddie after that I had to take that aim because that was for 59, but I didn't think about it until after I hit the shot. Q. Some guys say they were not aware of the course record. When did you know you had the course record and who told you? BEN MARTIN: I didn't know until after the round. I think my dad told me it was a course record by two shots. I knew I was playing well, but I had no idea what the course record was. Q. This afternoon the winds kicked up a lot more than this morning when the scores were really good. You seemed like you didn't worry about it at all. BEN MARTIN: Yeah, we played in the wind last week at Harbour Town every day it seemed like. So probably a little bit of just kind of used to it the last week. But, yeah, I felt like I was managing my game well. I was hitting shots where I was looking into it. Played a little bit of a factor, but I think when it was into the wind, I played a little more conservative and took advantage of the holes that were downwind. Q. You missed, I think, it was 7 of 8 cuts before Harbour Town and all of a sudden you're just Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. What is the difference in your game right now? BEN MARTIN: I met with my sports psychologist at home the week of The Masters, and last year on the Web.com Tour my goal was to win two tournaments, and I knew that would get me into the PGA TOUR. So starting the year again this year, I had the same goal to win two tournaments. That got me really kind of results focused. It's even more frustrating if your goal is to win tournaments and you're not even making cuts, then you don't even feel like you're close. I had to kind of reassess and kind of put that on the side and come up with a new goal to play in the TOUR Championship and finish top 30 in the FedExCup, so that is kind of my new aim. I think that enables me to take it week by week and not put so much pressure on results, but focusing more on just the process and playing well each week, each day, each shot. Just breaking it down and not focusing so much on winning. Q. I see you got your phone there, and I was wondering if you had checked your messages yet and whether you have one from Furyk? You played with him last week, right? BEN MARTIN: I did. Q. Did that help you in any way? BEN MARTIN: It did. Playing with him and K.J. Choi in the last group on Saturday was a spot I had never been in on the PGA TOUR. So I think I shot even par on Saturday, and felt like I played well and held right in there with those guys. So guys that I've grown up watching on TV and as a junior golfer, to get out there and be in the last group with them and be happy with the way I played and the way I handled myself. Then to play really well on Sunday and even have a chance to win the golf tournament on the back nine, it did a lot for me. I've been struggling for the most part of the year other than one good event in Puerto Rico. But playing with Furyk and K.J. and mixing it up with those guys, I think, is going to help me out for the rest of the year. Q. Realistically, two questions, one, is your brother on the bag this week? BEN MARTIN: He just did the weekend last week. Q. Just the weekend. So you're back to your normal caddie? BEN MARTIN: Actually, I've just changed two weeks ago, so I have a former teammate of mine at Clemson, Alex Boyd, on the bag. He started at Harbour Town, knew going in he wasn't going to be able to do the weekend, so my brother filled in on the weekend. Q. Secondly, did you and how many shots did you leave out there today? BEN MARTIN: When I play well, I really focus on what I did well and really don't try to think about what could have been. But, if anything, the putt on No. 9 from 4 or 5 feet. But other than that, maybe a putt here or there, but I made my fair share of putts. Q. You looked like 17 looked like you chunked it a little bit on the tee shot, and then you're short of the green and still get a birdie out of it. Is that indicative of the kind of day it was that you still get a birdie out of that? BEN MARTIN: Yeah, I think that was just managing my game. I knew that hole was into the wind with water left, and I was in between clubs. I felt like short of the green was a pretty easy chip, so I took the 5‑iron instead of hitting the longer club. I knew it was going to come up somewhere around the front edge. I think that was just kind of how‑‑ it was the smart play. It almost chipped in on 16, so for that one to go in on 17, that was nice. Q. So one thing I'm curious about is the new caddie. Obviously, you have a long relationship with him, and I'm wondering how that affects your playing or how you think it improves it, although it's been a short sample size? And the other is the gallery seemed so small. It was kind of interesting for a record round. I wonder if you could hear your mom saying good putt and stuff like that? BEN MARTIN: As far as the caddie he is my old caddie, I had a lot of success with him. He was with me for a year and a half. I just kind of got in a bad rut this year and felt like I needed a change. Alex had been playing Mini Tour golf for about two years, and we're good friends, and he's two years behind me at Clemson, both living in Greenville. And he caddied for me my rookie year in between his junior and senior year at Clemson, so he'd had five events out here with me. I think the comfort level, somebody who‑‑ we're two years apart or a year and a half apart in age, have a lot in common, so a lot to talk about in between shots. Oh, yeah, the crowd out there. Yeah, I think that's what you get late on a Thursday afternoon at any event. There's usually not that many people out there, so we probably were ten times what a normal group would be on Thursday afternoon. But I think 17 was the loudest it got. A couple of people hanging out late in the day having some adult beverages. Q. (No microphone)? BEN MARTIN: I hit 5‑iron. A 54‑degree sand wedge. Q. Last week I noticed you had a brace on your knee or elbow, and now you have a wrap on your left wrist. I'm assuming that's not a fashion statement but you're dealing with something? BEN MARTIN: I'm having some tendinitis in my wrist, and it's kind of moving up‑and‑down. So last week it felt more in my forearm; this week it kind of felt more in my wrist. So I'm just trying to keep some pressure on it. It mainly gets sore after the round. Doesn't really bother me in my swing. Q. You mentioned outside that I think Greenwood Country Club was your best round of 60 or something like that. Any other time you shot 62? Where does this rank all time for you? BEN MARTIN: I've shot 62 at my home course, and I shot 61 at the Palmetto Club in Aiken, SouthCarolina. But competitively, all of those were not competitive rounds. Competitively, this is my best round by two shots, I believe. Q. What did it feel like? I'm sure you've envisioned or thought about what a round like this might be on TOUR. Did it match your expectations? BEN MARTIN: Yeah, it's hard, because it's just the first round. We have three more days to go. It's really just been this week and last week trying to judge my performance in the quality of my process, so that's how I'm going to be successful. I don't think I'm looking as much at the 62 as I'm looking at how well I executed my routine all day, and that's really what I'm most proud of. I felt like if I could continue to do that this week and the rest of this year, then I'm going to be successful. Q. Were all your birdie putts pretty decent sized? I mean, did you have any long, long ones? BEN MARTIN: Which hole was that? Q. (No microphone). BEN MARTIN: Yeah, No. 5, yeah, up and over the hill probably 25 feet. I hit it close on 7 and 8. 10 I made like a 15‑footer. 11 probably a 12‑ or 15‑footer. Yeah, that's the one right there. Yeah, from the short hole, dogleg left. That hole and 5 are probably my longest putt. Q. (No microphone)? BEN MARTIN: Yeah, I felt I was hitting it anywhere from‑‑ I feel like a lot of my putts were 10 to 15 feet, which is I'm looking at the yardage book and saying, all right, this is where I want to leave it. It seemed like most of the day that's where I was leaving it. Q. You mentioned outside playing on the Web.com Tour really prepared you for playing on the PGA TOUR and having a couple wins out there. Now that you're on the PGA TOUR, maybe you can reflect on what it was like and some of the lessons you learned on the Web.com Tour? BEN MARTIN: I think one of the biggest things that I took away from there is learning how to win golf tournaments. Getting my TOUR card in 2011 straight out of college, I didn't know what to expect. I don't know if you could say lost, but I wasn't ready for it. So having two years on the Web.com Tour, winning twice out there last year, playing very consistent and being in the mix multiple times on the weekend against some good players. You look at the fields out there, a lot of the guys have been out here. So playing against quality competition and then learning how to win I think is the biggest thing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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