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HP BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIPMay 18, 2014Brendon ToddIRVING, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: Okay, it's an honor to welcome our 2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner, Brendon Todd. Brendon, it was a dominating performance all four rounds highlighted by a 6 under par 64 in round two, only 99 putts for the week. Just tremendous play all around. BRENDON TODD: Thanks a lot. It was a dream week for me on the golf course. I made that one double bogey in the first round and after that felt like I absolutely scored my pants off. It was just a short game display‑‑ I have a great short game and even I'll say it was special this week. Q. Been a solid season for you this week, you move up to No. 11 in the FedExCup. Talk about how this changes your goal and the perks of winning. BRENDON TODD: Yeah, I'm excited about the relief of feeling like I finally have a chance to play the PGA TOUR for multiple years. That's a huge exemption for winning. Number one, going to Augusta for the master's is a dream come true, going to the University of Georgia we got to play there once a year in college and that's a special place, so excited about that, for sure. Q. You mentioned you have a good short game, apparently that includes left‑handed shots. Can you take us through what was happening there and what clubs you used on that? BRENDON TODD: I couldn't believe when we were walking up to the green I saw my ball up against the tree. I was fortunate to have a bit of room there it was 12 inches away from the tree so I took my 4‑iron which is my longer iron in the bag and hit it the with the back of the club but I had to hood it a little bit to try and get it to come off to the right so I hit like a little draw putt with the back of my 4‑iron and it ran down there perfect. I didn't care about where it went, I was just trying to get it away from the tree, toward the hole. Q. (No microphone.) BRENDON TODD: The only thing I could say I drew on is my brother‑in‑law is left‑handed and I putted with his left‑handed putter before and I'm pretty good at it. So I tried to use that stroke. Q. Considering you've never been in this position before at this level, was there any particular experience that you drew off of? Were you just kind of taking it as it came along today? You seemed in complete control. BRENDON TODD: Anytime you win at every level it feels the same because you want it so bad and you've been kind of dreaming about it. So from junior golf where I won big golf tournaments to college golf where I won SECs and Regionals to The Nationwide when I won and then the Web.com Tour last year where I won in Athens. I drew on those experiences and none of them were as nerve‑wracking as this one. I couldn't explain how I felt on the back nine today. Q. Brendon, with all the Georgia alum that have won on TOUR, were you feeling some pressure to join them in that winner's circle? BRENDON TODD: Not so much pressure, maybe a little bit of internal pressure because I wanted to succeed, I wanted to win on the PGA TOUR. I think they just give me motivation that I can go out there and do it. Q. You mentioned the nerves on the back nine. What are your strategics for copying with that, and as a follow‑up to that do you use a sports psychologist or anything like that? BRENDON TODD: I have a coach named Bill McInerney who I talk with, about my entire golf game, he's as close to my "mental" guy as anybody. I try and stay relaxed, focus on my breathing and try and not think about much except for what I'm doing at that time and that seems to help a little bit. Q. How big was it to go from 17 to 18 with a 2‑shot lead and the putt you drained there? BRENDON TODD: That was huge. It allowed me to play more conservatively on 18, though I probably would have played it the same way, no matter the position I was in. That putt on 17 was huge because it allowed me to play 18 with the confidence knowing I don't have to worry about screwing up, really. Q. Can you talk us through what was going through your mind as you were walking up 18 and knowing you were "safe" and you had it in the bag? BRENDON TODD: I think that I had a huge moment of relief there. Lots of emotions coming out, some excitement, even some joy, some joyful tears, I really felt excited walking up to that green. Q. 18 you played so well. Did you hit the same club yesterday and today? BRENDON TODD: I had a driver off the tee all four days, I hit 9‑iron into the green, 8‑iron today, but it was a similar shot. I was trying to play it to the middle of the green. Q. When you holed out of the bunker, No. 2, did you get a feeling, this could be my day, when things get started like that? BRENDON TODD: Definitely I knew I needed to get under par today so the fact that I got under par so early in the round and how I did it there was exciting and freed me up a little bit. Q. Brendon, aside from the final putt there was there a particular moment throughout the tournament that you felt like sort of defined it for you? BRENDON TODD: I think there were so many saves, so many up and downs on the back nine but the putt on 17 was the one, I didn't even think about it, just huge fist pump and huge excitement and relief there. Q. Were you aware of what Mike Weir was doing? How he started out so fast? Did that impact your thought process at all early in the round? BRENDON TODD: I had no idea. I never looked at the leaderboard today. Q. Talk about taking that traditional walk up to Mrs.Nelson in honor of Lord Byron. BRENDON TODD: It caught me by surprise, I was thinking I was high‑fiving fans and then when I walked up I saw her and instant joy to be able to thank Mrs.Nelson for having us and it was a really special moment. Q. You bounced back and forth between here and the Web. When did you feel like you belonged out here? BRENDON TODD: I would say midway through last year, when I was playing out of the 126‑150 category and racking up some top‑twenties, maybe even here this event last year, I was playing solid. I think I had just won Athens on the Web.com and knew I was coming back to the PGA TOUR so I was thinking, my game is where I want it to be, I've got my card for next year. Q. It might be too early but is that chip on 13 the most unique shot you've made in a competitive tournament? BRENDON TODD: Definitely. Without a doubt. Q. Talk about the emotions coming up 18. I wonder if you were able to see your wife in the crowd. Was she here all week? BRENDON TODD: She is here all week, she is here every week and I never saw her in the crowd until she ran out to me on 18 green there. Q. You mentioned that you played well here last year. Is there anything about the TPC Four Seasons that you feel like has suited your game since you have played well here? BRENDON TODD: Definitely. I think it's demanding off the tee and I drive the ball pretty straight. It's so difficult around the greens with the ridges. You have to have a great short game. I think those two things complement my game. Q. What do you think about your game suits Colonial well heading into next week? BRENDON TODD: It plays similar to here, it plays dry and fast and the wind blows so I can flight my tee shots out there, run them out in the fairway. Everybody plays sort of the same spot which suits my game because it doesn't become a bombers game and the greens are small and you have to chip and putt well. Q. We have a bunch of inexperienced players winning tournaments on the TOUR who have won this year and closed really well, any explanation for that? BRENDON TODD: Tiger is not playing. (Laughter.) I think there is a lot of good players in golf right now. I think that's sort of how it always was before Tiger came around, wasn't it? Q. What does this win mean to you? BRENDON TODD: I think it's sort of that, that spring toward the rest of my career. It gives me that extra belief that I can go on and have the career that I want to have and really start chasing some of my goals. Q. Is it something you dreamed about? BRENDON TODD: No doubt. Playing on the PGA TOUR when you're young is a dream and to win out here is really special. I think since I became a solid college golfer I felt like I could win on the PGA TOUR. It's taken a little while but now that I'm here, it's a dream come true. Q. Can you take me through what you were feeling yesterday and last night and then this morning leading up to the final round? BRENDON TODD: Yeah, yesterday on 18, I just left it short and hard on 17 for birdie and I think‑‑ no, I didn't have a good chance on 16, so I wanted to get one coming in, I had a perfect one there on 18 with a nine‑iron and I was able to hit it in close. Last night was definitely a full range of emotions because I felt like I could win today but I didn't want to feel like I was exported to win because there were so many good players up there, so it was more or less trying to keep myself calm and create a game plan for coming out here to succeed. Q. Did you sleep well? BRENDON TODD: I didn't sleep very good. Q. Is that typical before a final round for you not to sleep well? BRENDON TODD: Not necessarily. I don't sleep very good sometimes. Sometimes before a first round or second round but obviously this was one of the biggest rounds of my life, probably the biggest round of my life. I would say it's not that uncommon to struggle sleeping. Q. Did the final round playing well at Humana, having that good finish, how much were you able to feed off that experience of being in contention? BRENDON TODD: I think they felt different. For some reason at Palm Springs that place doesn't make me nervous because the wind doesn't blow and the conditions are easy. This place the wind blows and you're always testing your nerves with certain shots. I gained confidence from that final round knowing that I could come out and play well and today it was just about coming out and handling the conditions and playing well. Q. Going back to the Georgia connection are you close with Bubba and do you expect to here from him? BRENDON TODD: No, I'm not close with Bubba, I don't expect to here from him, but the other guys, I expect to hear from, I'm pretty good buddies with Chris Kirk and Harris, Brian Harman, Compton, Hudson, go down the list we're all good friends. Q. Do you take a couple of days to let this soak in or is it going back to work to get ready for the Colonial? BRENDON TODD: I will definitely enjoy tomorrow with my wife and celebrate a little bit. Fortunately it's just a short trip over there. Then I'm sure I'll have to play practice rounds unless I'm in the Wednesday Pro‑Am. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, once again, Brendon Todd. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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