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CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL AT COLONIALMay 22, 2014Tom ClarkFORT WORTH, TEXAS TIM CLARK: I had felt my game coming around. Sometimes it just takes getting to a course that you're familiar with and enjoying it. Q. There are so many big golf courses out here on the PGA TOUR, you must lick your chops (Indiscernible)? TIM CLARK: Yeah, the great thing with this track is I can hit a lot of drivers where guys are trying to hit irons or whatever to keep it in the fairway. So a lot of times I'm closer to the green than the other guys. So that only happens about once a year for me, so that's really why I enjoy this course. You have to drive it on the fairway. And today I drove it really well. Q. The wind so much of a factor here at Colonial as well. TIM CLARK: Yeah, it swirls around a little bit, but like I say, if you're in the fairway, you can control your iron shots. You miss the fairway here, you're dealing with jumpers and things like that. So it's definitely a striker's golf course. Q. So you've had a couple of runner‑up finishes, nice start here. TIM CLARK: Yeah, I think so. I've got to get going somewhere. Like I say, it's been a long, tough year so far. I haven't felt like I played terribly the last few weeks but I've missed the cuts. This might just be the turnaround for me. Q. Tim Clark's a two‑time runner up here at Colonial, playing well again on day one here. What is the key for you to really master this particular golf course? TIM CLARK: The thing for me is I hit a lot of drivers here. This is obviously not a very long course, but it is tight. A lot of guys are hitting irons off the tees where I like to hit driver and get it down there. The one time of year I'm hitting less club into the greens than the other guys, so that gives me a big advantage when I'm driving in the fairway. Q. So for you how comfortable do you feel with those wedge shots that you'll end up getting by drives on the fairway and trying to capitalize on those? TIM CLARK: I'm always pretty good in that area. So it's about making sure I'm driving it good, which I did today. My swing feels really good. It has been the last few weeks. Haven't been scoring great, missing cuts. But coming here I do feel like I have a chance to win every time I step on this golf course. I think that's got me a little more engaged and probably focusing a little bit better. Q. You proved it on day one. TIM CLARK: Thank you. Q. Pretty nice round today. Will you take three more of these and take your chances on Sunday? TIM CLARK: Yeah. I thought there might be a few more low scores out there. I felt like the way I played, I could have had a few more under par. I hit the ball great, had a lot of chances. I thought I might have seen a 5‑ or 6‑under out there, but this is just a course you have to stay patient, hit fairways, hit greens. It always seems to suit me really well. Q. Everyone else has said the same thing. It looked like scores are out there to be made, but when you look up, they're not there. TIM CLARK: Yeah, it's strange. It wasn't that much wind today, the rough's not up that much, but it's just a great golf course. Unfortunately, we don't play enough of these out here. As you see it, it doesn't take much to make it play kind of tricky. Q. What particularly was working for you today? TIM CLARK: I've always come in with the mentality of hitting a lot of drivers. I try to attack this golf course. So I drove it great, and it gave me a lot of iron shots out of the fairways, so I felt like I was always having good putts for birdie. So, for me, the key is really the driver. Q. When you hit it straight here, that is one of your trademarks. TIM CLARK: Exactly, and I kind of have been hitting it straight all year long. Coming here the fairways are really defined and you really have to pick spots. I tend to drive the ball better when I'm doing that. So it seems to bring out the best in me here. Q. How were the greens rolling? TIM CLARK: The greens are great, little softer than I would have thought. The fairways are playing quite firm, which is nice, but the greens are great right now. You play in the morning, so you get the best of the greens. Q. You had a lot of momentum going into 15, and it looked like that third shot, was that a tough lie there? TIM CLARK: Yeah, there are some bare spots out there. I thought about putting that because of that reason, and I didn't. But you're going to make some bogeys out there, and I just had to sort of get over that. Unfortunately, didn't birdie a few holes coming in. I had chances on 16, 17, and 18. But like I said, at 3‑under, I'm right there. Q. You looked like that putt at 16, that was going to go. TIM CLARK: Yeah, I thought I had hit a good putt there, and 18 of course shoed out. But again I've got to keep giving myself chances like that. It's been a tough year. I haven't been anywhere near this sort of position all year, so it's kind of nice. Q. Do you flip a switch when you come here and feel more comfortable that this could be my week? TIM CLARK: I had been starting to play better anyway. I started to hit the ball better the last few weeks. But you know, a course like this always excites me. I can just tell I'm a lot more focused out there this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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