What they said: Troy Matteson

text size

MORE INTERVIEWS: Shriners Hospitals Open transcript archive

THE MODERATOR: You are currently in the lead at 9-under par. Talk about the conditions out there.

TROY MATTESON: You know the conditions are great, the fairways are firm, the greens are in great shape. This course is always in great shape. Vegas golf is always the No. 1 place to go. The courses are perfect out here. Obviously we saw some pretty low rounds up there on the board before we started playing. You know, you got to get out here and make a lot of birdies. There are a lot of good opportunities to make birdie out here and if you putt well you've got a chance to air it up and obviously a lot of guys did.

Q. What was working well for you on the par-4's today?

TROY MATTESON: I haven't putted well all year. I putted terrible. I have had a day or two where I putted well. I made a few changes here in the last week and, you know, just holed some putts. You see that first one go in from 15 feet, the next one is easier, the next one is easier. On 18, I made a 30 or 35-footer. It's nice to see that ball drop when it gets around the hole rather than miss or lip-out. When you have a good putting day, you just don't have to do too much right from tee to green. That putter is really the great equalizer.

Q. It looks like you had a really good chance to come out as the outright leader. You bogeyed 17, can you take us through that hole?

TROY MATTESON: 17, I hit a really good shot. I had 187 yards adjusted to get over the hump in the middle of the green. Most guys are playing to the middle and letting the ball funnel to the back. I hit a good 7-iron, hit it right at the right edge of the green and it never turned back in there. That's a hole where we certainly don't try to fire it down the water, or cut it in over the water. We're all trying to bring it in right-to-left, and I caught a little hanger. It wasn't that bad. I tried to putt it down from off the green. I didn't like it down that close and had a tricky six or seven-footer. If I had 100 yards, I might have made it. I couldn't see that much break in it. It was a clean bogey. I probably hit too conservative of a shot to the green.

Q. Was it easy to put it behind you when you played 18?

TROY MATTESON: Yes. When you had nine birdies to that point, it's easier when you make a mistake. If you had two birdies, and you make a mistake, especially after hearing the scores being as low as they are, it does frustrate you. 18, that was pretty good. I hit a good drive and hit a mediocre iron shot and let your putter capitalize for you. I had a wedge into the green and I left myself 30, 35 feet. I did not hit a very good shot. Fortunately it was on the green. It's nice to see that ball get close to the hole and fall in.

Q. You talked about changes with the putter, can you talk about what those were?

TROY MATTESON: You know for me I've just been all year, I've been trying to stroke the ball. What that means, I'm trying to keep a good even pace to my stroke. Sometimes if you're not careful, if you get tentative, you get to pushing the ball on the green. A putt is just like an iron shot, you got to still hit it. You don't jab it, but you still got to hit it. I've just changed the tempo of my stroke a little bit and put more of a strike on the ball rather than try to stroke it. Especially when you get on greens like this that are fast, you want to hit that putt with confidence. If you do that, the ball will stay on line. If you are timid, you are going to start pushing that ball. When you push it, it could right, it could go left. It's important to be confident, especially when guys are making as many birdies as they are. You better be knocking down your birdie putts when you get them.

Q. Obviously you can feel the firmness of your putts as they left the club?

TROY MATTESON: Exactly. It's more of a strike than it is a stroke. Mike Bennett and Andy Palmer are two guys that I have been working with for a while. I would say several months or more, and they've been working on my ball striking. But the putting piece, I've been struggling with it. Like I said, they made a few comments. I started holing putts in the last practice round I had this week. I built a little confidence. Today has been a huge help. I know every day won't be like today. It's nice to know that you can knocked down some putts. You don't have to hit it in there three feet, or two feet. Or in my case, I like them when they are six inches or eight inches. I can make most of those.

Q. Did you notice the subtle changes to the course? Obviously it didn't impact your round. Could you tell this is a different course than the one you won on a few years ago?

TROY MATTESON: Yes, the few little trees they put in, they really made that drive on 9 a lot tougher. I hit it over there right today, I'm guilty. A lot of us would hit it to the right, or catch the right edge of the fairway and kick it in the rough and go for it. You have to hit a draw there and hit it close to that bunker and sneak it by. On 16, obviously, the same thing, a lot of guys would hit it down that right side, and it might bounce back out of the rough. Now there are trees to catch it. They've done a nice job of placement there. Conversion of par-5 to a par-4 I think is good. That hole, it's about the drive. If you hit a good drive, it's not a bad hole. If you hit a bad drive, it is rough. I think that's good. I like it when you come to a course, and you don't really notice the changes that much. That usually means that the changes were right.

Q. Troy, the other thing I want to ask you about, when you won here 3 years ago, I'm trying to remember, were you start to finish? Didn't you have to make a little run?

TROY MATTESON: No, I think what happened was, that was when we had the delay. I had to come back and play six holes in the morning. I never had to sleep on a lead. That was probably the biggest thing. I had the lead after the third round, and was able to go right into the last round, so I didn't have to have a night of restlessness.

Q. I would think with changes, one course, 72 holes, normal golf, it was important to get off to a fast start?

TROY MATTESON: You can always shoot a really deep round. Somebody is going to do it on Sunday this year. Somebody is going to shoot 8, 9 or 10-under, and they're going to sneak up there. They may not win. I recall something similar happening the year I won. Somebody shot 7 or 8-under on a reasonably windy day and kind of came out of nowhere. It is important to get running with the front horses on this course. You don't want to be in the back of the pack and just struggle. You have got to make birdies, and you got to keep making them. I think this course that is a unique mindset from the standpoint of even if you get a little bit ahead, you can't just go out there and coast. You got to put the pedal down and make birdies.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

TROY MATTESON: Thank you.