Media Center Interviews

March 31, 2022

First Round Interview with J.J. Spaun

Q. J.J., 5-under 66, if we can get some comments on a solid opening round.

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, played solid. I kind of caught fire there in the middle of the round and started to run with it and it was nice to finish off 18 with a birdie and shoot 67. Yeah, overall solid day.

Q. Take us through that stretch with the eagle on 8 and the birdies on 10, 11 and 12.

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, like I missed a short putt on 1 for birdie and then made kind of a dumb bogey on 3, so that put me at even. Then I bogeyed, what is that, 7 just trying to get cute with that left pin with the right-to-left wind and just overturned it into the bunker, was pretty much dead. Hit a good putt.

It was kind of weird, I felt like I was playing good but I wasn't playing like 1-over golf through seven holes. Then I feel like that's the best feeling going from 1 over to 1 under so that kind of gave me a lot of energy and confidence going the rest of the round. Made a nice putt on (inaudible) pouring them in and playing the par 5s well. I don't think I made a 5 today. I think I made three bogeys, they were all on the par 3s, which is not typical for me. I don't know, I didn't play them great today. Hopefully, do a better job tomorrow.

Q. I think it's your fifth time here. Does the course seem to be playing a little bit different this year?

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, it's -- trying to think. For the most part it's similar with the wind. And today was nice, it settled down a little bit with the wind. It was weird, though. Out there it got very variable where it was kind of like going in all different directions. Even though it's 5 miles an hour, still that makes a difference. I think the heat makes the course a lot different. The ball goes further, some of these par 5s play a lot shorter and obviously the firmness, so it's definitely different than the last five years I've been out here.