Media Center Interviews
April 5, 2025
Third Round Interview with Tom Hoge
Q. Tom, 4under 68 today, just what was feeling good out there for you?
TOM HOGE: Well, I knew it was going to be really hard, first of all, and just tried to make as many pars as I could. Even the downwind holes right off the start on hole 1, I had a 56degree wedge, I wasn't sure I could hit the green with it because it was bouncing that much when I did land the green. I felt like off the start I wasn't as sharp, but I made some really nice par saves all the way through 8 and then I started hitting a few better shots starting with a 5iron through 9 that kind of got me going the rest of the way.
Q. You mentioned bouncy greens. How would you describe the conditions out there today?
TOM HOGE: Yeah, it was tough. Totally opposite wind than we've had the last two days, so made a little more thought off the tees to figure out the new golf course, so to speak.
Like I said, even the downwind holes, they were a challenge because the ball was bouncing out so much. You know, I just tried to battle and fight and knew I had to make a lot of those six, sevenfoot par putts in there, which I did off the start, and that kind of kept me in things.
Q. With the bouncy greens as well as tough winds, how do you kind of make decisions around this golf course where you need to flight a ball into a bouncy green to like make it stop but also manage the wind?
TOM HOGE: Yeah, it's a challenge. I felt like for me on the front nine I missed a lot of them where I was chipping back into the wind, so a little more control over the ball chipping, which made a big difference. It's tough, you're just trying to time those wind gusts right, hope you get a little bit lucky out there.
Q. You've won at Pebble Beach, obviously a strong performance at PLAYERS this year in tough conditions. What about tough conditions brings out the best in your game?
TOM HOGE: I just think that I played a lot of wind, I've been at home in Ft. Worth, Texas, the last few weeks here, it's been really windy so certainly felt comfortable in these conditions. Just know everyone's going struggle with it, so just hang in there the best I can.
Q. So how did you how were you able to come on strong on the back nine where you birdied four of the holes?
TOM HOGE: I felt like there were a few more birdie opportunities on the back nine. On 17 the tee was up, you could drive 17 today, and 14 you could get there with iron in. So a few easier holes, a few more opportunities. Then I hit a couple better iron shots as well on 10 and 12 to give myself some chances.
