Travelers Championship
Friday, August 5, 2016
Marc Leishman
Quick Quotes
Q. 2-under today to get into a share of the lead. What was going right for you out there?
MARC LEISHMAN: Drove the ball pretty well again. Irons weren't quite as good as what they were yesterday, and got a couple of lucky breaks that I capitalized on. Happy with the day. Didn't play quite as well, but conditions were a little tougher obviously late in the day with the greens and a little bit of breeze up. It was challenging but happy with the day.
Q. It got pretty windy out there this afternoon. How did that affect things for you?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, it dried the course out a lot. Well, it dried out a lot more than I thought it might have. Seeing the course on Tuesday and Wednesday after that rain, and to see it today, it's very different. It's a good thing. Hopefully the rain stays away tomorrow and it'll keep firming up and getting tougher.
Q. What are you going to keep in mind going into the third round maybe channeling from your first round on Thursday, that 65?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I mean, hopefully keep driving the ball as I am. It would be nice to get a few iron shots a little bit closer and roll those putts in. That's obviously the most important thing. I wasn't able to roll too many in today, but still shot 2-under. Under par every day would be very nice.
Q. How tough was the scoring out there this afternoon?
MARC LEISHMAN: Definitely a lot different than it was yesterday morning. The course has firmed up a lot, which is great, and the wind got up a little bit today. You had to be playing good golf to shoot a really good number. I was able to get away with some average shots and still shoot under par, so it was nice.
Q. How was your ball-striking today?
MARC LEISHMAN: The driver was great. Irons were for the most part good, and felt like I putted well. Just the -- obviously late in the day the greens drying out a little bit, they got a little bit bumpy, but that's expected late in the day when you've got 150 players walking on them. Looking forward to getting out early tomorrow. I guess we've got the early start with the storms, get some fresh greens, hopefully make lots of birdies.
Q. Is your mindset going into tomorrow aggressive?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, you have to make lots of birdies around here. Even though I'm equal leader, I'm still going to have to make -- have two really good scores to have a chance to win on Sunday afternoon. That's the goal, to try and win, and try and make as many birdies as we can and see how we end up.
Q. What went well in your round? Was it a group of clubs, one or two in particular?
MARC LEISHMAN: Drove the ball well today. Hit a lot of fairways with the driver. Putter felt really good in my hand. It has all week. It was a little tougher to hole putts out there this afternoon with the late afternoon greens, but my whole game is feeling good. Hopefully I can continue to do what I'm doing and roll the putts in, and it's just nice to feel like you're going to hit a good shot when you're over it. It doesn't always go like that, so I'm enjoying it while it's happening, and hopefully it'll happen for a few more days yet.
Q. Are you surprised we're not seeing that many low scores?
MARC LEISHMAN: I was, yeah, I was surprised, actually. Especially this morning, I guess there were some guys that went low this morning, but they had the windier conditions yesterday afternoon, so I think it was a pretty fair draw. It was windy and the greens firmed up and everything firmed up, actually, so it was a fair bit tougher than it was yesterday morning, but I still thought someone would have got to 8-, 9-, 10-under, but it's easier said than done.
Q. How did you go about handling yourself on your back nine?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, you've got to try and hit the fairways and hit the greens and take your chances with the putter. When you start to get aggressive, too aggressive around here, that's when things can start going wrong with just missing the greens, especially with all the new run-offs. They're a lot more difficult than what they were the past few years. Like I said yesterday, the changes I think they've made are really good. They've toughened it up a bit, and the scores are reflecting that.
Q. Do you enjoy these tournaments where everyone seems to be bunched up and there's 40, 50 guys who could make a run at this over the next two days?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I would guess the field is within six shots, like whoever is going to make the cut, I guess, if the cut is still 1-under, which I'm assuming it is. You can make the cut on the number and be right in it. Obviously for the guys that have just made the cut, they would probably prefer the one-tee start, so that plays into the leaders' hands a little bit, but you've still got to go out and make birdies, so that's the plan for the next couple of days, try and make as many birdies as possible.
Q. When you won did you make the cut on the number?
MARC LEISHMAN: I can't remember to be honest. I think I had a decent first couple of days, but nothing amazing. I think I shot even par the third round.
Q. What do you think it's going to take this weekend?
MARC LEISHMAN: Well, it depends how much it softens up or if there is any rain tomorrow. If it softens up, someone can go really low. If we dodge the storm somehow and there's no rain, 12- or 13-under might be enough. It's hard to predict the winning score. Hopefully we can just have two good days and see where we end up.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev #1 by #166 at 2016-08-05 23:00:00 GMT
