Travelers Championship
Friday, June 23, 2017
Chase Seiffert
Quick Quotes
Q. Talk about first off the round today followed by yesterday's good round. You have to be very pleased going into the weekend at 6-under?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Yes, sir. I'm very pleased. I feel like I let a really good round get away yesterday towards the end. So I came out with nice intensity today. Hit a nice little two on No. 3 to get the round jump started, and after that just kind of kept the ball in front of me. I really did.
Q. You played well in the Monday qualifier, so you've kept that going even though you had a few days off. Nice little run you have going right now.
CHASE SEIFFERT: Yes, sir. I've been playing well for a couple weeks now. It's just I needed to get into an event and keep it going. I played well practice rounds Monday. Played one Monday, played one practice here, just keep it going.
Q. You're a Florida State guy. We saw the big logo on the front of the golf bag. You played with Brooks Koepka. How much fun was that? And who was the longest hitter, you or the U.S. Open champion?
CHASE SEIFFERT: The U.S. Open Champion is a longer hitter. It was a ton of fun. We had a great golf team back then. Any guy on that team could be out here right now, and two of them are, Daniel and Brooks. We had a great golf team and it was a lot of fun.
Q. When you play Florida State golf, you mention Daniel Berger and Brooks Koepka, but you go back to Hugh Green, Paul Azinger, George McNeill and yourself. Great tradition at Florida State, isn't there?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Yeah, I was so happy to go there because I live just down the road in Panama City. It was close to home, just far enough, great program, great facilities.
Q. Tell me about Saturday, you're heading into the third round at 6-under, just a couple shots back. What is the thought process? Are you excited? Nervous, what's going through your mind?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Very excited. Trying to get some rest tonight, really. It's been a long week with Monday and trying to learn this course so quickly. You would think that after doing it, just rest and relax, and it's going to be a fun weekend. It's my first time in this position, but I think I'm going to handle it well.
Q. Very colorful scorecard today. But two eagles out there. Walk us through the one at three and the one at 13?
CHASE SEIFFERT: I got off to a shaky start. I wasn't hitting it my best. Hit a nice driver on 3. And I just a flighted draw 9-iron and I happened to jump at the right second as it was spinning and going in the hole. Really nice to get the round started that way.
Q. How about the other?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Hit a nice tee ball on 13. That's a really tough tee shot. Had a perfect number for 3-wood. Hit a tight draw off the tower in the back back there and it ended up six inches or so, easy eagle.
Q. Amazing that you're in contention given where you were at the start of the week to Monday qualifying in your second PGA TOUR event. What has this week been like for you?
CHASE SEIFFERT: It's been a lot of fun. Early in the week, I was just trying to manage my energy levels. Monday it was kind of tiring. Having to come out here and play a lot of holes and learn this golf course, but it's so exciting. Once the tournament gets started, you have all the adrenaline. It's just been a great experience this week.
Q. Not just playing on the PGA TOUR, but to finish with this stretch of 16, 17, and 18 with the crowd at this course and this tournament, how much energy does that give you?
CHASE SEIFFERT: A lot. You ease up on that 15th tee and you get a little extra rush. They're so supportive. It's nice hearing the huge roar when you hit a good shot, it really is.
Q. Finally, Brooks Koepka, an amazing run last weekend. What's your communication with him? What kind of conversation have you had since then?
CHASE SEIFFERT: I haven't actually spoken to him in a little while, believe it or not, going back a couple years even. No, I'm so happy for him. The course sets up so beautifully for him. It really did the whole time, and he went out and executed.
Q. Good playing out there. What does this week mean to you as far as your status for the rest of the year and where you're going to be playing?
CHASE SEIFFERT: I came in the week with no status on any TOUR. I knew my game was really good, and good enough to even be out here. I just had to get it done. I played well on Monday, and to come out and play the first two rounds like I did, it gives me a lot of confidence. I'm very excited for what happened at the end of the week.
Q. Have you successfully Mondayed this year?
CHASE SEIFFERT: I did. I successfully into the RSM Classic in November. Played well, made the cut there, but didn't do so well on the weekend. But it's still a good experience.
Q. It's like a specialized tire. You've got to sprint.
CHASE SEIFFERT: You've got to come out of the gate and make birdie on every hole, that's what you have to do.
Q. You played well in qualifying at the U.S. Open. Did it give you confidence playing that first round well?
CHASE SEIFFERT: It did. I was fairly close to getting into the U.S. Open if I had played my last nine holes a little bit better. But that did. It was a nerve-racking 36 holes there, but I hit it pretty nicely under the gun early on.
Coming here, I knew it was going to be the same kind of feeling. Get all the nerves and hit it as well as I did, it definitely helped playing here.
Q. Coming in here, as a qualifier do you feel there is pressure on you to perform, or there is no pressure because people don't know who you are?
CHASE SEIFFERT: It's definitely pressure just because I know what's at stake. A good week, and I could maybe get a card or something like that, so there's definitely pressure in that regard. Maybe less than some people. But there is definitely some pressure.
Q. Does it give you some strength or courage or belief in yourself to know that Daniel Berger, and Koepka, and people that you played with or against in college are out here? They're getting it done. You're just as good?
CHASE SEIFFERT: It does. All five of the players on our team are -- really all seven or eight of the players on our team could be here right now. Two of them are. Everyone was a good player. Daniel and Berger and myself, we all competed every day in qualifying. I knew I was comparable to them and still am. Absolutely. That team was really good. That helped me get to where I am today playing those guys every day.
Q. How difficult was it -- it seemed that wind would kick up, and then it would die down. Then it would kick up again and it was sort of uneven. Is that more difficult to play even when wind is consistent?
CHASE SEIFFERT: That is more difficult. You can hit a good shot playing for wind. Wind dies down and you can do it over the back. So it's kind of managing that and trying to play to the best sides of the green. But being aggressively conservative is what I would say is what you're trying to do. Especially in the closing stretch here you've got a lot of hard holes. Par is a good score, and a lot of these holes out here are just kind of playing that way.
Q. When is the last time you had two eagles?
CHASE SEIFFERT: A month ago, probably he. On a small, Mini Tour event (laughing).
Q. How do you like this hot weather? Does it make you feel like Florida?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Feels like home, absolutely. Feels like home.
Q. What is your history in the northeast? How have you played up here in this part of the world?
CHASE SEIFFERT: I haven't been -- well, I played the Canadian Tour in 2015, so I guess I have been this far north. But I haven't been this far northeast really. But I love the area up here. I love the climate. It's gorgeous. Everything's so green and beautiful.
Q. Your start on the front side kind of set you back a little bit. What was the difference today on the front?
CHASE SEIFFERT: It's funny, I played well on the back yesterday, and when we were making the turn I was telling David, my caddie, we've got the easier side coming up. Let's get some birdies there, and then I played that one worse.
But I still feel like that is the easier side from my opinion off the tee and in the approach. So I just played it a little better today. I played it smarter, missed it in the correct spots and pulled the shot and a nice birdie on 8.
Q. Where's home for you now?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Panama City Beach, Florida.
Q. David's last name?
CHASE SEIFFERT: Hanson.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev #1 by #170 at 2017-06-23 19:00:00 GMT