Travelers Championship
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Chez Reavie
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us after round three of the Travelers Championship. You make the turn trailing by 6; go home even par. What happened?
CHEZ REAVIE: You know, Zack got some tough breaks. I was able to just keep plugging along and make a few putts. Yeah, the rest is history.
THE MODERATOR: Putting has been just phenomenal this week. Asked you on the way in is this a carryover from the good performance last week.
CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, I putted really well last week. Sunday I didn't make a whole a lot of putts, but hit a lot of good putts that just didn't go in.
Been feeling great with the putter for a while now.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say it's tough. It's tougher when you're on the other end when you're seeing a guy making a bunch of birdies and you're making some bogeys.
I kind of felt that way a little bit on the front nine. He came out hot and was making birdies early and I was just kind of making pars. Made a silly bogey on the Par 5 there. I kind of felt that way and I just tried to stay patient and tried not to press, stayed playing the game plan I came up with earlier in the week.
And so when I start making putts I think he started feeling it a little bit and started playing a little bit more aggressively than he normally would've.
Q. Have you ever shot a 28 for nine holes, and was there anything in particular that really changed for you between the front and the back?
CHEZ REAVIE: I mean, I hit the ball a little closer on the back than I did on the front, but I hit a lot of great shots on the front, too. I would say the front was a little tougher for me. Some of the holes are real long and playing into the wind today. I was hitting 5-wood. Like at 4 and 5 I hit 5 -- wood at both of those holes and hit good shots.
So I just got some more scorable clubs on the back nine in my hands. I have shot 28 before on nine holes, but not on tour, I don't believe. I've done it at home.
Q. You've closed out 54-hole leads before. It's been a little while. What are you going to feel tomorrow?
CHEZ REAVIE: Tomorrow I'll be nervous, just as I was nervous today and nervous last week. I think I've been in the heat a lot more the last few years, so I kind of know how to deal with my nerves a little bit better.
Going to come out and stick to the game plan I've had all week. Hit as many fairways as I can and get good numbers, and get scorable clubs in my hands and try and make birdies.
If I go out and shoot 5 or 6-under tomorrow, if someone catches me they're going to play a hell of a round. That's my goal. Go shoot 5 or 6-under par tomorrow.
Q. Standing on 10 tee with everything that happened before you and in your group, are you shocked, stunned that you're leading by six?
CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, definitely, especially the way he was playing. He was playing great. The bogeys and doubles -- he hit a bad tee shot on 10, but his tee shot on 11 wasn't terrible. The wind just kind of blew it over there and then he was plugged in the bunker. Really tough break.
Then he hit lip of the bunker on the next hole, lip of the bunker on the next hole. He got some tough breaks. It was tough to watch because he didn't really hit that bad of golf shots. I was picking my lines and trying to avoid the bunkers.
Q. Mentally and physically what are your energy levels like? Brooks was talking earlier about how competing last week had really taken it out of him. There is a drain competing in a major and playing the next week. So far you're handling it well.
CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, definitely. I feel great. I really made a point to rest Monday, Tuesday, and most of Wednesday as much as I could. I was definitely drained on Monday and Tuesday after last week, but now it's tournament time. There is no time to be tired. I'll go get some rest tonight and be ready to go tomorrow.
Q. You put a lot of those approach shots so close to the pin. A lot of people were having trouble with the wind. What do you do to compensate for that, and how did you get them so close?
CHEZ REAVIE: I think it started on 10. On 9 and 10 I kind of started to get a good feel for the wind and how it was it affecting my golf ball. Fortunately today it was kind of stayed steady in the same direction, so I just kind of navigated my way around in the yardage book to figure out where it was.
And then had some good numbers in the fair ways, too. On the last hole it was 160 yards, but since the wind was in off the left I could hit an 8-iron as hard as I could and I knew it wouldn't go too far. Whereas if that wind is a little off the left of helping off the left I might not have been able to get a 9 there, but 8-iron I would've had to take some off.
Today it was nice because I could go ahead and hit it full.
Q. Last time you had a lead this big going into the final round would be when?
CHEZ REAVIE: Never. Yeah, junior golf maybe. Yeah.
Q. You're making your ninth start here at Travelers Championship. Good finishes. You obviously like the course.
CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, the golf course is great. You can shape it both ways off the tee; hit every club in your bag from longer irons to short irons. It's just a test of all your shots. That's something I like. I'm a shot maker. I like to work it both ways. Fortunately I don't have to hit hybrid like I did at Bethpage.
Q. Trying to remember, were you out front in Canada?
CHEZ REAVIE: I was. I was leading at Canada. We played like 34 holes on Friday. I took the lead after Friday.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, it's been great. I've been improving every year the last three, four years. Been working with Mark Blackburn. He's helped me a bunch. He kind of came up with a game plan, and even when I try and jump off and want to do something different he slaps me back in between the lines and keeps me focused. It's been great and I've seen gradual improvement every day.
Shooting 7-under on the back nine I was very comfortable because I've been up on top of the leaderboard a lot the last couple years, more than I had been before, so I'm more comfortable in that situation.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
CHEZ REAVIE: I would say it's been more gradual. Obviously when you start working with a new coach you hope you got the magic pill and you start winning the next week. It's been years in the making.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Hope to see you right back here tomorrow.
CHEZ REAVIE: Thank you. Thank you guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev #1 by #179 at 2019-06-22 22:49:00 GMT
