NCAA Men's Golf West Regional Quotes: Round 2
May 16, 2008 | Men's Golf
May 16, 2008
AFTERNOON SESSION QUOTES
University of Washington Head Coach Matt Thurmond:
Did the team get caught up in their success on the front nine?:
"I think they did. Those were probably our three best nines in a row (all season long). We haven't been in the lead or that close to it that often this year. It's not that they are chokers or anything like that; it's just that it's tough to keep hitting the shots under pressure. They fought hard and Zach (Bixler) birdied 17, Nick (Taylor) birdied 16. I mean they did some good things coming in, but we threw away a lot of shots on the back nine."
On Nick Taylor:
"Nick is playing real good right now. We had high expectations coming into this tournament and (he) wanted to really do what he is doing and lead his team into the NCAA Championships and he is doing it."
On USC's dominance:
"USC is, I think, the best team in the country. They're really quite a bit better than a lot of the teams here. They have five number one men really. It's like having five Nick Taylors."
"I have a lot of respect for USC and it's going to take a miraculous round to take them down."
University of Oregon Head Coach Casey Martin:
On how the team playing at Gold Mountain previously has helped the team:
"Coming here in the fall was huge for us, plus the kids really love the golf course. They've been talking about it and they love it. That makes a big difference as far as having a good vibe."
On being in the final threesome on Saturday:
"We got off to a crummy start and I was a little worried that we were nervous. But, my kids are emotionally pretty strong even knowing they are pretty young. They tend to hang in there and we weathered that little beginning. We're really riding my two seniors right now. They're doing just tremendous and giving a lot of room for my freshmen to make some mistakes.
On whether he is surprised or not that scores haven't been lower:
"I thought maybe eight to 10-under would win and so we're kind of on pace for that, but there are some great players that haven't gone low yet and so I think it could happen tomorrow. It's really set up like a championship tournament and it's hard to make easy birdies."
On what advancing to the NCAA Championships will mean to the program:
"It would be great to earn a trip back, and I don't even want to talk about it yet until tomorrow, but it would be huge. We're so young - I say that but we have two seniors - we're starting three freshmen, so you don't know what to expect. It would be the first trip for the seniors and a great building block for the program, so I'm really hopeful we pull it off."
Joey Benedetti, Senior, University of Oregon:
On getting on a roll today:
"I was hitting a bunch of greens and that got me going. I was giving myself a couple good birdie looks early but I just got it on the wrong side of the hole and had downhill breakers, which I couldn't really be too aggressive with. A couple putts didn't break like I wanted them to early but then I put myself on the back fringe on 16 and put my putt to about 10 feet. Once that putt dropped for par it got me going a little bit."
On the difficulties of getting birdies today:
"Some of these pins are really tough and you can't really aim for a birdie or you're going to make bogey real easy. My mindset today was to keep hitting the greens. I figured it out pretty early that I was hitting the greens but just putting it on the wrong side of the hole. I kind of adjusted my game plan a little bit and tried to be a little more specific. So, it seemed to work out a little bit, getting some putts to drop. It was nice."
Nick Taylor, Sophomore, University of Washington:
On what hole got him started today:
"I made a big putt on two, three I made bogey, but then I made a good shot on four. I just played solid from there and I made a lot of big putts."
On struggles of the team down the stretch:
"We were playing well early and I guess a couple guys stumbled coming in. But we'll come back tomorrow."
On the importance of winning the individual title:
"If I'd win and we didn't make nationals it would be disappointing no matter what. I guess it would be a perk if we made it and I won, but our team making it would feel a lot better. It's the first goal and then after that it's whatever."
Mike McRae, Senior, St. Mary's:
Was it difficult to go for birdies today?:
"You'd think that because no one has gone that low. I mean, 6-under after two rounds isn't that deep. But, I was four-under after seven and was missing short birdie putts for the next five or six holes. If I would have converted on some of those chances then it would have been a really good round - like 10-under or something."
On the affects of playing with Oregon's Joey Benedetti:
"He played a great round and I hope I would have done the same if he had not been there, but it was fun. He kind of got off to a slow start, and then when I started to make some birdies he just kept following them. So, I hope I helped him, but I'm sure he would have done well (either way).
On what it feels like to be contending:
"Good. Fortunately I played well this spring. I've had a couple opportunities to get myself in position like this, so hopefully that experience will help me out tomorrow."
MORNING SESSION QUOTES
Clemson University Head Coach Larry Penley:
On his teams play today:
"I don't know how we're going to be at the end of the day, but I do feel like we played well. We had all five guys in the game all day. Obviously Kyle (Stanley) finished with a bogey, but he was solid all day as well. The 68 by Phillip Mollica is a very special round. He's made 12 birdies in two days and he's even par for the tournament! But, that 68 is a great team counting score. The other guys played solid all day. We were never in any real trouble. We just kept hitting fairways and greens, and that is just what you've got to do out here."
On the keys for Saturday:
"I think we need to get it in our mindset that we need to try to catch Southern California. We've seriously got to try and win the golf tournament. If we try just to make the top 10 then you kind of set yourself up for a disaster. We're going to try to be the West Regional champions and see if we can go and run Southern Cal down."
Phillip Mollica, Junior, Clemson:
On his hot start:
"I had a wild round yesterday, but I had a lot of offense as I made only four pars yesterday. I'm playing good. I'm just doing some stupid stuff. Today I just calmed down a little bit and got off to a good start."
On his mindset once he reached 5-under for the day:
"I just tried to tell myself to stay with it and take it one shot at a time and see what happens."
On the difficulty of the course today:
"They had some good pins today and tiered greens. It's a good golf course and once you get around the greens it will test your short game. It's playing hard."
USC Head Coach Chris Zambri:
On course conditions compared to yesterday:
"The course didn't play quite as difficult today. The winds weren't as strong. They were strong in the morning when we teed off. I think the guys played better today."
What they need to do on Saturday to ensure they end on top:
"We just have to keep playing well. We have five guys that definitely can score and that's important. In college golf it is just so important to have five guys you can count on because chances are that one is going to be off on a given day. So if your fifth man can score like your first or second man that's when you know you're in g good shape."
On the focus of the team:
"It's good. It has to be. This is our whole year. We've played in I don't know how many events, but this is kind of where our season starts in essence. If you can't focus now, then you better find another guy."
Rory Hie, Sophomore, USC:
On the course today:
"It's playing a lot easier today than it was yesterday. The front nine was playing as hard as it was yesterday, but then the wind died down. I made some putts out there and I look forward to playing a great round tomorrow."
On USC's great round as a team:
"Our team is very talented. Once we get it going I don't think anyone can beat us. A course like this suits our game because we're one of the longest teams in the country."
Tim Sluiter, Freshman, USC:
On the team's approach today:
"We took the same approach as yesterday. We played well yesterday too with three scores at even par and 3-over and 4-over. Yesterday was a hard day. Today the back nine the wind kind of died so the holes were a little easier. I think the guys are playing well, so things are pretty good at the moment."
On the wind dying down on 1-9 after having a windy front nine (10-18):
"I don't know if we were lucky or unlucky, it doesn't really matter. I think we're doing alright and we're playing well. We're just a great team and we're just having fun."
Erik Flores, Junior, UCLA:
On keys to his 2-under par round:
"I hit it well today. I had a lot of opportunities and kept it pretty stress-free today. I hit 16 greens and didn't have any bogeys, which really helps, but it's playing tough. It's hard to take it that low because the greens are fast and you've got to take it on the right side of the hole to have aggressive putts. It helped that the wind calmed down on the hard side (front nine)."
On his place in the standings:
"There is a lot of golf to still be played today with the whole afternoon wave, so I'm not really even thinking about that today. As long as I can dial in my yardages like I did today and keep hitting it in the fairway and as long as you understand that there is a miss on every hole and as long as you hit it to the larger side of the green, you know, it can be fairly stress free and there are some birdies to have. I need to capitalize on par-5s in order to score better tomorrow. I didn't do that, so if I make some more putts, everything should be good."
On the course and weather:
"The course is really good. It's one of my favorite places actually. I've been up here before and it's set up really well. I think it's fair and rewards good shots. The weather is really good. It's windy, which adds a nice element and makes sure the better teams get through just because it demands more. I think it's really good and it's been awesome so far."
