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Saturday, March 12th, 2016

Notable Quotes: Valspar Championship on NBC (Third Round)

NBC Sports Group Notable Quotes
Valspar Championship (Third Round)
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club (Copperhead Course), Palm Harbor, Fla.

Bill Haas (8-under, 1st) speaking with Golf Channel on NBC’s Steve Sands following his round
Bill Haas – “I made some nice putts early and my loose shots on the back nine I was able to get away with… Overall somewhat solid…”

On his father Jay Haas’ influence on his game and having spent time practicing with him earlier in the week
Haas – “I use him for every bit of advice I can get. Everything I do in this game is because of what he taught me growing up. And I was lucky that he didn’t have anything going on this week and he came down and watched me hit a few. And mentally he’s just usually that guy that helps puts things in perspective for me. If I’m complaining, he just says, ‘well if you want to have a long career, get used to the lows and just enjoy the highs.’ That’s kind of what I’m trying to do and I haven’t been good lately. But like this week shows, you never know what can happen. And hopefully I’ll have a good day tomorrow.”

On Haas
Gary Koch – “You look at the way he’s played the last couple of rounds, it’s two of the best scores we’ve seen this week. He’s number one in greens hit in regulation for the week and he’s number one in scrambling. I think a lot of that has to do with that little change he made with the putter. He’s putting with quite a bit of confidence.”

Koch – “Interestingly I think Bill lacks a little self-confidence sometimes. He made a comment after [Friday’s] good round that ‘the great players play well all the time, and well, I’m just happy to be up there every now and then.’ So a little surprising for a guy who’s won six times already out on TOUR. He needs to exhibit more confidence in his own ability. This guy can perform in pressure situations. And the other thing is sometimes Bill can be a little hard on himself, and it can get in your way.”

On Graham DeLaet (7-under, 2nd)
Koch – “He’s an excellent ball striker, there’s no doubt about it. And if he’s going to win, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him do it on a course like this where you don’t have to shoot a really low score.”

On the affect of Innisbrook’s greens playing slower than usual after enduring several rainy months leading up to the tournament
Koch – “Especially for the players who have played here a number of times in the past, these players have great memories. And when you putt from a certain position, you’re just putting from memory. And the greens are just not as quick as they have been in the past. And consequently I think that’s one of the reasons that we’re seeing so many putts come up short.”

Koch – “You would think after three days that these guys would start to adjust a little bit. Playing the game of golf is about adjusting to the conditions. And I know these greens are much slower than they’re used to playing them. But at some point you should start to make that adjustment.”

Justin Leonard (T-39th) joining the broadcast in the tower and weighing in on the speed of the greens
Justin Leonard – “We’re so used to seeing the greens get faster as the week goes on, and it just hasn’t happened this week.”

-NBC Sports Group-