FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, February 26th, 2017

NBC SPORTS GROUP NOTABLE QUOTES – THE HONDA CLASSIC (FINAL ROUND)

NBC Sports Group Notable Quotes
The Honda Classic
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 (Final Round)
PGA National Resort & Spa (Champion Course)
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Rickie Fowler (12-under, winner) speaking with NBC Sports’ Steve Sands following his round
Rickie Fowler – “My putter saved me. I made some good putts. It was tough out there today. Fought as hard as I could. I felt like I hit a lot of good shots, or shots that I thought were going to turn out good. The wind was tough today. It was heavy. It was blowing pretty good, so it kept us on our toes. A few of those putts I made on 8, and the two birdies I made on 12 and 13… If I don’t make those putts, I’ve got a pretty tight race.”

Fowler – “I guess I can already plan on Hawaii for next year, so I guess that’s good. This kind of lets us chill out in a way. There’s less pressure, less stress. Just keep doing what we’re doing. Get in the gym. Keep working on stuff with Butch [Harmon] and moving forward. I think this is something we needed going into Augusta, and I definitely like the spot where we’re at right now.” 

On Fowler
Johnny Miller – “He held it together because of his putting. Obviously a win is a win. But you’ve got to learn to finish off Sundays like a true champion. But the bottom line, he just made the putts.”
Miller – “It’s hard to criticize a guy with a five shot lead, but it’s been a tiring round. There was nothing easy about it, except for those long birdie putts. Nobody put any pressure on him.”
Roger Maltbie – “I love this young man’s putting stroke.”

Jack Nicklaus speaking from NBC Sports’ 18th tower on Fowler’s golf swing tendencies
Jack Nicklaus – “I think that Rickie is constantly trying to take the club away first. He shifted his weight to his right foot, left the club there and moved his hands first. To me, that’s a recipe for disaster, but that’s his natural tendency. I don’t care how many lessons you take, when you get under pressure you’ll revert back to your natural tendencies. And if you revert back to them and you really know what you’re doing with them, you can get away with it. But sometimes trying to do what your teacher wants you to do, your natural tendencies fall in and all the sudden the ball goes everywhere.”

Nicklaus on Fowler
Nicklaus – ‘This kid to me is one of the great kids I’ve ever met.”

On Gary Woodland (8-under, T-2nd)
Gary Koch – “His rhythm has really gotten good here in the last year or so. He used to have a very quick transition from the top and a lot of down-cock in his swing. And I think he’s really smoothed that out a lot.”

Nicklaus on Tiger Woods
Jack Nicklaus – “I’m a little bit like everybody else, I’m a bit puzzled by it… Physically he looks fantastic. Mentally – he’s talking – he sounded great. But then he goes and plays and he either physically can’t make it or mentally…I don’t really know. And I’m not sure that he knows. It’s sad to me because he’s such a great talent… I’m sad to see it happen to him and I hope he gets it corrected.”

-NBC Sports Group-