FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 11th, 2018

NOTABLE QUOTES: THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, FRIDAY’S 2ND ROUND

Golf Channel Notable Quotes

THE PLAYERS Championship (Second Round, 1-7 p.m. ET)

TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Friday, May 11

**Golf Central Live From THE PLAYERS continues Saturday on Golf Channel from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET.

**Live third round coverage of THE PLAYERS Championship airs Saturday on NBC from 2-7 p.m. ET.

On Webb Simpson, leader at 15-under par, tying the course record with a 63 on Friday

Terry Gannon – “Ties the course record at 63, and he honestly can say that it could have been better.”

Nick Faldo – “There is something about coming in under the radar for the first couple of days while the super groups took all of the media attention. You can come and do your own thing.”

Mark Rolfing – “Vegas has been astonished by what he’s been seeing from Webb. Watching Vegas’ face has been great.”

On Simpson’s tee shot on the par-3 17th that found the water

Gannon – “A lot of dreams have been dashed at that cauldron that is 17 through the years. Today is where a possible 59 went to die.”

Faldo – “Pete Dye and the golfing gods were watching.”

Simpson speaking with Golf Channel’s Steve Sands following his round

Webb Simpson – “It was a lot of fun. I felt like everything was working today. Putts that I’m just trying to get close are going in. I kind of rode the momentum and kept going.”

Simpson, on his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole that went in the water

Simpson – “I backed off a couple of times because the wind seemed to be changing and people were yelling at me to hit it. Honestly, I felt pretty good over it. Just blocked it a little bit. Was trying to smash it. I don’t think it was a mistake, just the wrong club probably.”

Simpson, on re-grouping on the 18th tee

Simpson – “I just kept reminding myself that I’m playing great today. What is most important is the next shot. 18 is a tough shot. It is a big confidence booster to make a good swing on that 5-wood. The second shot was a good shot with that 8-iron. Just wasn’t quite enough club and a tough two-putt. Today I’ll be able to easily block out 17 and take all of the positives.”

Simpson – “My mindset today was one shot at a time. I knew the golf course would get faster the longer we were out there. Tomorrow is probably going to be even faster. I have to be a little defensive, not because of the lead but because of what is front of us on the golf course. The greens will be a little quicker, and I’ve done a good job so far of playing smart and taking my medicine if I drive in the rough. That will be a big deal tomorrow and I’ve just got to keep playing golf.”

On Friday’s second round at TPC Sawgrass

Faldo – “Watching all of the faces come in, it is a mental battle. If you hit them with a 2×4 block of wood, they won’t feel a thing, half of them. They are that dazed, that done after a day’s work here at the TPC trying to play and get around the course. It is a brutal test. But, that is what you are meant to do if you are going to be THE PLAYERS Champion.”

David Feherty – “Justin Leonard and I were talking about this earlier. You look at your hole locations when you receive the sheet. Everyone looks at 17 first.”

 

Golf Central Live From THE PLAYERS Notable Quotes

Primetime, Friday, May 11

On Webb Simpson and his putting improvements

Brandel Chamblee – “What we have seen here though the first 36 holes is a comeback story. Taken away from him was his ability to anchor, it really sent him to Purgatory. To see someone come back and recreate – because we have seen so many players that suffered from this ban and they have been unable to recreate another method that allowed them to have success. They essentially had their star status all take away from them. And he’s back. He has figured it out.”

Chamblee – “This year, he has been nothing short of miraculous. He is one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR. It has given him his star status back and that is the large part of the reason why he is on top of the leaderboard right now.”

David Duval – “He is walking around the golf course more similar to how he did when he was winning the U.S. Open and the months following that. There is confidence there again.”

Duval – “When you figure out something that has been deficient, it feeds back through everything else, it frees you up. And then all of a sudden your chest is a little more out, your head is a little higher, and that is what I see in Webb Simpson right now.

On Friday’s second round at TPC Sawgrass

Duval – “An incredible performance today by Webb Simpson, but also an incredible performance by the rest of this field. We’ve touted this is the best field in golf. T best players in the world are here, but I’m still taken aback by the scores they have shot so far.”

Duval – “The scoreboard makes it look like this golf course is playing easy. It is simply not the case. That is a false narrative. The golf course is still difficult, and the PGA TOUR is going to try to toughen it up even more this weekend.”

Frank Nobilo – “It is like the Disneyland of golf. The golf course appears artificial to the eye. But it does exactly what it is designed to do. It drives people crazy but it is a great show.”

 

-NBC Sports Group-