FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, August 13th, 2017

NOTABLE QUOTES: GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP (SUNDAY, PRIMETIME)

Notable Quotes – 99th PGA Championship
Golf Central Live From the PGA Championship (Sunday, Primetime)
August 13, 2017
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.

On Justin Thomas (8-under, winner)
David Duval – “There is something historical about a lot of the things he did this year. The scores he shot, what he did at Erin Hills, what he did today after letting it get away from him at Erin Hills. It shows the resilience we want from our champions. There’s no reason to think he’s not going to be the Player of the Year.”
Frank Nobilo – “He hit rock bottom, three straight missed cuts. And then he shoots 67-80 at The Open. And then after that, all of a sudden he started to find his form again.”
Brandel Chamblee – “He won this event by two, but he won the short game contest today by six shots at least.”
Duval – “One thing he had even through the kind of lack of form is he still had his confidence. That didn’t get hurt. And when you get on a big boy golf course like this, he has a big boy game.”
Chamblee – “It’s so right that he is an extension of the organization that ran this championship.”
Rich Lerner – “We may not be witnessing Palmer and Nicklaus, but we are in the early stages of a new and exciting era in American golf.”

On the wave of 20-something stars emerging on the PGA TOUR
Nobilo – “We’ve talked about the new generation. I like the way they compete. It’s a bit like boxers where they can still embrace at the end of the fight. You should be able to almost hate someone for four hours in a polite way. And then in the end respect the fact that their golf was better than yours of vice versa.”

On Kevin Kisner (4-under, T-7th)
Chamblee – “It’s one thing to have the game, it’s another thing to have the experience. And he gained a lot. He came in here one player and he left a decidedly different player. The next time we see him in a major championship, you’d have to say you’ll like his odds a lot more. And if we played more courses where finding the fairway really mattered, we’d see a whole lot more of Kevin Kisner holding the trophies.”
Nobilo – “The weather on Friday night affected him. It’s very rare that someone plays four straight days of great golf.”

On Hideki Matsuyama (5-under, T-5th)
Duval – “On a Sunday, I don’t think you have to make a ton of 15-footers, but you have to make the four and five footers to win a golf tournament.”
Chamblee ­– “Justin’s had his day in the sun, and Hideki’s is coming. He’s got a great future ahead of him, and major championships are in his future for sure.”

-NBC Sports Group-