FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 1st, 2017

NOTABLE QUOTES: THE PRESIDENTS CUP – SUNDAY SINGLES MATCHES ON NBC & GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE PRESIDENTS CUP

NBC Sports Group Notable Quotes
The Presidents Cup
Sunday Singles Matches / Golf Central Live From the Presidents Cup
Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017
Liberty National Golf Club
Jersey City, N.J.

**The U.S. Team defeated the Internationals 19-11 to retain the Presidents Cup.
**The Internationals won the Sunday singles matches over the U.S. Team 7.5-4.5
**Golf Central Live From the Presidents Cup is airing now on Golf Channel until 8 p.m. ET, recapping the 2017 Presidents Cup.

Sunday Singles Matches Results

Kevin Chappell halved Marc Leishman
Jason Day def. Charley Hoffman 2&1
Hideki Matsuyama def. Justin Thomas 3&1
Daniel Berger def. Si Woo Kim 2&1
Charl Schwartzel def. Matt Kuchar 1up
Louis Oosthuizen def. Patrick Reed 1up
Dustin Johnson halved Branden Grace
Adam Scott def. Brooks Koepka 3&2
Jhonattan Vegas def. Jordan Spieth 2&1
Kevin Kisner halved Anirban Lahiri
Phil Mickelson def. Adam Hadwin 2&1
Rickie Fowler def. Emiliano Grillo 6&4

 

U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Steve Stricker speaking with NBC’s Steve Sands following the U.S. Team’s victory

Steve Stricker – “It has been a great ride. There is a lot of hard work from everybody involved. All of the players, the assistant captains. It was just a great group of guys. They played so well together. They get along so well. They came in here riding a ton of momentum and a ton of confidence. It was just about getting out of their way, really. Put some good pairings together and get out of their way. They just played unbelievably well.”

Stricker – “Our guys just came in with a little bit better form than the International team I think is the bottom line. They have great players on their but I think some of their great players weren’t playing up to their capabilities and our guys were. And we’re playing right here in front of a hometown crowd. All of that makes a huge difference. So proud of my guys.”

Stricker – “Guys talked about it last night. They wanted to make a mark. But ultimately this was the goal. Win the thing at the start of the week. Keep the Cup where it belongs here in the U.S. But we had to have something to go for today We had to set another goal today. Winning the session was another goal. I don’t think any team has ever won all of the sessions. So that was another big goal of ours today too. I don’t know if we’re going to get to that point today, but I had to try to keep them going it. It was easy for them to come out lazy and lax. They fought hard still to begin today.”

International team captain Nick Price speaking with NBC’s Jimmy Roberts

Nick Price – “I just said [to Stricker] you’ve got a hell of a team, enjoy the ride. This is a juggernaut of a U.S. team. I think we all knew that going into this week. And every time we had any momentum early on in the rounds, they would shut our momentum down. And that’s a sign that they’re an overpowering team. They’ve played some phenomenal golf this week. The quality of golf yesterday in that breezy, cool weather was just incredible. We kept losing holes to birdies. It wasn’t like we were making bogeys and double bogeys. These guys were firing on all eight cylinders and it was tough to watch. Especially being on the receiving end of it.”

Price – “I said [to Si Woo Kim] that I know he’s going to play in a lot more of these. He has got some guts. He’s got a big heart and we saw that yesterday how fired up he was. And again today I walked three of four holes with him and he made some great putts to counter Daniel Berger. And I think he’s going to be a great team member because he really gets it. He understands the match play and the pride in it and what the team spirit is. And he’s going to be a great asset to our team.

U.S. Team assistant captain Davis Love III speaking with NBC’s Jimmy Roberts

Davis Love III – “They came in excited and ready to go. Steve’s been talking to them really all year about being prepared, being rested, being fired up about it because of the momentum we’ve had the last two years in Korea on the Presidents Cup and then last year at Hazeltine. We wanted to keep that momentum going.”

Love III – “I saw that they’ve really come together over the last couple of years. These guys are famous for traveling together and having fun together. But the thing is they support each other so much. And that was a big message the last couple teams. Get together, support each other and don’t listen to the outside noise. Because they talk about the Americans that they don’t care or that they don’t try. You see these guys in the team room or working hard on the golf course, they’re trying sometimes too hard. And I think they finally figured out how to relax and play. It showed the first couple of days here that they just came out guns blazing. So I’m proud of them for really what they’ve done the last three Cups. They’ve really changed the attitude for our U.S. team.”

On the 2017 Presidents Cup

Brandel Chamblee – “A very memorable week for a lot of different reasons. A decisive victory by the Unites States, a patriotic backdrop, and an unprecedented week for four reasons. Four different Presidents showed up here. That is a sporting first. In the history of sports, there’s never been this many Presidents – past and sitting – assemble for a sporting event.”

Frank Nobilo – “These are different times in more ways than one. We have a youth movement, and the majority of those are on the American side… It’s going to be a case of trying to do what the American team did with the Ryder Cup. I think the Internationals will look really hard at themselves and figure out a way to beat the mighty American side.”

David Duval – “Players from eight countries were represented on their side, and it’s that much more difficult to form a cohesive team.”

Chamblee – “Besides the obvious disadvantage of competitive imbalance, they’re missing a spark. They’ve never found that spark. Seve was that spark for Europe.”

Rich Lerner – “I think for drama, you have to go to Broadway. This was more like a feel-good American musical.”

On whether the Presidents Cup format needs revisited

Nobilo – “I think the format could be tweaked, but I don’t think it needs to be fixed. One of the hardest things is the reality that it is every two years… When I was involved we didn’t quite figure out how to fix the problem. You were aware of it, but couldn’t fix it.”

Chamblee – “There’s been a huge competitive imbalance. If you put the numbers out there, it calls for something different. I don’t know why it has to copy the Ryder Cup. It’s not just the lesser ranked players that have struggled… With their record you can see that they just haven’t been able to get it done.”

Chamblee – “Youthful exuberance and an infusion of vigor from young players and talent upended what the Ryder Cup was [in 2016]. It’s defeats like this that definitely lead to that spark.”

Duval – “They have to have something to start rallying around, similar to what the U.S. now has. They do have to find – whether it’s that pairing that’s like a Spieth/Reed pairing – something that they can really hang their hat on and everyone else can rally around.”

On Sunday’s Singles Matches

Johnny Miller – “The Internationals are playing today the way they should have played on Thursday starting these matches.”

Peter Jacobsen – “This is the kind of play we expected from them early in the week.”

Dan Hicks – “The sportsmanship at this Presidents Cup has been stellar.”

Miller – “They [The Internationals] have been playing well. They had a goal to get some redemption and a little bit of pride back after winning only two out of 18 matches in the first three days.”

Miller – “They [The Internationals] pulled up their pants, so to speak, and played really well today.”

Hicks – “Although the Internationals played tough on this Sunday – they won the final day – the U.S. just had too much team firepower in the team matches.”

Hicks – “Tight knit group they are, no doubt about it.”

Miller – “The American team really gelled well today. In the old days it was a lone wolf mentality for the American team. The quality of play was amazing. The first three days just won it for the U.S.”

On Daniel Berger defeating Si Woo Kim 2&1 to retain the Presidents Cup

Hicks – “Berger and Kim have been lighting up Liberty National.”

Miller – “He [Kim] has really bought into this today. He has had more emotion today than anybody”

Feherty – “He has been a great character and has enjoyed the match between Daniel Berger. They have been giving each other a hard time today.”

Hicks – “No one more excited to be a part of this team atmosphere for the U.S. than Berger.”

Daniel Berger speaking with NBC’s Jimmy Roberts following his match

Daniel Berger – “Captain Stricker came up to me on 16 and told me that we had clinched it. What a feeling. We’ve been here for the past week but we’ve been planning this for months. It is just a great feeling.”

Berger – “It was more about the team, it wasn’t about me. I was just really happy to be able to close out my match today. Si Woo played great. We exchanged a bunch of birdie putts coming down the stretch. Just so happened that I came out on the right side of that.”

Berger – “It is definitely high up there. I’m speechless right now. Just so excited for the team. Hopefully the rest of the guys go out there and finish off some of their matches and then we celebrate tonight.”

On Phil Mickelson defeating Adam Hadwin 2&1

Maltbie – “It’s just so tough playing against Phil in these matches.”

Jacobsen – “He is just a magic man. It’s incredible the way he can get out of trouble and put pressure on you.

Phil Mickelson speaking with NBC Sports’ Roger Maltbie

Phil Mickelson – “It was really weird to have a stress-free Sunday singles. We always are feeling it in the team room. We’re always really focused. We’re usually going through the game plan Saturday night for the next day how we’re going to attack it. It was a totally different feel. This is a special team. There’s not only a lot of great talent here, but they’re getting the best out of each other. It’s exciting to see and it’s exciting to be a part of.”

Mickelson – “Next year going to Paris and being a part of the Ryder Cup team… It’s been 25 years since we’ve won a Ryder Cup over there. And that would be a real big goal of mine. So I’ve got a lot to work hard on and look forward to and a lot of goals to achieve to make that team and be a part of it. But I think that would really be a career moment for me if we can go over there and keep the Ryder Cup.”

Mickelson – “We have a dynamic here that is different than I’ve seen. And that is that these young guys are not only great players and fiercely competitive. But they have a quality that has taken me decades to acquire and that is they are genuinely happy for each other’s success. And that type of support amongst each other – even though they are competing against each other – brings about a really special energy and dynamic to this team.”

On Kevin Chappell and Marc Leishman halving their match

Roger Maltbie – “How many big putts has Leishman made in the past month. You wouldn’t want him putting against you.”

On Hideki Matsuyama defeating Justin Thomas 3&1

Hicks – “Crazy good golf from Matsuyama today.”

Mark Rolfing – “Matsuyama has been relentless and eventually just wore Justin Thomas down.”

Miller – “Matsuyama played great. One of the best matches all week for the International team.”

On Dustin Johnson halving his match with Branden Grace

Dustin Johnson speaking with NBC’s Jimmy Roberts following his match

Dustin Johnson – “I think we all enjoy playing these events, whether it’s the Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup. All the guys want to make the team, we all want to play on the team. We just have some much fun when we come here and do this. It’s a week like no other. We’ve got a young team. I think we’re going to be really good for a long time.”

On Adam Scott defeating Brooks Koepka 3&2

Miller – “He has made putts from all over the place today. He’s come alive.”

Adam Scott speaking with NBC’s Steve Sands following his match

Adam Scott – “I’m sure the response to people watching at home has been amazing. Every message I got said it just looks spectacular on TV. Golf wasn’t so spectacular unfortunately. That can happen in golf and in sport… I think for the Internationals we just need to get more invested in it. The American team gets to play every year. Which can be tiresome because these weeks are on the back of a long season and everything. But they’ve certainly found their rhythm. They’ve found a system and it looks to me like the American team has gotten very invested in what they’re doing in team events. And I think there’s something we can learn from that. I don’t know the answer exactly, but we need everything to get a little more invested. Not every two years, but every year.”

On Kevin Kisner and Anirban Lahiri halving their match

Rolfing – “Kevin isn’t the easiest guy to get to know. He has surprised everybody this week. He has been the life of the party in a lot of ways for the American team.”

Miller – “He knows how to finish off matches.”

On Rickie Fowler defeating Emiliano Grillo 6&4

Miller – “Emiliano is a fighter but it wasn’t too much of a fight today.”

Rickie Fowler speaking with NBC Sports’ David Feherty

Rickie Fowler – “To come here and play as well as we did as a team… The International team has some world class players, and there’s some matches that could have went either way. We played really good as a team. To put up that many points on the board… I know it probably wasn’t the best of days today but as a team we put ourselves in a pretty good position.”

-NBC Sports Group-