FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, March 24th, 2018

NOTABLE QUOTES – WGC-DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY (ROUND OF 16)

NBC Sports Group Notable Quotes
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (Round of 16)
Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas
Saturday, March, 24, 2018

**Coverage of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Quarterfinal matches continue at 2 p.m. ET this afternoon on NBC.**

Round of 16 Results:
(32) Kevin Kisner def. (16) Matt Kuchar 1up
(58) Ian Poulter def. (25) Louis Oosthuizen 2&1
(46) Cameron Smith def. (12) Tyrrell Hatton 2&1
(13) Alex Noren def. (19) Patrick Reed 5&3
(2) Justin Thomas def. (50) Si Woo Kim 6&5
(45) Kyle Stanley def. (7) Sergio Garcia 3&1
(28) Kiradech Aphibarnrat def. (59) Charles Howell III 1up
(35) Bubba Watson def. (18) Brian Harman 2&1

Saturday Afternoon Quarterfinal Matches:
(32) Kevin Kisner vs. (58) Ian Poulter
(13) Alex Noren vs. (46) Cameron Smith
(2) Justin Thomas vs. (45) Kyle Stanley
(28) Kiradech Aphibarnrat vs. (35) Bubba Watson

Kevin Kisner speaking with Todd Lewis following his 1up win
Kevin Kisner – “I knew I could hit a wedge within 15 feet [by laying up on 18] and take my chances from there…Every hole was a birdie and we played well. It was a fun match. We’ve spent a lot of time together, so we had fun out there.”

Ian Poulter speaking with Lewis following his 2&1 win
Ian Poulter – “I knew Louis wasn’t going to back off. I knew he was going to come on pretty strong… So I knew I had to hole putts, had to hit good golf shots. I did that today. I made a lot of birdies, holed a few nice putts as well. So the putter is warming up… It feels real nice to get through this one.”

On Poulter putting his 2012 Ryder Cup-winning putter back in the bag
Nick Faldo – “That putter might give him the great 11th hour in his career.”

Alex Noren speaking with Lewis following his 5&3 win
Alex Noren – “I had a few chances within six feet for birdie, and that helps. It’s tough to read these greens with the long putts, you’ve got to get it close. And I’m really happy with the way I played… I just like the format. It feels like it’s the last nine holes on Sunday. You’re more tense maybe than usually. Normally 68 is a good score, but in match play it could be a loss. So you’ve got to be kind of a little more aggressive maybe, a little bit more tense, and a little bit more into the game than maybe a normal event.”

Kiradech Aphibarnrat speaking with Lewis following his 1up win
Kiradech Aphibarnrat – “I’ll try to go in the gym maybe and try to outdrive Bubba in the afternoon… I just want to enjoy every single minute that I spend in Austin. That is my goal, top-10 every week that I play. This guarantees a top-8 [this week]. Just [want to] go out there and enjoy [myself] with Bubba and show what we can do to all the spectators.”

Bubba Watson speaking with Lewis following his 2&1 win
Bubba Watson – “I played pretty solid and I made the putts… We’re just focused on birdies. Play our game. If we shoot 67 every day and get beat, then we just get beat. So that’s what we’ve been trying to do is just try to somehow shoot in the 60s. Five-under is what our number is, what we’re trying to get to.”

On Watson
Faldo – “Look at Bubba’s shot making, and he gives us the entertainment. He makes a mess here and there but [he has] a great attitude.”

On Justin Thomas’ 6&5 win over Si Woo Kim
Jim “Bones” Mackay – “This guy is a runaway train right now.”
Faldo – “This man if he gets to the finals goes to World No. 1. He sure looks like World No. 1 right now.”
Terry Gannon – “I’m not sure anyone can beat him the way he’s playing right now.”

On Cameron Smith’s 2&1 win over Tyrrell Hatton
Mackay – “If this kid was a stock, you’d want to buy some. He’s a young kid and he’s very up and coming. He can really get it done.”

-NBC Sports Group-