FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, May 12th, 2018

NOTABLE QUOTES: THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 3 (EARLY QUOTES) – SPIETH AND WOODS SHOOT 7-UNDER 65, MOVE INTO TOP-10

On Tiger Woods, 7-under 65 on Saturday, 8-under par for the championship

Johnny Miller – “This round of today by Tiger is just what he needed. This could open up the real Tiger. Everything was looking pretty good. If he can just hit the fairways on this course and then get some confidence going. Just keep inching up the confidence inside of his head.”

Gary Koch – “The crowds out here early today have been incredible. I have been doing this event a long time. I can’t recall so many people here so early on Saturday morning.”

Dan Hicks – “Tiger has given them a show today. A thrilling third round.”

Miller – “This is a big confidence booster. Really is. He hasn’t been shooting those bursts of birdies recently, and now he has got that round under his belt.”

Miller – “It is nice to see him healthy, even if he can’t hit 800 balls a day. When you are in your 40s, your swing – it is like writing your name on a check at a restaurant. You don’t think about how you do it. It is there, you don’t have to fiddle around with it.”

Brandel Chamblee – “There is a lot of good to be found in this round of 65, but he didn’t answer all of the questions. Big difference between the way Tiger started this round when he was out of contention, and when he finished it when he was getting into contention.”

Notah Begay – “In the broader scheme of things, I look at all of the positives. Best round of the year. Best nine-hole score of the year. Best total birdies in one round for the year. Best five-hole stretch of golf that he has played all year. He played a wonderful 2/3 of a round of golf. Played the last six holes at +1. Certainly not going to be happy. He is going to kick himself and feel like he left a lot out there out there. Feel like he really could have put more pressure on the lead. Nonetheless, that is the game we play. Sometimes you get it rolling early and then you cool off at the end. I think there are a lot of positives that he will take out of this round. But he is also going to look back at those opportunities that he let slip through his fingers.”

Jordan Spieth, shooting a 7-under 65 on Saturday (8-under par for the championship), speaking with Golf Channel’s Steve Burkowski

Jordan Spieth: “I putted better. I think I made every putt inside 10-12 feet. I really got a good feel on the 5th hole. I have been trying to get comfortable and see my lines in my setup so I can freely flow the stroke. I tried a couple of different things the last two days. Today was a really good setup position and I made a couple of putts. Even a couple of par saves, on 5, and made a birdie putt on 7 and 8. Then I got the confidence rolling into the back nine to continue to make birdies.”

Spieth – “It is an unusual position. I haven’t made the cut on the number that often. And to be that far back, typically you think, fire at pins. I did that a little bit early in the round. It paid off at one, where I hit it to about a foot. But on this golf course, you can’t keep doing that, you have to wait until you get your good numbers. It probably cost me a couple of shots  trying to force it a little bit on my next six or seven holes instead of just playing to my spots. But then I started to sit back and thought, ‘Let’s shoot 4 or 5 under today. Let’s set a goal. That way you don’t got out and try to overpower this golf course or force it in to any pins.’ I let the putter take care of the work there and I made a good amount of putts in a row from 7-10 feet. I was hitting shots into that position a lot. All in all, I gave myself an outside chance to make a run tomorrow, which is pretty cool.”

 

-NBC Sports Group-