FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

QUOTES: DAVID DUVAL, MICHELLE WIE WEST, JUSTIN LEONARD, BRANDEL CHAMBLEE, NOTAH BEGAY & MARK ROLFING PREVIEW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINES

GOLF Channel Notable Quotes
Golf Central Live From the PGA Championship
TPC Harding Park
San Francisco, Calif.
Wednesday, Aug. 5

Golf Central Live From the PGA Championship continues tonight with live, primetime coverage from 7-9 pm ET.

On TPC Harding Park
Michelle Wie West – “This week may be lacking in fans, but the majestic views at this golf course will more than make up for it.”
David Duval – “It asks a lot of you. You need to address ‘Karl’ and this weather. It will play a big role this week. It is scheduled to be sunny and warmer, but conditions can change quickly and this affects the preparations. Similar to how we talk about how magically the greens change from Wednesday night to Thursday morning at Augusta National.”
Duval – “The player who wins this golf tournament is the player who sits up on the tee and blasts away. It is going to be a bombers paradise.”
Notah Begay – “As Brooks Koepka said yesterday, it is a big boy golf course, and there also is big boy rough out there. Players trying to decipher what is going to be their approach.”
Begay – “Playing this course is going to be feel-oriented this week. One part of the day might play different than the other. Front nine might play different than the back. Players that have the capacity to adjust on the fly and be ok with a couple of errant shots, who have a little bit of artistry and can weave into the flow of the round will have the best chance for success.”
Wie West – “I would love to take a look inside Bryson [DeChambeau’s] head. He has probably been studying Karl the Fog, calculating fog density and how the ball will travel in different types of fog.”

On Tiger Woods and his new putter this week
Notah Begay – “I promise you, old faithful is back at the place where he is staying right now. It is not far away, I promise. It is a weight issue [in the putter]. He is looking for something. He hasn’t putted well this year and has not had a lot of competitive golf. So, he is looking to create some new sensations in his hands. The extra weight might give him something to at least work on and focus on as he tries to find that putting stroke.”
Michelle Wie West – “I agree with Notah, his old putter is back in his room waiting for him. Sometimes I like doing that because something with putting, your feel can get stagnant. You are kind of sick of what you have and you want to feel something fresh. Sometimes I purposely put in a putter in my bag that I don’t like as much in my practice rounds. Then, your old putter feels brand new and you are so happy to be reunited with it. So, it might be important to bring in a new, different feel for a couple of days. Then maybe, he will realize his old faithful is his best his tool.”
Wie West – “The putter that you have in your bag that you have used for years, you know how it reacts to your very bone. You just know. Even if you change, it won’t make that much of a difference. But, this is me saying it, because I have changed my putting stance in the middle of a round, so I am able to go back and forth, and everyone is different. If he feels good with his putter, I like it, especially with these greens here at Harding Park.”

On Tiger Woods
David Duval – “He is having to figure out how to pace himself through this run of golf. Not only this run of major championships, but looking ahead to next year as well. He has to pace himself that much more than anybody else.”
Notah Begay – “I loved the way he ended his press conference and he gave the coy smile. Tells me there is a little bit of confidence and underlying belief that he has something brewing. He needs to find the groove, similar to what we saw at Zozo. He is not going to overpower this golf course. He has got to pick it apart. Hit fairways, rely on his iron play and his putter needs to show up.”
Begay – “It will be about can he get his body to function in a predictable range this week. If so, you will see him about to plod his way around the golf course and be the tactical golfer like we have seen over the years.”
Brandel Chamblee – “This week will not be about Tiger Woods recreating the magic at the Masters. His win there was pure sorcery. His win at the Zozo [Championship] was more surgical. He looked like Tiger of old, absolutely clinical in Japan. To have any chance to win, he’s going to have to clean up his work on the greens. And then you hope that his body will hold up in these cold temperatures.”
Justin Leonard – “I thought he looked very good on the range [Monday]. His width in his lower body looked a little wider. I thought he looked very good, and was moving very well.”

On Brooks Koepka
Brandel Chamblee – “Looking at Brooks last week, he’s just about made a believer out of me.”

On Justin Thomas
Brandel Chamblee – “Certainly the way he played last week, he reminded me of a vintage Tiger Woods. Tiger has a lot of protégés out here, but I’d say that none of them are closer to him than Justin Thomas. What he did last week was a master class in course management. We know how talented he is. He can hit all the shots, he can hit it nine miles. He can make all the putts. The lead doesn’t scare him, Shooting low doesn’t scare him. But from time to time, being that good can be a bit of a curse. How did Tiger Woods close out so many rounds of golf so cleanly? He did it with talent, but he also did it with course management. And that’s what I’m seeing in Justin Thomas right now.”
Justin Leonard – “When your toolkit is that big, you can think you’re Superman. And at times Justin Thomas has maybe played a little too aggressively. But the ability for him to overcome the mistakes, to learn from it and try not to make the same mistake again is something that I’ve been really impressed with.”

On Rory McIlroy
Justin Leonard – “I think if we look back at the way he started this season, you’d almost hand him a green jacket [in April] because of the way he was playing at the time. I think he’s been a little bit derailed by the long layoff and now playing without galleries. But when he gets back to that point, which I think is going to be very soon – it could be this week – we could be looking at another sustained run from Rory McIlroy. Because of the talent level, but mostly because of where he is mentally. The balance he has between the game of golf and his personal life.”
Brandel Chamblee – “He’s one man every other point of the year, he’s another man in the first round of a major championship. I just don’t think he’s done a very good job at managing his expectations, putting himself in the right frame of mind to play the first round of golf [at a major]. Trying to find the freedom. A lot of it goes beyond just having the talent to play. You’ve got to put yourself in the right frame of mind to get the best out of your talent.”
David Duval – “He draws a lot of his energy from the fact that fans of all nationalities pull for him. He is a world-favorite player. Being out here where there are so little people around can take some adjustment. But this player that had such a remarkable start to the season – he is still there – it is just a matter of adjusting to the changing conditions in our professional sport.”

On Collin Morikawa
Michelle Wie West – “I believe in the class of young players, he is one of the most well-rounded, mature players and an all-around great player. It is hard for me, as a Stanford grad to be able to admit this. He is such a great player, and since it is much colder in Berkley, he plays in these conditions all of the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is really comfortable here and his confidence really shines through.”

On the LPGA Tour resuming in Ohio
Michelle Wie West – “It was amazing to see the girls play such an iconic course as Inverness. We got to preview the golf course before it gets showcased next year at the Solheim Cup. I hope we get more opportunities to play these types of iconic venues. It really elevates our platform and gives us the chances to showcase our talents on the best golf courses. I hope we get more opportunities like that.”
Wie West – “The name recognition of these courses really elevates us and shows as a sign of respect for our players, to be able to play the best golf courses alongside with the men. My win at Pinehurst was so special, also because it was back-to-back with the men. I would love to see more than that. KPMG has done such an incredible job since they took over that we get to play such amazing golf courses. I would love to see more of this from the R&A as well. More back-to-back events would be great.”
Wie West – “I would love to see more interaction between the Tours. Mixed Tour events, for example. I love watching Lexi compete with the men at the QBE Shootout every year. I would love to see more opportunities like that. Maybe it is charity events or actual Tour events. I would love to see more interactions. I know a lot of the LPGA players are good friends with the PGA TOUR players. It would be so fun. Fans would appreciate that. And little girls would watch and think, ‘This is so cool.’ A lot of little girls don’t know that the LPGA could be a career choice. It is not as showcased as the PGA TOUR. There is an opportunity to show girls that this could be a place for them. It would be amazing.”

On the U.S. Women’s Amateur taking place this week
Michelle Wie West – “USGA tournaments are so close to home to me. The U.S. Women’s Am was a tournament that I really looked forward to as a junior golfer, because I got to play golf courses that I heard of and recognized. I got so excited. If it wasn’t for the U.S. Women’s Am, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play these great courses.”

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