Media Center Interviews
March 31, 2023
Second Round Interview with Patrick Rodgers
Q. Sensational golf. Where do I start? You're No. 1 Strokes Gained: Approach Shots, you gained almost seven shots on the field, your iron play's been stellar.
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, that's been a huge area of focus for me, it's been what's keeping me from playing better golf and yeah, I'm really proud that the work that I've been putting in week in and week out even when it wasn't paying off on the golf course. Now it's starting to and I'm happy with the patience that I've showed to get here.
Q. You missed only two greens in that second round, of course you hit two par 5s in two, so basically hit everything.
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, yeah, those are nice. I will always, especially on a golf course like this that's pretty demanding tee to green, I love being able to make the rounds feel pretty seamless and easy.
Q. You know, you've put so much work in your game over the years and Mark Wilson's been talking about your putting, how it's improved over the years. I mean, do you feel finally it's culminating now, everything is coming together? I'm not talking about just this week, but this season.
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah. I mean, I definitely feel kind of the goal is to always be getting better. I definitely feel like my best golf is in front of me, so I'm always trying to just learn from all these experiences. I'm fortunate now to be almost a veteran out here, so I have plenty of experience and hopefully kind of draw on that to not ride the highs and lows too much and just chip away at improving.
Q. Yeah, knowing what you know, there's a long way to go?
PATRICK RODGERS: Exactly, exactly. Yeah, we're only halfway done and especially on this golf course, a lot can happen. Just excited to be in the spot I am.
Q. So what do you do now the rest of the day? Because there's a lot of golf for these guys, they're going to be playing till dark tonight and we won't even finish Round 2. What are you doing the rest of the day?
PATRICK RODGERS: Really fortunate that my family's here this week and we're staying with our closest friends. So getting to spend some time with them this week has been amazing and I can't wait for the afternoon.
Q. I don't think you broke par over the first three rounds last year.
PATRICK RODGERS: Thank you for the reminder.
Q. Sorry about that. But last year you did three out of four rounds. Was this an acquired taste, something you had to learn this golf course a little, or what --
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, it's a very demanding golf course. I think experience definitely makes me more comfortable around here. It's demanding mentally because you know that on both sides of every hole there's some pretty thick forest and some places you don't want to be. It's just been helpful to focus on where I'm trying to hit it and manage the golf course well and I've done a great job of that for two days.
Q. Sixty-eight in your second round at Puntacana, did you find something there? It's been a really difficult stretch for you since like January.
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, I had taken ownership of my process, specifically with my approach play, just try to make sure that I make super committed decisions and really clear choices and it's definitely starting to pay off.
Q. I know you talked about fitness with Kira. I realize after 18 holes you're supposed to start getting worse at this game, not getting better. Down the stretch you looked like you could have gone another 36.
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, I think birdieing five of my last six, obviously that's a gettable stretch, but I'd love to get back out on the golf course and keep going.
Q. Your family's here?
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah.
Q. Why?
PATRICK RODGERS: We just travel the Tour together some weeks and we have some really close friends who live southwest of Austin, so not super far. Getting to spend some time with our best friends while I'm here during a workweek is kind of the best case scenario.
Q. Patrick, you mentioned your approach shots, something you've been working on and something specifically that seemed really strong for you today. Was that one of the biggest keys to your round?
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, for sure. That's been the low hanging fruit in my game, for sure. That's been the thing that's been keeping me from being in contention more. Seems like the weeks where my iron play is solid, I have chances going into the weekend. So I know that's the area where I need to be world class and I'm working at it, so it's nice to see it come together for a couple of days.
Q. As you chase the first win of your career and you sit in this position that you're in now, is that something that creeps into your head, what that milestone would mean to you?
PATRICK RODGERS: Yeah, for sure. It's something I've always dreamt of, it's the reason why I'm out here. I love this job because I love to compete and I do my best to win a golf tournament every time I tee it up. I'm excited for the chance. This is, like I said, why I play. It's going to be a really fun next couple of days.
