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FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC


June 12, 2015


Kevin Chappell


MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

Q.  Outward 29.  Pretty good start for you.  What was working there early on?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  You know, I hit it similar to how I did yesterday.  I made more putts than I did yesterday.  That was nice to see it go in on the first two holes and kind of build some confidence and obviously kept going there on the front-9.

Q.  Which was your back-9 on the course.  Is that playing easier than the front?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  I think for me the wind was down a little bit, being second off, and it gradually picked up as the day went on.  That's a variable that you didn't have to take into account or even on the putting green is where now you do with the wind blowing and the greens getting quicker.

Q.  Your driver was great today.  79 percent of your fairways hit the first two days, 88 percent greens hit in regulation.  Those are big numbers, Kevin.  Give yourself a lot of chances?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  I actually hit it really poorly last week and may have found something in the U.S. Open qualifier.  Came in here solid today, identified what I felt was right with my coach, and really felt confident with my ball striking.  Wanted to see a few putts go in.  Yesterday it didn't happen.  Stayed patient, really enjoyed being out here and feel like my attitude is great and, you know, paid off, the patience paid off.

Q.  Keep it going, man.
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  Thanks.

Q.  Congratulations, tying the course record on the back-9.  You had a birdie putt on 18 that would have given you 7-under on the backside or your frontside.  Just talk about that hot start that you got off to today.
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  Obviously it was nice to see a few putts go in early.  I had the ball in the proper side of the hole where you could be aggressive the first few holes and able to convert and kind of build some confidence as the round went on.  As far as the putt on 18 to shoot 7-under, just another birdie putt.  Kind of a tough read and obviously I misread it, but all in all good nine holes there.

Q.  When you start the day a little bit down the leaderboard and you have that kind of front-9 for you, did you really just try to put the hammer down?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  Yeah.  I had momentum on my side.  That's the key to this golf course is keep the ball on your side of the court and you can kind of play some stress-free golf out here if you're hitting a lot of fairways and greens.  I obviously wanted to put the hammer down.  Golf course got more difficult on my backside, the front-9.  The wind picked up and got a little harder to hole some putts and hit it close to the hole.  All in all a great day.

Q.  The guys here talk about two things, hitting fairways and hitting greens.  Right now you are tearing it up in both.  I know that's led to the successful first two rounds, but just talk a little bit about that, about your kind of doing the two things you have to do here to score well.
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  Yeah.  You know, if you look at the year, haven't been great.  Even last week I hit it miserable.  Playing in the qualifier was a blessing.  I was able to find a few things in my game that needed a tweak and I made the right tweaks, solid today, identified it when I came here with my coach.  I really embraced those feelings and the results are showing.

Q.  Was that in Columbus?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  Yes.

Q.  I want to take you back to what Mike said.  You talked about the wind coming on the back-9.  The conditions were benign early on, but the pin placements today looked a little tough for a lot of guys.
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  I think the pin placements are tough for the directions the wind is blowing.  Seems like if the wind it off the right, the pin is on the right.  Wind off the left, pin on the left.  Makes it hard to hit it real close to the hole.  The greens aren't big, so the middle of the green is never a bad spot.  And that's kind of the attitude I tried to take is if I'm not comfortable over something or not fit my eye, let's get this ball on the green and give yourself a chance to roll in a 30-footer or something.

Q.  You talked about moving day.  What it is at the end of the day we don't know yet.  Now, how do you piggyback on this and try to come back out tomorrow and put it together again?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  I mean, keep doing the same thing I've been doing.  Probably one of those courses that the guy with the most birdie putts at the end of the week is probably going to have a good chance to win the golf tournament.  If I can keep playing a round of golf like I did today, hitting a lot of greens and fairways, I'll probably wear out some guys.

Q.  Talk about that streak of birdies there.  Of those four holes, which one kind of impressed you the most?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  I'm trying to think of it.  13, 14, 15, 16.  13 was a good pin, it's a middle right pin kind of at the base of the slope.  You really have to either hit it at the hole and try and fly it, you know, at least pin high or you hit it short and left of the hole and then you have a slope.  Then you can use the slope to get to the hole.  Pin high left you can almost putt it in the water.
I hit a iron shot right where we were looking.  The putt wasn't that easy, and I was able to roll in a 15-footer that broke 4 1/2, 5 feet, which obviously great to see it go in, especially because the putts I had on 10, 11, and 13 were straight up the hill.  I guess that's 14, the par 3.  Seeing one you don't expect to make go in, is always good.

Q.  Have you had a course record anywhere on Tour for a nine-hole stretch?
KEVIN CHAPPELL:  I think I had the course record at Liberty National in New Jersey.  As far as nine hole course records, I think that's it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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