home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS


April 28, 2018


Denny McCarthy

Joel Dahmen


Avondale, Louisiana

Q. Joel, Denny, outside of one little lip-out there at the end, pretty good way you found today. I know the wind was down. Denny, you were able to find some scoring out there early and keep it going.
DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, the greens were actually really firm. Like you just said, the wind was down today. Joel and I found some really nice momentum yesterday. We played really nicely.

We didn't even know if we were going to be playing together at the beginning of the week, so kind of got off to a slow start. Found some momentum yesterday and continued it today. We both played really nicely and fed off each other really well.

Q. Joel, speaking of momentum, it has been sort of an interesting week with one guy out, one guy in. How have you meshed as a duo?
JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah, it was good. I mean, Denny is a great partner. He's easy to get along with. He doesn't get mad at me, even yesterday when I dunked it in the lake on 17 and we were doomed to miss the cut.

I was feeling pretty bad about that. We were excited just to get a tee time today. He made a good birdie on the 2nd hole and we were kind of off and running after that.

Made a bunch of birdies around the turn, and then he finished it off for us. It was awesome.

Q. How did it go down on Thursday morning? Who found out first what was happening?
DENNY McCARTHY: I got a text. I pulled in around -- I was basically coming in at 6:00 am to sit here and all day and see if anyone backed out.

I got a text pulling in that Martin withdrew and that I was playing with Joel. I knew that was kind of -- that was one of my opportunities early in the week, you know, that Gerina Pillar might be having her baby. I thought that was a good opportunity.

I know Joel really well. I'd never played with him, but I think it's a good partnership for sure. I think our games mesh really well. And like Joel said, I don't get mad at him and he doesn't get mad at me. We're pretty relaxed out there.

Yeah, glad to just have the opportunity to play this week. Took advantage of getting a tee time this morning.

Q. Joel, when did Martin tell you?
JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah, so I was sleeping late. Obviously didn't set an alarm because we had a late tee time. Martin sent me a text to me about 5:00, but I turned my phone on silent so I didn't hear anything.

I woke up about that time, about 6:00. Martin texted me, Hey, Gerina is in labor. I'm out of here. I contacted the rules official already. You're going to be playing with Denny. I said, Great, and went back to bed.

I woke up at like 9:00. I texted you maybe for a couple minutes and I went back to sleep for a while, woke up, and was ready to go. It was like it wasn't a huge deal.

I mean, obviously wish the best for Martin. Had the baby Thursday night, so, yeah, good thing he got back home.

Q. How did you guys know each other?
DENNY McCARTHY: Just being around.

JOEL DAHMEN: What was your first year on the Web, '16?

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah. We played first year on the Web together, couple smaller off-season events at Calusa Pines down in Florida. I talked to him down there.

JOEL DAHMEN: Just kind of run into each other.

DENNY McCARTHY: No, it's just pro-member, pro-pro. It's a lot of guys. It's a really cool event down in Naples at Calusa Pines. I think that's when we might've first...

JOEL DAHMEN: Probably, yeah, because you shot 62 and everybody was talking about you and I was drinking heavily and shot about 78, so it was (indiscernible over laughter) that day, too.

But, yeah, just in the same kind of circles. We're both young-ish guys out here. I guess I am not young compared to TOUR standards.

DENNY McCARTHY: I'm not really young anymore either.

JOEL DAHMEN: Isn't that crazy?

Q. You guys fortunate that it may be wasn't alternate shot on the first day just because you didn't have a strategy per se?
DENNY McCARTHY: Honestly, I think the way we played in the afternoon, it was windy and the greens were tough. Honestly would've been -- even though we didn't know each other's game, it honestly would've been better for us to play alternate shot the first day.

It wasn't easy to score on our own balls just with the wind.

JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah, and I think the way we played a ton ever pars. So I think we would've been fine. We would've almost shot the same score, to be honest. Wouldn't have been a huge deal.

We feel like we were just in mud the first day and finished off strong Thursday evening, which was nice. Played really well for what, the first ten holes yesterday?

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah. We had a great round. We were 4-under through 10 alternate shot yesterday, and we were both driving it well, giving each other looks to make putts.

Honestly could have been more through ten.

JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah.

DENNY McCARTHY: We were playing great. Didn't have a great finish, but we were happy to get a tee time this morning and no wind. We were able to come out and we know our games were good, so we took advantage of it.

Q. We don't know how it will shake out yet, but alternate shot so volatile. Tomorrow anything can happen, right?
DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah.

JOEL DAHMEN: It is so easy to shoot over par alternate shot, especially if you're teeing off with the lead. That's always a little shaky. We're going to be -- who knows? Could be five to seven back or something.

You go out and shoot 3- or 4-under in that first nine alternate shot, you're going to be hanging around.

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah.

JOEL DAHMEN: Which is fine. We're a little slow this year I think for both of us. It'll be a fun day tomorrow if we can get ourselves in that spot.

Q. How does it feel to be the first team in history to have walk-up music on TOUR?
DENNY McCARTHY: It was actually a Spanish...

JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah. Martin and Gerina Pillar picked one. She is from -- a lot of Mexican heritage there. She picked some song I had no idea. Martin obviously left, so we changed it.

Gino, my caddie, said Caddie Shack. That's a famous one.

DENNY McCARTHY: Trying to ease the mood a little bit, relax us, and it definitely did.

Q. What did you think of the whole idea?
DENNY McCARTHY: I think it's pretty cool. Our playing partners had a very surprising first walk-up song. It was kind of funny. I couldn't stop laughing. I had to kind of hold my laugh in while they were hitting.

JOEL DAHMEN: Yeah. As far as the hole thing, I think it's awesome, one, that they have this event to shake up the whole season. I think it's great. It's a ton of fun just to do something a little different in the middle of the year.

As far as walk-up song, I think it would be great -- I think it would be awesome if they turned this event into have (indiscernible.) Just go out there and play -- like make it a rea like best ball -- I won't say member-guest. Zurich probably wouldn't like it that much.

But like it's a great start. I think they could go even more over the top with it. I think guys would enjoy it more and more as they get used to it. It's a little awkward at first when you're on there. You're like, What do you do? But you just kind of laugh with it and go and you hear some the funny songs out there. I think it'll be good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP sports

tech 129
About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297