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KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 25, 2019

Retief Goosen

Rochester, New York

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon and welcome back to the 2019 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Again I am pleased to be joined by Retief Goosen who is currently in second place. He posted a 67 today on Saturday and has a three-day total of 206. Retief, I asked the same question of Paul just a few minutes ago, a lot of talk about patience, patience, patience at Oak Hill, but was your patience tested to a greater degree today, not only with the golf course, but with a couple of weather-induced delays?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I mean, a golf course like this, you're always going to have to be patient. I felt pretty good out there, better than yesterday. I hit the ball probably a little better, too, which sort of takes a little bit of pressure off you, but I still hit a lot of wild shots out there.

It's been a while since I've been in this sort of position when the butterflies are flying a little. It's been, what, 10 years ago when I last won a tournament.

So it's something you have to get used to and try and calm yourself down and find a nice rhythm out there and play well.

JOHN DEVER: Do you find yourself more engaged? Are you having to hold yourself back? How are you doing that, and where did it show itself during the round today?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I felt the delays today wasn't too bad for me. I felt coming back out that I felt okay and felt ready to go and play.

But, yeah, at the end of the day, we all know this is a mental game. You've got to work hard, and Paul's shot game and putting is unbelievable at the moment. When he makes a mistake, he either chips it in or makes the putt.

I have to keep pushing and give myself birdie chances tomorrow and see what happens.

Q. You talked about butterflies. What is that like to reexperience them again? I mean, that must be a pleasant feeling in some ways.
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, in a way it's great to get all that juices going. And it's almost like you got to try and back off a little bit and not hit the ball too hard. It's a good feeling, but it's also feeling you have to get used to and try and control; that you don't just lash at it.

So I just have to try and stay calm tomorrow. The key is to fit fairways around the golf course. I'll probably try and hit a few more 3-woods tomorrow than drivers, just make sure you hit the fairway and give yourself to hit the green. At the rough, even with all this rain, it's tricky to stop it on these greens.

Q. Could you just quickly give us the clubs and putts on the birdies?
RETIEF GOOSEN: On the birdies. Yeah, No. 4 I hit a driver and a 3-rescue in the greenside trap. Didn't hit a very good bunker shot, made a good putt from about 15 feet.

7, hit a good rescue off the tee, hit a 9-iron, probably 20 feet, made the putt. And 9, hit a 3-wood off the tee and hit pitching wedge 10 feet.

And 16 I hit driver and a 9-iron, probably -- no, yeah, driver, 9-iron. I blocked it right. Luckily I had a very good lie in the rough and managed to chip it in.

Q. Paul say patience. You kind of alluded to that too. Going into tomorrow, with the way it rained today, do you feel those greens could be receptive tomorrow, because it really did soften up I would imagine with that rain?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I definitely would think that tomorrow they're still going to be able to stop the ball. When was it, Tuesday in the pro-am they were starting to get really brown and really rock hard. We've been lucky so far with this rain. I think tomorrow the greens are going to perfect. You're going to have to allow for a lot of big bounces still. But the key would be to come off the fairway.

Q. As frustrating as it must have been having to come in the first time, it didn't seem to slow your momentum down with birdies on 4 and then 7 and 9?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yes. That's right. I, like I say, I sort of felt coming back out I felt calm and sort of relaxed. I mean, we got perfect conditions out there. The course is as good as it can play. So I didn't feel all that sort of stressed about the conditions or anything. I felt there was birdies to be made out there.

Q. And you've obviously got vast major championship experience in this tournament. How much will you be drawing from your previous experience and obviously your two wins, as well?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Oh, yeah, it definitely plays like a major out there. It's a championship, major championship course. If you get just on the wrong side of a certain hole at the wrong place, you make a double drop so quickly. Yeah, it's going to be a little different playing tomorrow, too, as a two-ball. It's been weeks and weeks now we've been playing three-balls because of all the rain delays. So tomorrow it's going to be a much quicker pace. You're going to have to really pace yourself to keep up and not fall behind. So you're going to have to really -- it's going to feel like you're actually speeding up a little.

Q. Paul said you had previous experience against him in the Match Play and you beat him, as well?
RETIEF GOOSEN: You're talking a long time ago now. I can't remember that. I just remember the ones I lost. Paul's a great player. Very streaky player. Very straight. He won this tournament last year, so he knows what it's all about.

JOHN DEVER: As you approached your 50th birthday and eligibility on this Tour, did you envision this type of scenario, competition on the back nine on Sunday, or did you think it would come along this fast?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I actually, when I played a few PGA TOUR events over the last year, I sort of felt I was playing okay. But I just wasn't making any putts. And then I changed golf equipment. I went from TaylorMade to Callaway this year. So it took me quite a while to find clubs that I'm comfortable with. I found a driver fairly early on, but my irons, it's only really 'til about three weeks ago I really found a set of irons I really like. And it's starting to -- I'm starting to get more and more confident with the clubs and the ball and everything in the bag. So it's starting to pay off.

JOHN DEVER: You look very comfortable, and I hope you enjoy your last evening in Rochester, and good luck.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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