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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE

May 31, 2019

Bud Cauley

Dublin, Ohio

Q. Just some comments on your round today, you're in good shape through 36?
BUD CAULEY: Yeah, you know, I got off to a good start, birdied a couple of the first three, and then I missed a few fairways, kind of on the end of the front nine and on the back nine, too, which made a little bit of a struggle for me. It was nice to get an eagle there on 15. Just trying to hit more fairways, to eliminate some of these bogeys, they came from poor tee shots.

Q. How do you feel through 36 holes?
BUD CAULEY: I putted well, which is nice. I've made a lot of good par putts, converted most of the good birdie putts I had. Yesterday I drove it well and today I kept missing it a little bit right. But I didn't hit anything too crazy off line, so I think I can get it figured out and hopefully hit some more fairways this weekend.

Q. What are your emotions coming back here?
BUD CAULEY: Once I got here it's actually been a little bit easier than the weeks leading up to it, just wondering how I would feel or what I would think about. It's nice to play well. I haven't really thought about it too much, which has been nice. Just trying to treat it like a normal week.

Q. How will you spend the rest of the day?
BUD CAULEY: Go grab some lunch.

Q. Where will you be at 7 p.m.?
BUD CAULEY: I'll be in bed. I was joking yesterday that making the cut here is better for my health.

Q. What was the shot you were most uncomfortable over today and then what was the outcome of it?
BUD CAULEY: Well, on 13 I hit a poor wedge in there for my third. It was in the rough, but I had to stand in the bunker, the ball was about two feet above my feet. I was able to get it down about six feet and make the putt.

Q. Conditions are as ideal as they can be, is that right?
BUD CAULEY: The rough is long, but anytime you have soft greens, guys are going to shoot low scores. Like I said, it's really -- it's so important to put the ball in the fairway and with the greens being a little bit softer you can make some birdies.

Q. Do you feel like you're back in form?
BUD CAULEY: I felt good at Safeway. It was more just kind of getting -- getting the nerves out of the way, I guess. The first round went by like that, it's amazing how quick it goes when you haven't played a while. After playing that week, it was nice to make the cut and play four days. I felt pretty good.

Q. But given what happened last year, what sense of gratification are you feeling right now to be in a 180 type of position your second round?
BUD CAULEY: Yeah, even starting last fall I kind of felt that way after what happened here last year and being worried about my golf and being able to play going forward. It was nice to just get back out. I've had a couple of decent finishes. But to have the best week going so far here is a little ironic, I guess.

Q. Has there been a shift from you in perspective and better appreciation since that accident?
BUD CAULEY: Sure. I think, relatively speaking, I've always appreciated playing golf and the opportunity I have to do something that I enjoy doing every day. But when something like that happens to you I think it would change anyone. So one minute everything is okay and the next minute you're worried about the rest of your life. I've definitely taken a lot of things from it, tried to learn from it and just do the best I can going forward.

Q. What is the biggest thing you've taken from it?
BUD CAULEY: Probably what I said earlier, just don't, I guess, take anything for granted. Things or your life can change in one moment, one decision, whatever the case may be. So just to kind of appreciate when things are good and make the best decisions I can, I guess, keep things that way.

Q. What was your reaction when you found out you got the exemption here?
BUD CAULEY: Yeah, I was thrilled. This is a course I've always loved playing. Unfortunately I didn't play the kind of golf I needed to to get in on my own. I was really happy and really thankful that they gave me the opportunity to play, and I'm trying to take advantage of it.

Q. You said yesterday that you heard some comments from the gallery supportive. People wrote stories about your come back and the stories were out today. Did you notice even more today or were people moving on from it?
BUD CAULEY: Yeah, no, it was probably a little more today, kind of when I was making the turn it seemed like a lot of people were getting here. So I had quite a few people say, nice to see you back out here, we're pulling for you, things like that. So that's always nice. Unfortunately it didn't help me hit anymore fairways, but it was nice to hear.

Q. Justin said Wednesday that he can't wait for the opportunity to be there when you have that big moment, when you have that big win on Sunday. His face lit up when he was talking about it. How motivated are you -- how interested, how excited, how motivated for you to have that moment?
BUD CAULEY: Yeah, it's something I think about all the time, every day I go out and practice or every tournament I show up. Obviously I haven't won on Tour. This is my, apart from injuries, my 6th or 7th year out here. So I was hoping to have accomplished more by now than what I have, obviously.

But I try to worry more about what I need to do to finally have that breakthrough and then to win rather than obsess go over just winning and wanting to win. Because obviously I want to win and I want to win as bad as I want anything.

But I don't think stressing over that at night -- even sometimes I do, like it's something I think about. It frustrates me some. But worrying about the things I can do and I think I'll get there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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