BARRACUDA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 2, 2020

Troy Merritt

Tahoe Mountain Club

Quick Quotes

Q. During the closing holes how acutely aware were you of what Richy Werenski was doing coming down the stretch?

TROY MERRITT: Yeah, I was watching the whole back nine and I saw that Matthias made eagle on 12 to get to 36 and then birdied 13 and 14 to get to 38 to pull even. I knew we needed one or two coming in to get to 40 or 42 and then I saw that Richy had gotten it to 37. I think he birdied 16, and then walking up 17 I saw he had birdied 18. We knew what we had to do. Hit a lot of quality shots today, hit a lot of greens. Just couldn't find that one birdie on the back side.

Q. Were the par-5s the key? You made the bogey on the 6th hole and then you didn't make the birdie with an iron in your hand at 12. Is that ultimately what cost you?

TROY MERRITT: Yeah, you're looking at a three-point swing basically on 6 when it hit the tree. I think we just got a tough gust. It landed a good way up that hill and just didn't want to stay up there. You can't bogey the par-5s, especially when you go for them in two. Yeah, I didn't think I could clear the trees with that 5-iron on 12 so I tried to hit the hard fade and just didn't pull it off and just got into a real awkward spot, and it was a tough shot. I gave it my best today and I just came up one point shot.

Q. Obviously a disappointing moment I'm sure, but still a really successful week. When did you first get a sense of what was going on with Richy ahead of you on the back nine?

TROY MERRITT: You know, I saw that he was coming up -- made birdie on 16 to get to within one point and then walking up on 17 I saw he birdied 18 to get to 39. I knew we needed to make a birdie coming in. I figured Matthias was going to at least get to 40, so I was trying to make one to get to 40, as well. It just didn't happen. I finished the day with 10 straight pars and had 10 birdie putts, even one from the first cut, and just couldn't get one to fall. It goes like that sometimes. That's a little bit frustrating, but still a very solid week. Form has been a little sporadic this year. I really like this format. I like the Stableford format. It gives me a chance to recover from the multitude of bogeys that I usually find. It was another fun week. Gave it my best, just one point short.

Q. You mentioned earlier that the par-5s were troublesome for you today. You played them well all week but today had some difficulties on them. Did that stem from the 6th hole?

TROY MERRITT: Yeah, I mean, I bogeyed 6 twice this week going for it in two. Today I hit the shot I wanted. I just hit a nice hard 3-wood right at the middle of the week and never did I think it was going to come up short, and as I started to walk I felt a big gust had come through. Yeah, a little unfortunate there. Landed a ways up the bank and just didn't want to stay up there, and then just had a tricky little shot and didn't quite get it up the hill. Yeah, 6, to play it in -- I played it zero points this week, two bogeys and a birdie. Yeah, not to get the one on 12 with a 5-iron kind of hurt, too, and yeah, just not being able to roll them in on the back nine.

Q. You mentioned yesterday when you agreed to wear the microphone in the final round that it may help you with your temperament. Do you feel that that was the case today?

TROY MERRITT: Yeah, I mean, any time you're in the final group and you're in contention to win, you've got to keep things even keel. It doesn't do any good to ponder over a poor shot or a bad break or a bad bounce or something like that. You've just got to keep pushing forward. Yeah, kind of having that microphone on kept me in check a little bit, reminded me to just focus on the next one, do your best, and add them all up and just one point short.

Q. I know the victory was what you were after, but you've become the first 54-hole leader to wear one.

TROY MERRITT: Well, hopefully the next person that wears one as the 54-hole leader finishes the job off and they can go down in the history books as the first winner to wear that microphone.