SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 2, 2020

Sergio Garcia

Country Club of Jackson

Quick Quotes

Q. Putting with the eyes closed, can you tell me how that came about?

SERGIO GARCIA: How do you know this?

Q. I watch you.

SERGIO GARCIA: Would you believe me if I told you I've been doing it for about three years?

Q. Really?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah.

Q. On what putts?

SERGIO GARCIA: Anything.

Q. Really?

SERGIO GARCIA: Usually. I've gone on and off, but like Augusta I won it playing with my eyes closed every single putt and some of the other wins, too. I've tried -- I feel like it gives me a little more freedom to feel the stroke instead of kind of -- sometimes we get too focused on trying to make it perfect and kind of following with the eyes and everything. So this way I feel like I just feel it and I just let me natural ability kind of take over instead of telling myself what to do.

Yeah, obviously that's what I've been doing, and just trying to keep the stroke very smooth. These greens obviously help because they're very fast, so yeah, I felt like I've hit a lot of good putts. I made a few, I've obviously missed a few, but the feeling overall is very positive.

Q. The ball-striking as usual has been phenomenal. Going back to the putting, you mentioned how you get on greens that are like these that are faster and it's easier to sort of trust that with the eyes closed?

SERGIO GARCIA: No, it's not so much that. I think it's more just trying to get the stroke smooth. Obviously the greens are slower, then you have to start making longer swings, it's a little bit tougher. But at the end of the day you've just got to keep working on it. You've got to go with it and trust it, believe it, and you might have a week here and there where you don't putt as well, but I think that I'm at the point where I need to.

I talked to my wife, to Angela, and we talked about it, and I have to stick to something and go with it no matter what. I'm in a stage of my career where I can't be jumping back and forth too much because then I get no rhythm whatsoever.

Q. What will your focus be going into the weekend?

SERGIO GARCIA: More of the same. Just hopefully keep trusting myself, keep believing, be as confident as I can be. If I keep hitting the ball I way I hit it, if I keep driving the ball the way I've been driving it, I'm going to give myself a lot of chances like I did the first two days.

For me, this end of the year and going towards Augusta, it's about slowly building up confidence. I feel like my game is -- I've been saying it for a couple of months now, I feel like it's close. I feel like it's close. It's right there.

Just got to keep doing more of the same and we'll see what happens.

Q. Did you putt with the eyes closed yesterday, as well?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah.

Q. All the time?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah.

Q. Where did you first come up with the idea? Was it a suggestion of your dad or --

SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know how I came about it. I think it was probably me just practicing and trying to feel something. But it was a while back. It was probably almost four years ago. You know, I would love to putt with my eyes open, but I feel like my stroke is more consistent when I kind of try to forget about it and just kind of feel it. That's what I've been doing. I've tried to putt with my eyes open again here and there and I tried it at the U.S. Open a couple weeks ago, obviously didn't work very well, I tried a couple other weeks, and I seem to lose a lot of consistency on it.

At the end of the day we all try to find a way to feel comfortable. Jordan used to putt looking at the hole. It's kind of like the same thing. Just kind of forgetting about the stroke a little bit and just kind of feeling and letting your natural athletic ability to take over, I guess.

Q. Some people might think of it as an act of desperation. Why is it not?

SERGIO GARCIA: I don't care what they think. They're not out there playing. I'm going to do whatever I feel is best for me. The only guy I have to please is myself and my fans. Whoever doesn't like it, it's okay. It's their problem.

I think at the end of the day everyone has an opinion. We all do. I do when I others play and always have an opinion what they should have done or here or there, but at the end of the day you've just got to do what you feel is right.

Q. And as far as your ball-striking, it's been really strong this week, especially with the driver. What do you attribute that to and what have you found?

SERGIO GARCIA: I've been playing well. I've been hitting the ball well. If you look at my stats with driving last season and Napa, obviously U.S. Open, I wasn't quite there. But my driving has been very good. I've been in strokes gained right up there. I've gained obviously a bit of distance without losing accuracy, which is great. I've always loved driving the ball. I'm always excited for that.

It feels nice. I love the equipment that I have. I feel comfortable with it. That obviously helps.

Q. You mentioned earlier that you putted with the eyes closed at the Masters when you won. When did you move away from this, and what made you --

SERGIO GARCIA: On and off. Mostly I putted with my eyes closed, but sometimes I feel like I have it under control and I was like, oh, well, let's go back to -- I practice normal and it feels good and stuff, and then when it comes down to a tournament it doesn't feel quite the same. I would say I probably putted with my eyes closed 75, 70 percent of the times in the last, probably, four years.

Q. Did it start out as like a training aid, like a practice thing?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, a little bit. And then took it to the course and tried it in a tournament, and it felt good. It felt like my speed wasn't bad, even on my long putts. But more than anything it just felt like my stroke got a lot smoother. That's what I want to feel.

Q. What can you get out of being in the hunt this weekend?

SERGIO GARCIA: Oh, many things. It's great. It's great to be up there. It's great to have a chance, great to get those juices going and feel them. All of those things are positive, and it's confidence that comes to you, no matter what I've done the first two days. I've done a lot of very good things, and that's very positive, so I'm going to take all of that and just try to kind of get a little bit better on a couple of things that maybe weren't quite as good.

Q. Do you think regular golfers should go out this weekend and try it?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, why not? If they feel like they struggle with it, maybe. I don't know. At the end of the day, you do what you feel is best for you. It's as simple as that. There's no right or wrong.

Obviously, yeah, everyone wants to do it perfectly and the way it should be. It doesn't mean that it's the right way or not. But the way it kind of should be.

But we're all different. We're all different players, and everybody feels different things, and you've just got to try to see what feels best for you.

Q. What was the putt you felt most comfortable on today?

SERGIO GARCIA: The putt on the 10th hole, our first hole of the day, for par. That was a great putt to make. I hit a good shot just right of the hole and it bounced and it went in the collection area and hit a good chip, but it just ran probably eight or nine feet by. To make that to start the day obviously gives you a great feeling and a lot of comfort. Obviously then I made a great putt on 11.

I don't know, I think probably the putt that felt the best -- there were a good amount, but I think the one on 5 for birdie was really good, the one on 9 obviously was really nice. So it's good.