Q. Finished in third place, 25 points. Looks like six birdies and a double. Looks like the par-3s bit you a bit.
STEPH CURRY: They did. I just seen all three of those. It's wild how golf is just unpredictable. I was striping it to start the round, couldn't make a -- I had like two 10- or 12-footers on the first two holes. Couldn't convert. You just try to stay patient. The birdies started on the front nine, so that was fun. I haven't had a 4-putt in a very long time. So number 12 got me. That's all it was, is a 4-putt. Happy how I was able to bounce back. 17 was my favorite part of the day.
Those are the parts, avoiding another double, keeping your round going. I made a 20-footer on 13 for par. That was kind of just grinding it out. I'm exciting. Why the scores keep going higher and higher. 25 used to be pretty sound and you're still chasing. So have some work to do.
Q. Take a look at 6, 7, 8, birdie, birdie, birdie. Had to make you feel pretty good?
STEPH CURRY: Coming off that bogey on 5, almost made it on 6. Hit it to 10 feet on 7, made a putt, and 3 feet on 8. So sometimes you can make the game really easy. Then you grind on the other side. Can you just get to the finish line? It's fun to have all the emotional roller coaster of day one.
Q. Obviously not bad. You're in third place. That putt on 16 looked like it just --
STEPH CURRY: Bad read. Bad read. From me, not my caddie.
Q. You mentioned 25 usually could put you in first place. Obviously scoring very good today. Was it something about the conditions, or was it just the quality of the field getting to the point where you've got to raise your level of play?
STEPH CURRY: Quality of the field. Myself, Pavelski and Mardy, we were all sitting up here yesterday hoping that we would be at the top. The last three champs kind of grinding it out. And everybody is a little more comfortable, a little bit more patient, probably, if things aren't going your way early. And then I know Joe made an eagle on 18. He did it his last round here when he won.
So it's kind of fun to watch good golfers keep getting better and keep finding ways to improve, and hopefully we can keep doing that this weekend.
Q. Four of his last six rounds here have been 29 points. Where have you seen his game jump and maybe his confidence in his game?
STEPH CURRY: He hits every fairway, it feels like. And he can roll the rock better than most people I've seen.
There's a lot of confidence. If you're hitting the fairway most holes and you're on the green, anywhere inside of 30 feet, you think you've got a chance to make it. That's been kind of his advantage lately.
I don't know how they'll pair the group tomorrow, but it will be fun if all three of us were back together so you can kind of see it up close.
Q. (Inaudible)?
STEPH CURRY: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's like rising tides raises all ships. You want that energy of good golf around, kind of pushing you and also just knowing where everybody's at.
Q. We talked a little bit about the family bet yesterday. I got ahold of Seth this morning, and he told me he's holding the belt right now, which gives him a 2-to-1-to-1 lead in the family bet. What's your thought process about trying to attack him and get that back?
STEPH CURRY: He is the two-time reigning champ. They brought the belts out on 17 today. It's such a cool kind of tradition to have with my dad, my brother.
He got off to a rough start early in the round. I don't think he's that confident right now that he can retain the belt. But me and my dad are going to do our best to keep it from him.
A little parity in the Curry Belt Chase, that will be fun.
Q. What did you learn about your game today, and what adjustments will you make for round two tomorrow?
STEPH CURRY: I just have a lot of clarity on what shots I'm trying to hit. You know the course and where not to be. I was happy I didn't get too rattled after the double and kept my round together.
It's all about the greens out here, they're so fast. Tricky breaks. Lag putting is a premium if you can get it inside three feet and keep everything stress-free. So I've got to work on that a little bit. But just knowing that it's 54 holes, it's such a long journey to try to get to the finish line. So I just wanted to stay as patient as possible.
Q. A common theme here has been the depth in the tournament is greater and greater every year for winners. I mean, talk about that a little bit and how you have to prepare yourself for this going into the next two days.
STEPH CURRY: Played plenty of rounds with Joe and Mardy and Tony and Annika and Smoltz. Basically the whole top 10 I kind of know and I've played with. So you kind of understand, you're not just going to sleepwalk through three rounds and win this thing. And I think all of us are just trying to get to the back nine on Sunday with a legitimate shot to make something happen. Even if you're not the leader, you just kind of want to be within earshot.
Mardy and Joe, especially, because they've won the last two. I know what their game is like and how well they can play on any given round. I think they both shot, like, 65 or 67 at one point. So those rounds are in there, and you've got to keep up.
Q. It's like real golf, right? You've got to get to that back nine now with how deep this tournament is. It's got to be a grind for you, too, right?
STEPH CURRY: Yeah, because I only play this tournament and maybe a member guest every once in a while. It's not like I play a lot of competitive tournament-style golf. And the idea of how do you pace yourself over the three days to not get too ahead of yourself when you get on a birdie streak and not get too deflated when we have a double. That emotional discipline is stuff. I play a sport that if I turn it over, I can go back and try to get a stop, and I can do something about it. Out here, you can make as many putts as you want, or birdies, somebody can just beat you. That's just how it goes. You've got to stay in the moment as much as you can. It's really hard out here, though.
Q. Today it was the Curry family and everybody cheering each other on. Tomorrow you're going to be probably paired with a couple other guys that you're fighting with. You guys always seem to get along pretty well out here. You mentioned Joe and Mardy winning the last two, and with you, the last three, quite frankly. What's it like when you're playing with family and you want to win bad?
STEPH CURRY: The tournament odds are at the beginning for a reason. You kind of knew who was going to be up there. And the best part is we all take golf so seriously, but there is a level of awareness that we're out here to have fun. We grind. We practice. We bring our families, friends, caddies out here. There's kind of a rollover effect from how many times you get to play the tournament.
So we take it serious. But at the end of the day, as you saw, hugs and high-fives, and go low tomorrow and all that type of stuff. Because you want to see everybody do well. You just want to play a little bit better than they do.
Q. Does the galley seem bigger to you on a Friday for a first round?
STEPH CURRY: I feel like a broken record every day because since COVID, every day feels like the previous day the year before, if that makes sense. Wednesday felt like -- I forgot it was a practice round.
Yesterday felt like Friday. 17 was incredible today. 18 was too. There's some pockets on the front nine that are awesome. 7 is a great hole. Great memories there.
The attendance is phenomenal. That's what makes this tournament. We could go play by ourselves and have a great time, but there's nothing like this arena where you get so much love and you're trying to play legitimate golf. It's the best of both worlds.
Q. You had 25 today, came in third place. The year you won, on day one, you had 27 points. So you're relaxed, comfortable, and what are you shooting for tomorrow? What's your confidence level after this 25?
STEPH CURRY: I mean, there's no score goal, it's just eliminate mistakes, which I did for 17 holes and I had one kind of blunder. You want to make as many birdies.
Last year I had a couple of eagles so that helped. I probably need to get one of those to keep pace. Joe had one today. That will help. But just want to get off to a good start, kind of like today where I had stress-free pars the first three holes, and then after that you kind of get a rhythm. Have a good start and keep it going end on.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports