MICHAEL BALIKER: Scottie Scheffler, two years at Austin Country Club in this event, two years in the semifinals. Give us some opening comments and tell us how everything went today.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I felt like I played really good this afternoon. I didn't have my best stuff this morning, but I hung in there. I gave Billy a few holes on the front nine, but i hung in there and made some key putts there towards the end and finished off that match.
I played really solid this afternoon. I didn't really give Seamus many openings outside of one -- I think on 8 we got -- it was basically blowing straight in our face and I was playing 10 paces short of the pin and we got a down gust, and I think that was really the only mistake I made today. Outside of that I just really kept the pressure on him this afternoon.
Q. Scottie, going into tomorrow, I'm curious given your wins this year, Phoenix, the way that unfolded, Bay Hill, the way that unfolded, which do you think is maybe less stressful, having six or seven guys in the mix over the last hour or just having one guy next to you? How do you differentiate between the two --
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I would say that match play is a lot simpler knowing that you've just got to beat the guy in front of you. That can be a good and bad thing. You could go up against somebody that's really playing some great golf, or you could go up against somebody that's playing poorly and you don't really have to have your best stuff.
I think this week I had one of those matches against Fleetwood where he just played better than I did. I didn't play badly, I just played pretty good. I didn't make as many putts as maybe I usually would, and he just beat me.
There's some other matches, maybe the one this morning, where I didn't have my best stuff, but was still able to close out the match. It's one of those deals you get a feel for how the match is going and go from there.
I think it's a lot simpler in match play than it is stroke play. Stroke play you don't know what's going to happen.
Q. Which one is easier to get down on yourself if things aren't going great?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I don't know.
Q. Scottie, is there anything you learned from last year on Sunday resting, bringing two pairs of socks, whatever the case may be, that you'll apply tomorrow?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: You know, I think I got a little bit better of a routine in the afternoon, and also in the beginning of the week. I think last year I kind of -- I really wanted to play well in the beginning of the week. I may have prepared a little bit too hard out here the week of, and this year I've taken it a lot easier.
Yeah, I think I've had a more difficult road getting in with the playoff yesterday and kind of the mental grind of losing to Tommy on the second day and then having to beat Matt twice yesterday and then a close match this morning and a pretty close match this afternoon where I needed my "A" game to beat Seamus. I feel rested and ready to go for tomorrow.
Q. In the morning match this morning, it seemed like the 16th hole was sort of pivotal when you were playing Billy. Can you talk us through, seemed like you got some good breaks and then the third shot is what I'm curious about off the pine straw.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I guess off the mulch. Billy didn't have his best stuff today, but as always he's a really solid player. He doesn't really make huge mistakes. He just kind of plots his way around. He pretty much made everything again inside of 10 feet today. I don't remember him missing a -- missing a putt he should have made other than the one on 16 and maybe the one on 18. But even the one on 18 was probably 14 feet.
He was in good position there on 16, and I hit a terrible drive and got a good break that came back in the fairway, and then I was just trying to see what I could do to give myself a look there with the chip shot, and I hit a really nice spinny chip shot in there and had a really good look to keep the pressure on him, and that was kind of the first time he really cracked all day and made a mistake, and I took advantage of it there.
Q. Closing out with an eagle, that's kind of a flair for the dramatic, wouldn't you say?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I guess so. I didn't necessarily need it. I only needed a 4 so I was playing a little bit conservative with the pitch, but it was definitely nice to see that one go in.
Q. You've got to like the par-5s today?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, apparently I did. Fred told me that I won all six of them maybe today. I didn't know that until after the match this afternoon, but that's good. Got to take advantage of the par-5s.
Q. If you end up winning the whole thing you can supplant Jon at No. 1 in the world. Are you in a rush to get there this being your third full year?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I wouldn't say I'm in a rush really to do anything out here. I'm pretty blessed to be playing out here on the PGA TOUR. I'm just enjoying myself out here and trying to do the best I can and to compete.
Q. You don't seem to get nervous at all. I think on 17 against Billy, maybe a little tentative putt on 17. But you don't ever seem to get nervous. Do you?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I definitely get nervous. I think if you don't get nervous out here, there's probably something a little bit off with you. You probably don't care that much. I think I play better with a little bit of nerves, maybe a little bit of pressure on me.
I did a lot of good things this morning to finish off that match, hit a lot of good shots, especially that one into 17. Just happened to misread that putt.
I hit a decent wedge into 18 a little further away than I wanted, but other than that I was hitting good shots and kind of keeping the pressure on him on the back nine.
Q. When Seamus birdied 8 and 9 to tie the match, do you tell yourself anything?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, to be completely honest with you, the shot I hit into 8 was exactly what I was trying to do, so we just got unlucky with a gust of wind that somehow went from in our face to straight down, and we just got a really bad break, and then, whatever, the TV tower back there was in our way but I couldn't get relief because of the angle because I basically had to play the shot almost sideways, and then it was weird back there. Then Seamus hit a really good drive on 18, or on 9, into a position where he was able to take advantage of it with a wedge, and I hit a few good shots there and I told Teddy as we were walking off the green there, I was like, if we're going to lose holes, I'd much rather do it like that than the way I lost No. 9 this morning hitting it in the junk.
Didn't think too much about it.
Q. I heard you talk about energy and how this morning you didn't really have much energy and if you've got 36 holes in front of you, how do you muster that? What do you do with such a different approach, playing two rounds of golf?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, I would say my energy levels as the match went on this afternoon got higher and higher. This morning I think I had just got a little bit lazy maybe with a few swings maybe not as focused as I should have been, but I came back out this afternoon and I played some great golf. I'll just go home and get some rest tonight and get ready for tomorrow.
Q. I had dinner with Coach Fields the other night; he talked about how when he told you something, the chances that you did it were 50/50. When you just made up your mind and did something yourself, the chances that you did whatever shot you wanted to do were 90 percent. What is it about you that kind of likes that approach to things? And is Ted maybe someone who has kind of helped with that because obviously the connection between the two of you has worked really well very quickly.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: You know, I'd say just like anything out here, you kind of have to see your own shot. I think I've really worked hard at being more consistent with my ball-striking since I was in college. In college I kind of fought my swing a little bit, and as I've turned pro I feel like I've improved in a few aspects of my game and just gotten more comfortable. Through the work I've put in I've just gained some more confidence, and I feel like I have a lot of different shots that we can kind of use.
All you can do is be fully committed to the shot at hand, and like I said, the shot I hit at No. 8 today, I was able to walk off that hole feeling good because I was like hit exactly how I wanted to, we just got bad break, versus if I'm second-guessing the wind and I make a poor swing that's a totally different ballgame. Then I'm going to be mad at myself because mentally I made an error. Getting unlucky is a totally different story, so for me it's just all about being committed to the shot.
Q. Can you talk about the relationship with Ted and what it's meant to you?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, obviously we're clicking on the course and stuff, but he's a good buddy of mine and we've been having some fun together. He works really hard. He does a good job and I respect his work ethic and I respect him as a person. He's a pretty easy guy to be around.
Q. You grew up playing this golf course; just talk about why you like this golf course as a match play venue.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I think it's fun. You can play some aggressive golf, you can play conservative. There's a few different ways you can kind of plot your way around here. It gets challenging when it's this firm and you've got the wind blowing. There's some challenging holes, and you've got to stay pretty patient out there, I think. It's a fun test.
Q. Looks like DJ is your opponent for tomorrow. Any thoughts on that and have you paid any attention to anybody at all you've ever played in this tournament in the two years you've played this tournament? In other words, does it matter who you play? How much do you even study an opponent before you play them, and does it make a difference when it gets deeper into the tournament?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I would say that I haven't really studied anybody that I've played. For me, I think the only time your strategy will change in match play is if your opponent makes a pretty big mistake, and I'm not going to do any research on DJ. I've been watching him play for years now and he's pretty good at golf. So it should be a fun battle with him tomorrow. It's good to see him back in form again and I'm looking forward to battling it out with him.
MICHAEL BALIKER: Scottie, thank you. Best of luck tomorrow.
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