THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome the captain of Legion XIII, Mr. Jon Rahm, and the captain of RangeGoats GC, Bubba Watson. Jon, you fired off a 7-under. You're currently sitting at T2. We had Bryson in here earlier. He stopped the press conference so he could watch you putt, and he said, wow, Jon is just playing so incredible. That guy is just unbelievable. What are your comments on that?
JON RAHM: Thank you. Likewise to Bryson because clearly he's had a few good weeks and continues today. Yeah, he's right. I've been fairly comfortable the last few weeks, playing really good golf, and I'm glad today was one of those days where I finally started the tournament in a little bit of a -- with a better round and what better way to start it than with three birdies in a row. That just set the tone, and felt really comfortable on the greens all day. Couldn't really have asked for a much better score.
THE MODERATOR: Bubba, you're currently sitting in fourth place. You shot 5-under, had an incredible run at Augusta. You're playing great right now. What's going on with your game? What's this fire you got underneath you?
BUBBA WATSON: Just putting good. That's the key. I think I was No. 1 in putting at the Masters in strokes gained putting.
I had a couple wayward shots, four swings that I could think of at the Masters, and today a couple loose swings, but the ball kind of does different at elevation here. But I putted really well today, so that's the key is just keep putting well.
Q. You guys are both long hitters. Tell us how you're dealing with the elevation here and ball control and distance.
JON RAHM: I think both of us have played a WGC before, so to an extent we knew what to expect. Depending on -- I think it was a little tougher a few years ago because with the tee times if you teed off early there was a difference to teeing off later on so you had to adjust to that. Now teeing off in the afternoon I think everybody just goes with a base percentage.
Off the tee, for the most part, you have to just place it in the right spot in the fairway. There's a couple holes where luckily if you have the distance, you can be aggressive, second hole being one of them, where if you have the distance, getting to the green or at least going for that green makes it a lot easier because the lay-up isn't easy. The wedge shot is never easy.
For the most part, length isn't an issue off the tee. If you're comfortable with the driver, it's great, and if not, you can still lay it back a little bit and still have a good chance of scoring well on the hole.
It gives you options. It's a really fun golf course.
Q. Bubba, how are you managing distance control out there?
BUBBA WATSON: For me it's more curving the golf ball. The ball doesn't curve as much.
JON RAHM: That is an issue for you, isn't it.
BUBBA WATSON: Yes, it's a big issue for me. It's an issue for me for sure because of my sight lines. So I want to aim it right, so I've had to aim it a little bit more to the center of the fairway. Like he said, I've played here four times leading into this week, so this is my fifth time here, so I kind of know what to expect around here.
The greens are starting to firm up, so the golf course is going to get a little firmer over the weekend.
You just kind of get used to elevation and you see the numbers on the range and then you just kind of get used to it as you play.
You kind of get used to the elevation and how far the ball is actually going.
Q. The Mexican fans are so hospitable; it looks like so much fun out there. Talk a little bit about the fan experience.
BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, it's been great. I've seen some RangeGoats hats out there. I had a bunch of kids when I got done, got to sign some stuff for them, and yeah, it's great. It's always great when they're here and they're pulling for you. Anytime they're yelling your name, you know you're doing something right.
It's been fun, and it's always been exciting around here. They love their sports. So I'm glad they come out to watch us play golf and watch some of these guys hit it pretty far.
Q. Jon, do they treat you like an honorary Mexican out here?
JON RAHM: Yeah, yeah. As a Mexican Open Champion, they let me know. I do feel like I'm one more. Even though playing with Carlos, I'm not quite on the same level, obviously, but the crowd was heavily for me, as well.
It's a lot of fun to play in front of fans like this. I would say anytime where European football is the main sport in that country, the fans almost treat golf as if they were watching that, at least when I'm in the group because they're comfortable saying it in Spanish. It's a bit more exciting just because where you might make a six-footer that in other places just gets a little bit of a lazy clap, you'll get three or four guys that think you just scored a goal, and it's absolutely incredible.
It's a lot of fun to be a part of. Even here right next to the 18th hole, getting ready for my putt, as if it would be in a stadium, there's people yelling, like if it was a corner shot or a penalty. They're actually cheering for me, something you're not used to, but it's a lot of fun to be a part of.
Q. Bubba, what's better, chasing the lead or being under pressure or getting ahead? What are your thoughts on maybe chasing those steps behind?
BUBBA WATSON: I'd rather be leading because then I don't have to make as many birdies to stay in the lead.
It just depends. A golf course like this, it might be better to chase. But I'd rather be leading. I think any golfer wants to be leading just because you can make a mistake and still be leading.
Q. How would you describe the energy of the crowd today here in Chapultepec, and what was the most difficult part for you here in the Club de Golf?
BUBBA WATSON: The difficult part is just seeing my sight lines and trying to get the ball to go where I want it to. But the fans here have been great. It's been amazing. It's always been amazing around here.
Like Jon was saying, the energy. When you hit a good shot, they're cheering for you, they're pulling for you, they're always telling you, let's go, keep going. It's always fun.
They're supportive. Even if you make a bogey, they're still supportive going, get them next hole. It's always a blast. Seeing all the young kids out here this week, it's great. That means the game is good here in Mexico, and hopefully these kids will be here and we'll be cheering them on later on a few years from now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports