Q. Get to the good stuff first. You had ti going real good.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, you know, I played the par-3s good on the front side; birdied No. 2.
Q. What did you hit there?
TRACY PHILLIPS: I hit an 8-iron in there about ten feet behind it.
And then I chipped in from the right on 4.
Q. Okay.
TRACY PHILLIPS: That's a daunting hole anyway.
Q. How long was that?
TRACY PHILLIPS: Probably about 40 yards from the pin. Just eight yards off the green.
Q. Wow, that's a bonus.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, so chipped that in.
Made a blunder of No. 5. I had a 90-yard shot in; hit this just a little bit deep and left and it bounced in the back bunker. Barely got it out trying to get cute and left it in the fringe and chipped it in.
So that's two chip-ins in a row. Made par there. You know, you have those rounds where you have turning points in the round, and I had a couple of those today that swung me in the positive direction.
Turn around and birdie the next hole. Hit an 8-iron in there about six feet. So after that chip in for par a made a birdie, so that really helped get me going.
Parred 7.
Parred 8.
Parred 9.
Birdied 10.
Birdied 11.
Hit it right in the middle of the fairway on 12. I didn't see mud on the ball but I had a mudder and it just hit straight right into the trees and high grass. Couldn't even hardly put a club on it. Chipped it out about five feet from the junk and then miss-hit the chip again and made double.
And then --
Q. It's a mental challenge, right?
TRACY PHILLIPS: It is.
Q. In the middle of the fairway...
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, in the middle of the fairway. Made a good swing and looked up and the ball went straight right, so that was tough.
Then hit a bad iron shot on the next par-3 in the front bunker and hit it out about 12 feet and made a good par there.
Again, had those good swinging momentum points that allowed me to kind of sustain the round.
And then hit a drive left on 14. Hit a really good iron shot. Run it up there about six feet and missed it for birdie.
Then on 15, hit a wedge in there about eight feet and missed that for birdie.
Then had about 20-footers on the next two holes and just was pretty close to the hole; didn't make them.
Then 18 I kind of misread the wind off the tee box. Thought I was down and a little to the right and it was more -- kind of more just to the right.
So I hit a fade that the wind took a lot more right. Put it actually in the hazard and had to just chop out a wedge just short of the green. Good chip. Left it in there about six feet short and missed it to the right again.
All in all, good day.
Q. Yeah.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Wasted it some, but it all balances out.
Q. When you wake up this morning you know you have to play well to play here on the weekend.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah.
Q. So to respond, man, must feel good.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, absolutely. Like you said, I felt like I should have played a lot better yesterday. Just didn't get those positive points turned yesterday.
I hadn't been able to (indiscernible) results. Made too many bogeys. Made couple mistakes. I made four birdies and six bogeys, which I don't usually make a lot of bogeys in a round.
But just didn't feel very good over the putter. Today made some key putts and missed some putts, but it all balances out.
It's good to shoot a good one when you have to.
Q. Just getting here this week bring back a lot of great feelings?
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, you know, I built -- I was thinking on the sixth hole, I remember I think it was -- yeah, Pat was caddieing for me. I think it was the second round and I hit an 8-iron in there to about foot and a half and he -- he was kind of excited and handed me the head cover instead of the putter.
I said, I'm going to need a little bit more than this head cover to make that putt. That was our joke. That was in 2022.
Q. What's Pat's...
TRACY PHILLIPS: Pat Tubach, T-u-b-a-c-h. I was over that 8-iron thinking of that scenario and hit an 8-iron in there about five feet and end up making the putt for birdie.
It brought back good memories from when he and Rick Reed alternated caddieing.
Q. Yeah, yeah. So you got Pat this year?
TRACY PHILLIPS: No, I've got Roland Lewis.
Q. Oh, okay.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, he's doing the whole thing. (Laughter.)
Q. So the guys you had last time, didn't they work for your dad?
TRACY PHILLIPS: Both of them did, worked for dad a long I'm time ago. Rick Reed was head pro at Oaks Country Club I think for over 25 years, and Pat was the general manager for the last seven or eight years before they both retired on the same day.
Good friends. I've known them forever. They tried to alternate nine holes but they wouldn't let them, so they alternated the 18 holes during their full rounds.
Q. Nice. So it's been quite a long stretch here. Whole fortnight of golf.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah.
Q. What's it been like physically?
TRACY PHILLIPS: Physically it's been hard. I'm fighting a little plantar fasciitis in my right foot, so just going through therapy. Doug's been working on me here and Jason helped me last week.
Been kind of fighting it for maybe month and a half.
Q. That's no fun.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, so we're just trying to work through it. But outside of that, body feels pretty good.
Q. What did you pull out of last week? Such a monster golf course.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yeah, I think -- yeah, obviously hit a lot the of woods. Two different golf courses. I'm hitting some irons into some greens here.
I think the main thing was just how much I enjoy being inside the ropes playing in front of galleries. The nerves were good. I mean, I didn't score all that well, 75, 80, played in the rain all day on Friday morning.
But the nerves felt good. I pull a lot of good things from last week. I just found out how hard it is or how long those guys are and all the different golf courses they play.
Q. What would've been the nearest to that crowd you played in front of?
TRACY PHILLIPS: Oh, you know, I was a marker for --
Q. At Southern Hills?
TRACY PHILLIPS: At Southern Hills. I think they had an odd number of players make the cut so I played with Brian Harman Saturday. Then of course Tiger Woods dropped out that Saturday, which brought it back to even.
But playing in front of a hometown crowd was fun. I think I made two double bogeys on the back side and 75 under pretty tough conditions that Saturday.
So that helped me build momentum coming into 2022 here where I played pretty well. And of course playing with Ernie Els the last few days last year -- or in 2022, perfect -- great gentlemen. Made me feel very comfortable.
You know, that was pretty awesome.
Q. Did you get to catch up with him this week?
TRACY PHILLIPS: I have -- I've seen him but from a distance. Haven't really got to talk to him.
Q. Got the whole weekend now.
TRACY PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. Exactly.
Q. Finally, you're not doing this 50 weeks a year like these guys are.
TRACY PHILLIPS: No.
Q. What does it mean to get to the weekend?
TRACY PHILLIPS: You know, after yesterday it feels good. You know, I thought there was a 5-, 6-under par out there for me if I just do things right and putt good.
I really had it going until I got the mudball on 12, and then to hang in there and get it up and down on 13 really helped.
Just got to still clean up some putts. There is some poor putting misses that I have going on right now, but I'm going to enjoy the weekend. Go just try to beat the golf course again.
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