THE MODERATOR: Jhonattan Vegas is with us now at the 107th PGA Championship. Jhonattan, 1-under today. How would you characterize your second round?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Solid round today, a little bit up and down. I would say more than I would have liked.
I feel like finishing so late yesterday, not getting a great sleep, and having to come back early kind of put me not in the best mood all day. Like I said, it was tough coming back.
But I would say it was a very solid round. Started a little bit shaky the first three holes, making some birdies and making some birdies on the back nine. A little bit of a lucky break there on 17 and finishing quite crappy on 18, but overall solid.
Every chance you get to lead a major and play with the lead is never easy. So I feel proud of a solid round today.
Q. How much sleep did you get?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: It felt like three hours, but I probably got a little bit more than that. Like I said, by the time I left here, it was probably 9:00 p.m. By the time I ate and got myself ready to bed, it was probably 10:00, 10:30. Like I said, everything felt rushed.
It was just hard, right? Especially finishing the way I finished and having to do the media, you kind of stay a little bit wired for a little too long. Like I said, I feel like I got some sleep, but it wasn't the best.
Q. Also, wondered on 18 just now, it was a pretty long delay while your playing partner figured out where the ball crossed into the water. Did that get you in any kind of shape or off your rhythm?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Not really. We've been waiting long enough on these rounds here that it just happens. I feel like I hit a good shot out of the bunker, but the sand was a little more wetter than I expected, and the ball came out super soft and rolled all the way there, then missed like a three- or four-footer or whatever.
It's easy to hang your head on that, but there were way too many things to keep fresh in the mind. Even though it's never easy to give two shots away right at the end, a lot of golf left, so got to keep remembering the good stuff.
Q. There's been 17 double bogeys already today on 18. Why is that playing so tough?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: That front fall on 18 is a massive one. If you don't get the ball in behind it, everything is channeling to the front of the green. Even if you are, like I said, parallel with the flag on the right side, you have to play your ball 10, 12 feet right of the hole because that edge is very steep, kind of like I did.
I was playing mine 10 feet right and didn't hit it hard enough, and it came all the way back. So it's easy to kind of lose it that way.
Like I said, it's a tough pin. We knew that we wanted to kind of get past, but it wasn't a good second shot. Like I said, it's a tough hole any day of the week. I would say a little bit tougher with that pin.
Q. Jhonattan, congrats again. Another impressive performance. You're experiencing a career first here, what you did on round 1 on Thursday, first time at a major leading it, proud moment for your country as well. Another impressive follow-up today. What does it mean to you personally to be where you're at right now at the halfway point going into the next couple of rounds?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: It means a lot, right? This is kind of what we put all those hours for. You put all those hours to give yourself chances like this. Unfortunately I haven't been able to do it throughout my career, but like I said, you never know. You got to keep the pedal down, keep your head down, and keep working hard. You never know when things are going to turn your way.
I'm enjoying the process, and just got to keep going.
Q. What have you learned about yourself over the last couple of days?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Like I said, that I have the game to compete in these big events. I've just got to -- like I said, I've just got to do what I do, and good things could happen.
Q. For a PGA TOUR player who has four wins, you don't have as much major experience maybe as some other guys with four wins. Has that been a point for you to -- I mean, has it been hard to sit and watch majors through the years? Because you have these blocks where you haven't been able to play. I know it's injury-related too, but how hard has it been to watch majors at home?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: It's definitely been annoying. It's been very, very annoying, especially knowing I have the game to compete in these big events. I feel like my game is very complete, but I just haven't been able to put it all together in a major.
I think I've been patient enough to not really get too down on myself for not playing well at majors. I've played good at THE PLAYERS. I've played good at some good, big tournaments, but never a major, right?
Like I said, it's just kind of one of those things that you've just got to keep learning about yourself and what it takes to play good here. Unfortunately, it's taking me a little bit longer than usual, but I'm glad that I'm in this position right now.
Q. So last year when you won the 3M, you said even on the last day your shoulder didn't feel completely right. Where is your shoulder now? And then following that, how have you been able to kind of mentally kind of overcome the injuries that you've had? They've kept you out for long periods. How have you mentally handled that?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Obviously the shoulder, anytime they open you up, you're never the same. So the shoulder has its moments, good and bad days, right? Unfortunately, we know that, especially as we get older playing this sport.
Like I said, it's good enough to play good golf. That's all I have to remember. Like I said, all I have to do is believe that the body is strong enough, that I've done everything in my power to make it right and have to trust it.
Sometimes it's hard because the moment you start feeling things getting tight or getting weak, it kind of affects a little bit of the mental process. I've been doing it long enough now with these injuries that, at the end of the day, you've just got to try to execute the best way you can.
Q. Can you talk through your reaction to the shot on 17?
JHONATTAN VEGAS: Reaction? It was a shock, for sure. One, because once I saw that it hit something. I didn't know how hard it hit it and where it was going. I know that it was rolling through the green, but I didn't know immediately if it was going to be too hard and run maybe possibly into the water. Obviously a big shocker in that sense.
I don't know, like I said, it was one of those things that happens in this sport. Sometimes you get a sprinkler head that goes out-of-bounds or the cart path that goes out-of-bounds or sometimes you hit a rake that goes on the green. It's just part of the game, and you've just got to enjoy it all.
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