THE MODERATOR: Retief Goosen here at the 2026 PGA Championship. 3-under on the day, 8-under overall. How did you feel about your round today?
RETIEF GOOSEN: I didn't play that well today, but I managed to hang in there. Made a few good par saves on number four and number six. There's quite a few of them.
Yeah, I struggled a bit on my swing today. I missed a lot of fairways, which is not good around here. Yeah, I just managed to hang in there.
The wind was so inconsistent today. You could play downwind the one hole, and then the next hole you think you're going to play into the wind, and you're playing downwind again or the other way around.
Sunny the last five holes. Suddenly it picked up out of the southwest, but the wind was really tricky to judge today.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. We were just talking about the par-5s before, and it looks like they are not that easy to score, no, on those par-5s? There's some tricky things, even if the distance is not that long. I don't know how they played for you?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, today 12 was playing into the wind when we played it, so I blocked it into the bunker.
17 I managed to hit a good drive and pulled a 6-iron on the left side of the green. Managed to two-putt from there.
Three I drove it in the trees, had to go down the fairway of number six, still behind the trees. Then pushed it probably 30 yards right of the green and managed to get it up and down from there for 5.
Six I drove it in the bunker and had to chop out down the right from 70 yards. Got it up and down for par. So it was a lot of scrambling today, and hopefully tomorrow find a little more consistency. Yesterday was better, but today was fighting the old swing a little.
Q. Retief, what's going to be your approach over the weekend? There's I guess five players within two shots going into tomorrow.
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, you stick to your game plan around here. I mean, try and not miss the greens on the wrong side. Otherwise, you hit those big runoffs.
Weather conditions look similar to today. A little bit of wind, warm. You know, I think the par-5s are key this week. If you can drive it well on the par-5s and get away with birdies, that definitely helps. The par-3s are tricky. I've not played the par-4s well at all this week. I've made two birdies in the first two rounds on the par-4s, so I need to up that a little.
Q. To struggle off the tee, play out of the pines and down other fairways, often makes for a tough round, but yet, you went bogey-free. What kind of accomplishment is that?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, no, like I say, I got it up and down from quite a few places today for pars. Then again, there was a few holes I hit it close like number 11 and some other hole that I had my chances to make birdie and just didn't make it.
But, yeah, tomorrow hopefully my driving will be a little better and make it a little bit easier going into the greens.
Q. What was perhaps the biggest adventure that you had out there? Was it going down the sixth fairway on three?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, that was probably -- I drove it right, and I was up against a tree and in a hole. I mean, I could go back down the fairway, but I couldn't hit it low, because I was in a hole. I had to punch a 9-iron out down to six. Then I was still stuck behind trees, so I had to hook it around and didn't hook it enough and ended up on a cart path 20 yards right of the green.
That wasn't an easy shot, but managed to get it to about probably 10 feet and made that for par.
Q. Then what kind of shot was your second shot there on nine coming out of the trees again?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, no, that was another one I actually hit a provisional off the tee. I thought the ball was maybe gone and managed to have a little gap there through there from about 104 yards and hit a sand iron through there and managed to get it on the front. Lucky it stayed there again. Otherwise, it could have run down 20 yards short of the green.
So I had my breaks today too. You know, got away with some bad shots and managed to make par. So hopefully tomorrow it will be a little bit more easy-going and a little more down the middle of the fairway.
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