Q. How did it feel to be back?
JIM "BONES" MACKAY: It felt great. Such an iconic golf course and one where you've got to show up with a lot of game to make some noise. It was a blast. I told Matthew after the first day last week, I was so impressed with his game and his arsenal of shots, and he showed me so much. He's a very, very good player, and it was a joy to be with him. He was great out there. I mean, 68 today, what more could you ask for from the guy. He hit two perfect shots into the first hole and made bogey, and it set the tone for what we were going to deal with the rest of the day, and he handled it like a champ.
Q. How much more impressed were you after two weeks than you were after the first week?
JIM "BONES" MACKAY: Yeah, even more so. He's got a ton of shots, and to me the most underrated skill a professional golfer can have, which he has in spades, which is the ability to read greens. He's an amazing green reader, and I think that's going to take him a long way in this game. He's longer than I thought he was going to be. He's good. He's really good. And the thing I told him out there today is if I was his full-time caddie, and he's got a great caddie in Billy, is that his game matches up really well for the majors. It might not be as great in Palm Springs, but my goodness, you get to the U.S. Open, you get to these tough courses with some rough, and he can do a lot of damage.
Q. How much do you think your experience here helped him?
JIM "BONES" MACKAY: Yeah, I don't know. You'd have to ask him that. I just know he told me his 7-iron goes 177 yards, and it did. This guy knows what his game is. He's got an incredible work ethic, and it was great.
Q. (Inaudible.)
JIM "BONES" MACKAY: I work 22 weeks a year. That means there's there's 30 other weeks I can go caddie if I want to. You know, if someone says that their caddie has got a twisted ankle, that's something -- I love caddying. I consider myself a caddie, even when I'm doing TV. It's a great job, but I'm very lucky to have my deal with NBC.
Q. Are you aware of Matt's record at Arnold Palmer this year when he played the final round and was the only player to shoot under 70, and that could be the same at this place?
JIM "BONES" MACKAY: Oh, that's cool. I didn't know that. That's really cool, though.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports