Q. I know the finish obviously wasn't the way you wanted to finish, but what was working so well for you out there today early on?
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, I mean, it wasn't -- I guess on paper it wasn't what I wanted, but I had 5-iron into 16, 7-wood into 17 and 4-iron into 18. Like that's a little tough coming in there today. Especially with the added length. So I told my caddie that's the least mad I'm ever going to be bogeying the last three. I mean, 17 basically felt like a par. I shot 69 for the fifth straight round. So that's pretty cool of the.
Q. How difficult -- I know the length, but how difficult is that finishing stretch, they're ranked top 3 hardest holes on the course?
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, I mean 17, there's years I played out here where it's hard to hit with a wedge and now we've got 5-iron, 4-iron, 7-wood in there. So 16's always been tough. I hope we don't even use that back tee, it's playing tough enough with an 8-iron, let alone a 5- or 6-iron like today. It's a great finish, it really makes you take advantage of the birdie holes when you get 'em early on. That puts a lot of pressure on yourself. So I did a good job of that today, but it's definitely always something to look for coming down the stretch.
Q. Do you feel like your game's in a good spot right now?
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, I mean, I think it was kind of the perfect combo today. I've been playing really well, I've been working really hard. I've never really played that well here. So the combination of feeling pretty confident with my game and absolutely zero expectations always usually leads to good stuff.
Q. Why haven't you played well here, do you think?
MARK HUBBARD: I hit it short and low compared to the TOUR. You need to hit it far and high here to play well. So for me I got to putt really well, which is what I did today. I have gained some speed and with that has come some height. So I was joking last week when I was playing well, I didn't know if I was going to get in here or not, I was kind of one of the last people in. I was kind of on the fence of how much I cared about it. But then I was thinking about, I was like, I think I'm going to like this place a lot more with that added length and it turns out I was right.
Q. How did you gain that length? What did you work on?
MARK HUBBARD: I've been working with a new coach and he's just got me moving a little better. Just over the last four, five years I just had kind of shut down my hips and my rotation and had become kind of all upper body and arms. So which is why I hit it really straight and I'm a good mid iron player, but it's not great with driver. So he's really got me just loosening up my hips and I'm moving a lot better and usually loading and unloading properly.
Q. You mentioned you were an alternate, I don't know if you were the first alternate or second alternate. But what's it like when you come to a course and you don't even know if you're going to play on Thursday? What's that like?
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, I mean, I got in -- I was first alternate after the official deadline, but I got in pretty quickly after that. So I knew over the weekend last weekend that I was in. The only thing I think I was last man in because Maverick withdrew. So the only scenario where I could have gotten bumped out was if Harry Hall won last week, and obviously you're not going to root against anybody. So I was pretty at peace with whatever was going to happen. But, he, yeah, once I did get in and it was kind of finalized I was excited to come here and have some milkshakes.
Q. I saw you chipped on 18. Is that just from where you were or distance, why did you do that?
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, where I was, there's such a huge slope there coming off that bunker. I know last year my caddie was telling me and I remember too a couple guys putted it off the green from there. You just have to hit it so high up in that fringe to get it to come down on the right angle. But with a putt I was kind of thinking it would be coming in sideways. So it was going to go past the pin regardless, there's no way I'm keeping that short. But past the pin right of it is going off the green. Whereas, a chip I felt like it had a little spin to help it stay short, but it was also going kind of more forward left of that pin. So even if it I hit it too hard and it went through it would just kind of be in that fringe over there rather than 60 yards down the fairway.
Q. I saw some spectator made a funny comment and you kind of responded. I couldn't hear what you said. On 18. Seems like you kind of play to the gallery, have fun out here. Is that right?
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, well, I chipped and I hit it to whatever, 12 feet below the hole and had zero claps and I kind of looked at them and I was like, that's actually exactly where I was trying to hit that. I'm super happy with that shot. Like and I think it's just one of those things. I mean, I even saw a picture, a video of someone, it was like Rory or Jason hitting up on 18 and, I mean, the picture, the green looks like it's plus three elevation. Like TV and even when you're out here like it just doesn't do justice how much slope there is on this course and like how severe and firm and fast everything is. So, yeah I was just joking with them that it was a better shot than they thought.
Q. Is that in character for you to kind of have fun out here. It's obviously a grind.
MARK HUBBARD: Yeah, it is a grind. Yeah, I like to have fun. It's pretty indicative of when I'm playing well. When I'm not feeling good about my game I tend to get a little too introspective, a little too introverted. So if I'm confident and I'm joking around that usually means my head's in a pretty good place.
Q. You said you haven't played particularly well here. Did you have any expectations coming in here?
MARK HUBBARD: No. I mean, honestly, this stretch of golf we're playing right now is so brutal. I mean, Mexico's not the hardest course, but it's long. And then we got Quail and then the PGA. And then Colonial played concrete the entire week. I got the U.S. Open next week which I got to go qualify for. And Travelers is going to play tough with the elevated event. So it's just a brutal stretch of golf. So, I mean, as much as, yeah, I would love to come out and shoot three more 69s and see where that puts me. At the end of the day, like I'm just trying to maintain my good play and keep getting better. And, I mean, it sounds bad, but kind of get ready for the events that I can really take advantage of, that I played well in the past. Like a Barracuda or Detroit or whatever that are more in my alleyway. I'm not saying I can't play well this weekend or tomorrow. Like I said, my game's in a really good place, but I definitely think I'm at a disadvantage to a guy like Rory out here who can launch a 6-iron higher than my lob wedge. So I think I'm, like I said, I have low expectations today and I think I'm not negative about it, like I want to play well, I'm going to try super hard on every shot, but I think I'm just being real with myself and that led to good play today.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports