Q. Harris, just how would you assess the round?
HARRIS ENGLISH: I mean, obviously I really like the back nine. I feel like every hole on the back I have a chance to birdie. You got to kind of work your way around the front nine a little bit. Made a couple early bogeys. Three-putted on 3 after hitting a good shot on 4 actually, and then made a couple really good putts. Missed the green on 7. Got up and down. Made about an eight- or nine-footer for par there. Made about a six-footer for birdie here.
So you got to make those putts to keep the momentum and get it going, and I started really getting hot with the putter on the back nine and kind of kept it rolling.
Q. Just kind of need to work your way into the round a little bit? Was that maybe the case?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah. Even though it's been, what, over a month, probably six weeks since the RSM, it takes a little while to get back into tournament mode and stick to your routines. It's a different feeling. Way more adrenaline here than practice rounds, and it's good to kind of feel your way around a little bit and then find something and stick to it.
Q. RSM. Didn't you play the QBE?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, but I had a partner there, Doug. A little easier when Matt Kuchar is your partner. You can step up and let it fly.
Q. Do you feel 100% now?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, I feel like I'm always going to have a little stuff going on. I mean, I've had bad hips since I was probably 14 years old, so I've had to deal with it. Have some good people around me. My physio is here, so it's been a good system.
And I'm 33 now. I know it's going to go downhill from here. I got to keep working at it and keep getting stronger and better. Yeah, I'm feeling as close to 100% as I have in a long time.
Q. How do you have a bad hip when you're 13? Are they uneven?
HARRIS ENGLISH: I think growing so fast and playing a lot of sports. I've never been able to squat very well. I don't know if it's the anatomy of how my hip was formed, but I've never been able to do a deep squat or anything.
So something to do with growing a lot when I was 16 years old or 15 years old, and something didn't work out very well.
Q. Did you ever feel 100% last year?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Well, it was the C.J. Cup at the Summit Course is when it really started. It was actually a low back deal. I took a wrong step and never really got good.
I felt decent in Kapalua. Ryder Cup was probably the best I felt. Then Kapalua, here, and when I went back to play Phoenix it didn't feel good at all. I couldn't even really hit balls.
Q. What kind of spurt did you have?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Went from 5'9", 5'8" to 6'3" in about a year and a half and soaking wet about 155 pounds. So it was tough on your golf game, and always working on getting different clubs, getting longer clubs. Obviously your swing changes a bunch and your perception of how far you are from the ground, but...
Q. Did it help with the girls at all?
HARRIS ENGLISH: A little bit. They didn't really like golf. Golf wasn't as cool as football and basketball at my school. I guess it is what it is.
Q. You're pretty confident coming into this week?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah. I played a good bit out in Palm Springs. Played the Stadium Course, played La Quinta Country Club.
Q. How long were you there?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Got there the 29th and left to go to LA I think on the 8th. I played a lot. That's what's nice about out there, is a lot of people play probably 10:00 to 2:00, and I can go out after that and play as many holes as I can before it gets dark.
I tried to get comfortable with it and played a lot.
Q. Do you have a place out there?
HARRIS ENGLISH: We just rent a place for about a month.
Q. So you go back to it next week?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah.
Q. Were you being facetious when you said it's going downhill from here?
HARRIS ENGLISH: I'm getting old, getting old. I mean, I would love to play the Champions Tour. That's a big goal of mine. But I know I'm not 22 anymore. I can't show up at the course and go straight to the range and hit balls and go straight to the first tee.
I've got to spend about an hour and a half, two hours warming up before I get to the range. That's kind of the norm these days.
Q. Are you concerned that this could come back?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Not really. I know it's never going to be absolutely perfect, but I feel like the more I learn about it and how I can get better at realizing when it's going to come on or having a physio here every week.
After the round today I'll go and work with him for probably 45 minutes and do my exercises, and I'm learning from some the best in the world. Got surgery out in Vail, Colorado at the Steadman Clinic. They have unbelievable PTs out there, so I feel like I kind of know what's going on and know how to fix it better.
Q. Talked about it a little bit yesterday, but you went four months right in the beginning of the year without playing and then trying to get back on your feet again. Slipped from probably top 20 in the world. Is that a worry?
HARRIS ENGLISH: No, it's not a worry. I know throughout your career you're going to have ups and downs. If I'm playing well I can get back in the top 50 and get in the Masters and play in all the tournaments I want to play in.
It's just baby steps and sticking to a game plan, and however it works out, it works out.
Q. Were you at any point disappointed about when you came back how long it was taking you to get to where you wanted to be?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah. It's tough to get back into tournament mode again. Obviously I didn't want to miss another major so I played Memorial the first week back, which is probably the hardest course we play all year.
So I -- my game was fine. Just my tournament prep was not there. Then made the cut at the U.S. Open, which I thought was a pretty big accomplishment. Kept rolling a little bit. Played well this fall, made a lot of cuts.
Didn't really finish how I wanted to, but I got in the mix a good bit and I feel like I can get on a good role this west coast and get back in the mix.
Q. Bringing up a sore subject, but what did you do at the British?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Missed the cut. Yeah, I know, I know. That sucks. I don't know how many it was in a row. I just hate missing cuts in general. I like being...
Q. They don't pay you for that.
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah. I just don't like sitting on the coach watching other guys play when I've played the course.
Q. Ever thought about turning the TV off?
HARRIS ENGLISH: No. I can't do that. I like watching it. I mean, it was unbelievable watching Cam and Rory go toe to toe on Sunday.
Q. You watch when you're not playing?
HARRIS ENGLISH: I do. I watched some Kapalua last week. It hurt not being there. It's one of my favorite places, and obviously winning there a couple years ago. I like watching golf. It motivates me to get better and work on my game so I don't miss those again.
Q. Ever yell at the TV?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Some. When I have some friends up there playing well. Not like football. Football, whole different level.
Q. (Regarding one of his friends.)
HARRIS ENGLISH: No, because I know how hard it is. This game is tough. They're doing the best they can.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports