Q. Billy, have you ever put undue pressure on yourself to play well in this tournament?
BILLY HORSCHEL: I mean, is that even a question?
Q. Yeah, do you feel like you've ever in the past put pressure on yourself to play well here?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Every year. Every year. This is my 12th PLAYERS Championship. So yeah, 12 straight years of putting undue pressure on I didn't self. As much as I talk about not trying to do that and put any added pressure, at the end of the day, it happens. This morning I woke up and I was in a really good space and I felt really good with my warmup, and get on the first tee -- I birdied the first two holes, which should calm me down, but it didn't. I started playing defensive and trying to steer things around and not make mistakes, because I knew I was in a good -- things were going well.
Had to give myself a little kick in the butt walking over to No. 10 to -- if we're going to play bad, let's actually try and hit quality golf shots if we're going to hit bad golf shots.
Q. Do you feel like your game overall is in a really good place?
BILLY HORSCHEL: My game has been in a good space for a majority of this year. The driver and putter has been the two issues that haven't -- my two strengths usually haven't been great.
Monday, Todd Anderson and I, we hit about 10 different putters on SAM to figure out which one was the best, and we went with one that I used a little bit at the end of '23 and beginning of '24 and felt really good with it. Made some putts, which I expected to make with that, because the data showed when I used it I made quite a few putts outside 15 feet. And the driver was better.
But technically and mechanically everything is in a really good space. I just need to do a better job of trusting it and sort of have fun. Like, trust that I'm going to hit good golf shots. Because, like I said, technically everything is really good. I'm squeezing the rope really, really tight right now and my hands got a little burn on them.
Q. What kind of putter is it?
BILLY HORSCHEL: It's a Ping Anser 4. We went out to Ping at the end of '23 just to check on some numbers and everything, and they wound up handing me this to try out. And the numbers on it, hitting certain points were unbelievable. It's a little bit different. I've used the mallet for a majority of my career, going back to a blade putter is a little bit different. But like I said, it's really good outside 10, 15 feet. Inside 10 feet it still is getting used to how hard I need to hit it, but I feel like I did a fairly good job of that today.
Q. What are your thoughts on the tee on hole 6 and the added distance on the hole does that change your game plan at all?
BILLY HORSCHEL: No, I would probably hit 3-wood there anyways. I didn't hit a great golf shot there. That was one trying to steer the ball into the fairway and almost hit it in the water left, which would have been a God-awful golf shot.
Yeah, I think it's cool coming back. I think having that Pete Dye sort of symbol, one of the symbols of the golf course be a part of the championship again is really good. It's a visual thing. It really shouldn't come into play unless you just hit a bad golf shot.
Q. It'll come into play for amateurs, though.
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, but amateurs don't play that back tee box, so they should be okay.
Q. What was your game plan on 17 today?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, it was actually a good number. It was 46 to the pin, I believe, and the wind was down. I actually thought we needed to hit about a 130 pitching wedge. I thought that would fly about eight to ten more. And I saw Rosey hit a good shot, what I thought was going to be a better shot, didn't fly as far. So I just hit it a little bit harder to make sure I got it up on top, and hit a great golf shot. It was perfect to have the wind down off the right.
It's a tough pin because you want to get it up there but you don't want to fly it. Hit it to six feet, make birdie. I birdied the last three holes. Couldn't ask for a better finish.
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