Q. How would you assess your play out there today?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Solid. I hit a lot of very, very good golf shots. I think particularly the front nine was just a really good nine holes of ball striking. I had quite a new chances and I made one, but like the rest of the time it was just some really good stuff. I think what was really pleasing on the back side some up-and-downs like 10 and 17 and 18, obviously -- I mean 17 and 18, they can go either way, like I played the shots really well and holed out well, but I can hit good shots and not get up-and-down out that have kind of rough. So, yeah, nice to get a good round going and happy with the day.
Q. Did the conditions get a little tougher down the stretch, the wind kind of start to blow, maybe a little cooler?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I think so. It definitely picked up gradually, because it was so calm when we teed off and I think, yeah, there was a bit of rain expected I think, so like we didn't know what to expect, but it was kind of damp enough and it was pretty calm, so it felt like might be a good day for scoring. Then it sort of picked up gradually. I hit a couple -- I had wedge into 8 that carried 160 nearly, a wedge into 9 that did the same. So obviously the wind was picking up.
Then you turn back into it on 10 and 11. So got a little bit tougher, yeah, I mean 17 and 18 played pretty hard.
Q. You've won all over the world, but you haven't won on the PGA TOUR yet.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, thanks.
Q. Is there like a hurdle that you feel like you need to get over to win out here? You've been playing so well for the last few years, just something just kind of you chalk up to golf a little bit?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Well, yeah, I mean it's, I think anybody would be lying if they said winning over here is not like the next step for me. Yeah, I haven't done it. I think that right now as I stand here I think I'm happy that I've played some good golf this week, back into some sort of contention and like build a little bit of momentum. So I think, yeah, in the grand scheme of things, like winning in America is something that I need to do and I've had chances and some times somebody's played better than me and there's some times where I've hit the wrong shot at the wrong time. It is what it is, but I think at the present moment I think happy with where my game is trending and like the work that I'm doing and getting back into contention here this week is a really, really nice feeling. So enjoy that and see what tomorrow brings, really.
Q. Going back to the PLAYERS next week, it's been a year since everything's shut down on that Friday. When you think back to what you knew and your thoughts on the coronavirus during THE PLAYERS last year, what were they?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think nobody knew anything and I always go back to it because I remember we teed off, there was an announcement by Jay at like, it was like midday, wasn't it or something, the announcement, and we were teeing off at 2:00, went back out, came back in like four and a half hours later and the world was shutting down pretty much.
I think what I remember is I just wanted to know if I, you know what did the near future hold, was I supposed to go home, could I go home, that kind of thing. So it was like, it was a strange week and, yeah, a year on I think it's been beautiful this week to have fans out there, to have crowd reactions again, to have crowd support and seeing like a lot of people enjoying themselves. I think that's been one of the main positives of the week.
Q. Have your thoughts on the coronavirus changed over this last year?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, I mean I am not going to pretend that I know that much about it. I obviously know what's happening and it's not been a great thing and it's not been good for so many people, so it's just been a difficult time for so many. As golfers, I think what gets missed is like the appreciation that we have been able to keep doing what we do all the time and play and do our job. I think, yeah, right now I think things are looking more positive for the world, with vaccines and everything, so I think definitely, you know, when you see it out here, like I said there's a lot of people around and I think it feels like we have turned a corner and we're sort of heading towards better times and a bit of normality and hopefully we can get back to where everybody wants to be and living a normal life again. But it's hard, really, I think we have been very lucky, I've not had anybody close to me that has suffered really bad with it or died, so I'm one of the lucky ones. And everybody's got their different story, really.
Q. You came back and played in the States in July. But the PGA TOUR started back up in June, having no shutdowns, how impressive has what the PGA TOUR's been able to do during this pandemic, one of the first sports back and being able to play with no shutdowns?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I know, unreal. I thought at the time and, yeah, they probably don't get enough credit for what an amazing job that has been done and you know, really, very few players have suffered or had it and so the system's obviously worked really, really, really well. Yeah, like golfers we should be really appreciative that for nearly a year now we have been able to and had the possibility of living our life as pretty normal and do you think our job and playing for amazing money and going to amazing golf courses and playing golf. It's, yeah, very, very lucky. Doesn't seem that way when you're making doubles and bogeys though.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports