Q. 4-under 68, nice round. Talk a little bit about your day and then also just the challenges that this format today presents.
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think starting off there on the back nine, we knew it was going to be tough. You've got a lot of those tough holes on the back early, and we were 2-over par through eight holes, but both of us knew our games were in good spots, and if we just stayed patient, the golf course would open up to us. It was nice to make the birdie there on 18, and then birdieing 1, 2, 4, 5, kind of got our round going. Overall a solid day in this format, I think.
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, great day. I mean, 10 and 11 are very gettable holes, and 13 obviously is still one of those. We didn't do a very good job of that. We were just slightly off. Sam missed a putt from five feet, which he never does, and then I hit some bad tee shots that put him almost OB.
SAM BURNS: Yeah, it was kind of sluggish.
BILLY HORSCHEL: It was sluggish. It was like we were a little sleepy. Maybe my 4:30 wake-up call wasn't early enough; I'm not sure. You know what, we walked down 18, and like Sam said, we're fine. We know we're going to give ourselves opportunities, and if we do that, we're going to make our handful of birdies and get right back in it, and we did a really good job of that.
Q. Patrick and Xander just told us -- they started 3-under in the first four holes; they said the wind picked up a little bit. Were y'all a little concerned when the wind picked up after a sluggish start?
BILLY HORSCHEL: The wind was blowing right from the start. Yeah, maybe it blew a little bit harder or gusted a little bit harder at times, but I mean, listen, I knew it wasn't the start we wanted, and then I knew on 17 tee, I needed to make a really good golf swing because we just weren't in a position to give more shots back, and I did a really good job of that, and we made some really good golf swings making the turn and took advantage. Like I said, we saw the guys on the front, who teed off on the front were making birdies when they were out there. If we could just get back doing what we did, and we did that same -- hit some really great golf shots on 18 and 1 to have really makeable birdie putts and did the same thing on No. 5, and like I said, the last 10 holes we played the way we expect to play.
Q. No. 17 is always going to be there with the water, but was it on your mind today after what happened yesterday, that you had to make a good shot today?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, it was the same club. I knew what I did yesterday. I honestly thought that tee was going to be up today. I was shocked that it wasn't up in this format a little bit with that back pin. It is what it is. Rules officials set it up the way it is. But yeah, I was like, I can't do what I did yesterday.
I actually hit a really good golf shot for the pin today that should have been for yesterday. Yeah, that going me going. That swing got me going, and I think the wedge shot Sam hit on 18 to five feet got him going, as well, and then to make the putt on top of that got us right back into the driver's seat.
Q. With the wind that's predicted, the wind will pick up over the weekend. Is that something you talk about today and tomorrow to kind of strategize a little bit?
SAM BURNS: I don't think we're going to talk about golf the rest of the day.
BILLY HORSCHEL: No.
SAM BURNS: We had enough of that today.
BILLY HORSCHEL: We know enough about our games, and I'll tell you the truth, I want the wind to blow. I think the better players and the better teams usually come out to the top, especially if they're on top of their games, and I think we're both on top of our games.
Yeah, I mean, I may be eating my words on Sunday night, but I feel pretty confident if the wind stays like this, we'll be there come Sunday the last nine holes.
Q. Sam, obviously your play has put you in great position on the Presidents Cup points list. Have you given that any thought at all, especially in this format today? Have you thought about preparing yourself for that competition?
SAM BURNS: Not really. Being completely honest, I haven't thought about anything this week. It's just Billy and I have a goal this week and we have the golf course in front of us, and the only thing we're trying to do is just execute the correct shots at the right times and put ourselves in a position to have a chance on Sunday in the last nine holes. So that's really all my focus has been on this week.
Q. I'm curious, did you talk about football at all today, specifically SEC football?
SAM BURNS: We haven't talked about any football. Well, maybe a little bit.
BILLY HORSCHEL: We talk about it all the time. Right now we're four months away from the season. We've talked enough about both our new coaches and --
SAM BURNS: LSU does have a spring game tomorrow, so tune in and see a little bit of that.
BILLY HORSCHEL: No, not much football talk. Everything else, though, in between.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports