Los Angeles Golf Club 5, The Bay Golf Club 3
THE MODERATOR: You finished the regular season No. 1 in the standings. Just talk about how the match went today and then we'll get into the season as a whole.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, slow start today. Felt like we gave up a couple of opportunities. They made the putts when we didn't.
I think, yeah, just before Sahith made a really good point that Collin wanted to throw the hammer in on 9, and it gave us like a stress-free point when they declined it, and we just wanted to get a point on the board.
From there, momentum kind of switched. There was just that little point where our backs were against the wall, I hit a poor tee shot and Min Woo threw the hammer and we had to accept it at that point, and a half would have been great and we ended up winning that hole and the momentum kept spiralling and we did a great job of finishing the match off.
Yeah, one of those, like -- just shows how quickly things can change in these matches, and happy to come out the right side of it.
Q. A couple really important chip-ins in the match. Go through how important that is to turn the tide when you're playing in this format.
SAHITH THEEGALA: Yeah, I thought it was going to be a putt when I first got up there, but it was a little further into the fringe than I thought. Honestly, I was pumped to put a wedge in my hand. Turned to Tommy with one of my wedges and say I'm going to chip this. Just hadn't made a putt, so I think it was kind of fate that that chip just trickled in the front edge and kind of set forward a new wave of momentum that we had.
I was saying a chip-in feels that much better than just making a putt. Just felt like it turned the tide, and to have back-to-back like that, it was a very similar chip that Tommy had, as well. That had to be a little demoralizing being the other team. We've had some putts holed on us, that's for sure, but to have back-to-back chip-ins is probably a first?
Q. Knowing what an up-and-down on 15 meant to clinch and knowing so many players have struggled from these bunkers, how was the pressure on that last shot?
SAHITH THEEGALA: You know what, I think I had pretty much the same bunker shot against JT. We had a one point lead, going against JT and going against Wyndham. The think the other shot JT little longer but this lie was a little bit better. The one against JT was on the down slope, this one I was pretty much on the flat. Still a touchdown slope. But I put in a lot of reps out of the bunker out after the performance I kind of knifed one earlier in that match against Atlanta and then chunked that one at the end to cost our team there.
Yeah, put in some reps. I thought I hit a really nice bunker, just scooted out a little bit more.
But I felt a lot more calm than I did the previous time around. Even though it was the same situation, just being around these guys, being in that situation a second time helps so much, and I was still feeling nervous. I knew how important this is. I knew No. 1 seed in the Playoffs is on the line, and that's a big deal. All these teams are really good, but Atlanta is just a cagey team.
They're annoying to play. They just kind of plod. We don't have to play them now, which is nice. We'll just wait for them in the finals maybe.
Q. Golf is an individual sport. In the middle of your round you don't get a halftime. But you guys had the benefit between 9 and 10 to go back in the locker room. Was anything discussed? Was there a team strategy for singles? This is new to all of you guys and it's new to us, too. I'm curious what, if anything, was done in there and if you'd share it with us?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: I didn't even see Tommy during that halftime so I don't know where he was.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I went straight to the putting green.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Look, things have been set in previous matches. The point that we got on 9 with the hammer was huge, and at that point we knew what we needed to do. I don't need to tell these guys to pick it up or whatever. For us, it was just to get in our rhythm. It was a really, really big win for us to tie it up through 10 holes essentially and kind of continue that.
But it is fun to have this team environment because every time -- first few holes, Tommy and I were high fiving Sahith every time he hit a great approach shot, and we missed a shot, so I told Tommy to not high five him. I don't remember what hole. But it worked. Maybe.
Look, with the team, you just get in a rhythm. When I see these guys chip in, I want to play well. I want to hit good shots. You just feed off that energy. I've seen it in other team events that I've been a part of. But this is very, very fun because it's just the three of us inside this stadium and essentially like golf, every shot matters.
Q. How many of you guys played this morning at Seminole, and if so, how did that affect your schedule and your prep for today?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: It was only me. I'm the only one that played. I played early. It wasn't that bad. I normally come in at least -- about once now to spend an hour or two to figure out the holes to learn -- it's a different style of golf, different chipping, different turf. You just have to get used to it, just like any other week.
We're all we're going Bay Hill this week, tonight, tomorrow. You just got to get used to it. So when you come in a little bit early, you get that prep. Tommy came in early today.
For me, I just didn't get that extra hour or two of practice, but we've done enough to where I wasn't surprised by anything. I knew how it was going to react. I knew what shots were going to be hit and chips. Just with the greens, I think we were just a little off, a little slow to get out of the gates to make some putts. But it happens. That's golf.
Q. Sahith, we saw after your chip-in you hit him with the cell phone "celly." Shane mentioned a few moments ago that it didn't sit right with him is how I'll explain it. Can you share from your side, were you having fun? Were you trying to poke the bear?
SAHITH THEEGALA: A bit of both for sure. I think I speak for these guys, too. Min Woo is a great dude. What he's doing for golf is awesome, and he's just such a fun guy to follow on the golf course, on social media. He's bringing -- whenever I play with him and even around him, I hear all the "Min" chants and "let him cook" and "Dr. Chipinsky." It was to give a little poke. I figured it would fire them up. I saw Collin doing it again when Tommy chipped in.
He's a good friend, and you can poke the bear with a good friend like that. It was all in good fun, but definitely a little bit of a blow.
If you're going to be doing that stuff, you've got to be ready to take it, as well. So we're going to dish it back.
It's just the fun of it. I think it's another thing that TGL kind of allows us to do. It's kind of difficult to do that on a week-to-week basis on the PGA TOUR.
No, it was just all in good fun. Nothing but love. We're all competitors. We don't want to lose. It feels good to give that little jab to them.
Q. Collin, now that you guys have achieved the No. 1 seed, thinking back to months ago when the teams were forming and you looked at everyone's roster, where did you think you guys stacked up, and within the players from the other teams and the golf community, was there a consensus team that anyone thought was stacked versus not stacked?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: No, I knew we weren't the longest team and when you look at these holes, being long helps. But I knew we had a team that cared, and they're competitors. I'd go to battle with these guys and even Rosey any time, any place, except the Ryder Cup. (Laughter).
But that's what's been great is that from day one once we stepped in here, we were all willing to put in the work, and it's not like we had to ask anything out of anyone to come in or practice or learn about it. We're all trying to help each other.
It's still ongoing. Still every match is new. You find something, you learn about it, how the shots react. We saw a lot of wedge shots spinning back today. There's just things you use for the next match.
But I love these guys because I know they care a lot, and that's who I want to be playing with.
Q. Tommy, tell us about 13 a little bit. After Min hit that second shot and you had the chip, obviously, to birdie out there, you guys had seized the momentum after hole 9, but Bay still had a chance to put the match away. How big was the shot from you on 13 to get that chip in and finish this thing out?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it was. It was a big moment. Those moments are always that little bit easier when you're riding the momentum of the work that we put in to get back into this and get ahead. Sahith had just done it right in front of me. He read the chip. I just tried to copy what he did.
Yeah, you just saw it, whereas things hadn't gone for us early on, we sort of got the wrong side of the opportunities or the momentum from 9 onwards -- I think the big moments went our way, and that was just like another one of them, and they accumulated up, and yeah, happy to see that go in and then leave it to the boys to finish it off the last two holes.
Q. You guys got the 1 seed, left to be decided is the 4 seed, Jupiter, Boston, New York all in the mix. Who do you want to see next week?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not too fussed. I think we're so pleased with the work that we've done to get that No. 1 seed. You know, it's one of those things, like, I guess it's just something we don't do very often. There have been certain matches in a regular season -- well, we've never done it before, really.
I guess Playoffs are a different pressure. It's knockout; if you lose, then there's no coming back from it. Does it matter that much? I don't know. But I think for now, showing our strengths and coming out that top seed means a lot, and I think we'll enjoy that for now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports