2025 John Deere Classic Matt Kuchar Saturday Flash Interview
Thanks. Uh well, obviously the conditions a little windy out there, pin placement’s tough. Talk about the track and how it played today.
Yeah, throwing in this sort of wind, uh this golf course presents some challenges, particularly off the tea. If you’re not driving it well, you can find yourself in the rough behind trees, uh and and struggling to get access to to get close to green. So, uh this wind is certainly thrown a uh a little curveball into what guys were shooting some pretty low numbers. It’s going to be tough to put up a low number. I think it’s still doable. I I think this course uh is so great in that if you are really on good form, I’m sure you’ll see some guys 600 par a day. Uh but if if you’re struggling, like you’re going to pay the price. Uh so I love I love the fact when a course shows some teeth but offers you the chance to, you know, go ahead and make some birdies if you are playing well.
Surprised at how compact that leaderboard is and all the guys tied at the top right now.
Yeah. Yeah. I I’m guessing by the end of the day you you’ll get a couple guys that have you know, gotten one, two, three shots ahead of the rest of us. But, um, yeah, it’s it it certainly makes for a fun fun Sunday when a bunch of guys have a chance.
Obviously, today um with the swirling winds and uh it’s more difficult uh playing more difficult, but it seems like it’s been almost since Thursday afternoon, this golf course has been playing atypically. Uh the scoring is just not what the scoring typically is. Do you
It’s It’s as firm as we’ve seen this place. And I I always think the firmer you get the greens, the higher the winning score is going to be, the higher the cut score will be. Uh and so you’re you’re right. Typically this place, I’m guessing cuts more like seven under, six under. You know, we were at four under for the cut. Uh and so yeah, I think I I think with greens being firm and then throwing some wind, this is not the the typical John Deere where it’s it’s 20ish underpar. Uh this is this is a pretty pretty good test particularly today.
If it rains when it rains um today, do you anticipate the greens be obviously be a little softer tomorrow? Scoring will go down.
Yeah. Yeah. And again that that I I don’t know wind forecast, but soft greens helps help scoring a lot. Can you uh you know I’m not calling you old, but you know, relative to the you know, your competition, you’re
putting up a good fight to maybe maybe kind of take me through that, you know, still being so competitive at you know, your age. I don’t know how to take you through it other than knowing that uh you you’ll get there. You’ll get there. Um listen, I still feel like a kid. I still get excited to come to these tournaments. Uh I think one of the unique things about the game of golf is every week we all start at even par. Every week we all have a chance of doing something great. Uh, I think if you happen to be a professional baseball player and your team starts 10 and 40, it’d be tough to kind of keep going, but golf gives you that that hope every week that, you know, you show up and you got a chance to do something great. Uh, and so I I I show up here excited. I show up uh hoping to hoping to do something great this week.
Anything about this event specifically that kind of you’ve, you know, kind of drawn you to that that you really really enjoy here?
Uh, really enjoyed Duck City Beastro last night. Uh, as well as I I do think it’s a good test of golf. I I love uh I mentioned earlier how golf courses if if you play well, if you’re really on good form, you can go ahead and make some birdies. And if you’re not on form, the course is going to jump up and bite you. And and I think you’ve seen a a spread of of scores. You’re seeing some guys kind of struggle, particularly today, seeing some higher scores today, but also I think you’ll see some pretty decent scores. Do
you see it getting progressively tougher now with the the wind definitely picked up on your back n right? Yeah, I’m not sure how much longer these guys are going to be be playing. It sounds like storm’s coming in maybe in the next hour. Um, and you know, if if play stops, uh, certainly I I think that helps. The wind right now is blowing a good 10 15 miles an hour and that just provides that provides a nice nice challenge. Thanks, man.
All right. respect it.
