Excerpts from an interview with Honda Classic Round 1 leader Kurt Kitayama.
How do you think the golf course was today?
Kurt Kitayama: It’s playing tough. I don’t think you get an easy day out here. But the conditions are — like the conditions of the course are perfect. It’s just really tough.
You’ve got the afternoon group going out now, but do you feel good about your score leading right now?
Kurt: Definitely. I think anything under par out here is really good. You’ve just got to watch the wind and see what happens.
Talk about the start, three birdies on very difficult holes. How did that get you going, and do you have to reset a little bit after that?
Kurt: I think just getting off to a start like that helps you relax. It takes a little pressure off going into the Bear Trap. But I think for me starting off that way kind of calms me down.
Did you see this coming?
Kurt: Maybe not a start like that, but I felt like I’ve been playing well, and I’ve started to figure out my putting to kind of find this kind of round.
AlsoRead:- Birthday boy Ritchie riding a wave of form in Durban
When you’re maybe not getting the results that you want or envision, where does the motivation come from?
Kurt: I think when you’re struggling, I think just that self-motivation to keep getting better and finding a way to figure it out. It’s kind of how you’ve got to keep going.
I might be wrong, I think it’s your first time at Honda. What was your familiarity with PGA National if any?
Kurt: I played Q-school in 2015 here and then two years ago I got an exemption. Had a little bit of experience, which is nice, because I think coming in here for the first time, I think it would be really tough.
Always keep going @Kurt_Kitayama 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a3m0fNVDHc
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 24, 2022
What is your approach when you’re leading after Round 1, and what’s your mindset going into Round 2?
Kurt: I mean, still early, so just try and keep the same game plan and stay patient the whole time and not really think about too much really.
What worked and what was really clicking for you today?
Kurt: I think everything really. I drove it well, hit 14 greens. I think that’s really important out here. Then my putter was pretty hot in those birdie stretches. Everything felt really solid.
Even the guys who have played here a lot, everyone knows here the wind here is wildly unpredictable. You can’t control it. Is it better not even thinking about it and taking that one-shot-at-a-time approach?
Kurt: Yeah, absolutely. You could get a different wind on 15 and then like 17 can be completely opposite. Especially with the grandstands it’s hard to try and predict what’s going on there. You definitely have to take it one shot at a time.
RelatedContent:- Honda Classic: Kurt Kitayama makes note of several firsts
