What they said: Charley Hoffman

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June 24, 2012
PGA TOUR staff

MORE INTERVIEWS: Travelers Championship transcript archive Q. Charley, that was good playing today. What happened on the tee there at 17??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Just got a little quick. It's a tough tee shot for me. I wanted to hit a draw down there, but the hole really doesn't set up for a draw, and fanned it off to the right, and I mean if I would have had it halfway decent I would have got up there where I could have had some sort of iron shot into it. I had 200 yards to the front and I was just trying to get something on the green. Where that pin was it was a tough chip from the back. And I made double there. I mean I can live with that.

What I did on 18 was pretty pathetic. Pretty easy drive for me, sets up pretty good, and fanned it out to the right, and pretty poor second shot, pretty poor bunker shot and even worse putt, so when it's said and done, obviously a bad finish and bad taste in my mouth, but you learn from it.

Q. What do you take away from this week??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: You know what, any time you put yourself in contention you learn from that, and every time I've been under the gun I've been real good, and I just I felt good. Visually I visualized everything I needed to do. Sometimes you don't execute, and today I didn't execute when I needed to and next time hopefully I will.

Q. Well played. Thanks. Quite simply, what happened??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Just a bad swing on 17. That's a tough tee ball for me. I wanted to hit a little 2 iron off there, hybrid and just got a little quick, got off to the right, not a little right. It was way right and didn't really get much of a draw and got lucky enough to get it over the green, but hit a halfway decent chip. And then made a pretty bad putt. Double bogey. Still had a chance.

18 was pretty bad. I felt good over 18. Thought I had a good chance. I like that tee shot. I like the hole. Just for some reason fanned it out to the right and was just trying to get on the center of the green and pinned it a little bit in that bunker.

Q. Good round. The last couple of holes got you. What did happen down the stretch there??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I just hit a couple of poor shots. It's a tough tee shot for me on 17. Just trying to get it down there in the fairway obviously and just simply blocked it. And had a chance to make bogey, didn't get it up and down.

And then 18 is pretty easy hole. I was thinking birdie, try to win the golf tournament or have a chance to win the golf tournament. Then just hit another poor tee shot. And had a chance, trying to get it on the center of the green, just thinned it a little bit on the front bunker and actually when I got up there I had a pretty easy bunker shot, straight uphill and just got a little aggressive with it, hit it about 15 feet behind. Hit a pretty poor putt.

Q. So you don't think it was playing it safe??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: No, I definitely didn't play it safe. I hit 2 iron I've hit every day off 17, and 18 I tried to hit one down there where I'd have a sand wedge, wedge in, and I just made two bad swing at a bad time. I probably got a little quick, which is my tendency. But learn from that and hopefully take a little bit of positive into next week.

Q. Do you think you thought too much??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Definitely didn't think too much. I visually visualized everything I needed to do coming down the stretch. I just put two bad swings on it at the wrong time.

Q. Charley, 18, was 17 still in your mind a bit??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: No. I was good on 18. I knew I still had a chance to win the golf tournament. Obviously I had picked out my target, was trying to hit it at that and just put a bad swing on it and just back to back bad swings. I wouldn't say it was pressure by any means. Just happened to be bad swings at a bad time.

Q. Is 17 a hole that doesn't necessarily set up well for you visually??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I don't think 17 sets up visually well for anybody. It's a tough tee shot and I'm not the first person to hit it in that water. I'm not going to be the last person to hit it in the water, unfortunately. I had a couple shot lead and it's easy said and done to hit it to the left but you hit it in that left bunker and that's a tough bunker shot to that front pin. I was taking a fairly aggressive line, same one I had all week and just hit a bad shot.

Q. Your third shot on 17, can you describe your options you were trying to figure out??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: First of all, you have to we're so high up there we're trying to get a crosswind. Obviously the further I get down there, the easier the shot is. Will was trying to say it might have crossed a little further, and I went up as far as I thought was comfortable which I had 200 yards to the front and 208 to the pin or something like that. So I didn't have much out of the rough, so I was pretty happy with that shot to go along.

I mean I was just trying to get good yardage and I asked my caddie if he'd like laying up or going for it and we had a good lie, so going for it was definitely the right play.

Q. What do you take out of this, getting close??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Anytime you're in contention you've played good golf. I played pretty good golf for 72 holes and two bad swings out there unfortunately gonna cost me the golf tournament, but guess what, I'm going to put a lot more bad swings on it and hopefully they don't come down to the last couple holes.

Q. As competitors, 18 the one

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yeah, 18 sets up good for me and pretty easy tee ball for me and it was just a bad shot. I mean both of them were bad shots. I can't explain it. I can't say I rushed through anything, can't say I didn't do anything I wanted to do. I was happy with everything I did. I just didn't execute.

Q. 17's a hybrid for you??

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yeah, I hit hybrid every day on that hole. Hit it in the fairway. Just put a bad swing on a couple holes.

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