A look at some of the quotes from the top players after day three of the WGC Dell Match Play at Austin Country Club, where upsets continued to be the storyline.
PATRICK REED
You really embraced, I guess for lack of a better term, the road team mentality today. Going out there and taking on Jordan here in Austin. Did you find that working for you mentally?
REED: There were a lot of Jordan cheers going on, which I expect. He went to college here and everything. It was awesome that not only were so many of them cheering for Jordan, but at the same time they were very respectful. They never crossed that line. That’s awesome to see.
Being a Texan, to see that from other Texans, it’s awesome. It very easily can go the other way. You can get really rowdy and cross that line. The fans were great today and they were respectful in both sides and were cheering for good shots no matter who hit them.
Record: 3-0-0
JUSTIN THOMAS
What kind of feeling is that to go 3-0 with your group, dominate today? How good are you feeling heading into the weekend, how much more energy do you have?
THOMAS: The same as the other 16 guys that are going to get through, we all start at the same place. If it’s a stroke play event I could have taken it pretty deep today and made a lot of ground up.
When it’s 7 and 6 and 1-up is the exact same thing. I just have to start over and relax the rest of the day and get ready for hopefully a long day tomorrow.
Record: 3-0-0
IAN POULTER
Bearing in mind the week after next and Augusta National?
POULTER: Yeah, I just got goose bumps. Obviously I want to make it. There’s no secret. The form I’m in, I feel like I can really enjoy Augusta. But I need to get there.
So whomever I’m going to play, I don’t know yet, I’m going to have to be 100 percent focused, get the job done and obviously try and advance.
Record: 3-0-0
SERGIO GARCIA
You were 2-down through 11 holes but then you win five of the next six. How were you able to flip this match on the back nine?
GARCIA: Well, it was quite simple. Obviously Xander played amazing on the front nine. I want to say he made three or four putts over 20 feet on me. I played okay. I made a couple of mistakes on 6 with a wedge, par-5. A little bit too aggressive and I wasn’t able to get up-and-down.
I just kept giving myself chances. I felt like he gave me a couple of openings and I hit some good shots. I obviously made — you can’t really count 17 as a birdie because I had a 30-footer. But I made four birdies coming in on the back nine and that’s what kind of changed the match.
Record: 3-0-0
Credits: ASAP Sports, Getty Images
