What they said: The best quotes ahead of the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson
- Matt Cooper
- 16 May 2021
Chief contender Jordan Spieth and 54 hole leader Sam Burns are among those who chatted to the media after Saturday’s third round at TPC Craig Ranch
Can Jordan Spieth pull off another golfing heist?
It seems the Texan rarely completes a win without having some kind of adventure attached and if he is to claim a second win of the season he will need to pinch the pockets of man-of-the-moment Sam Burns.
Spieth heads into the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson three shots back in a four way tie for third alongside Charl Schwartzel, Matt Kuchar and Alex Noren on 17-under 199.
They trail Korea's KH Lee by two and the 54-hole leader Sam Burns by three.
It will be a race to the finish @ATTByronNelson.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 15, 2021
13 players are within 5 shots of the lead.
(Odds via @BetMGM) pic.twitter.com/ltMhRVly4T
Burns is seeking to claim a second victory in as many starts and owns his fourth 54 hole lead of the season.
But Spieth is aiming to shoot him down as he also hunts a second victory of 2021 and maintains his encouraging revival after a three and a half year win drought.
Both men spoke to the press after their Saturday rounds, as did the other leading contenders.
Here are the best of their quotes.
Jordan Spieth - T3rd on 17-under (63-70-66)
On his week so far:
"I didn't know what to expect this week, to be honest. Only played two rounds in the last month, so needed to shake off a little bit of rust. It's been pretty good. Would love to putt better tomorrow. But, regardless, I think I'll be very pleased with how the week has gone, good momentum to build on."
On the state of his putting stroke:
"I had an adjustment in my setup today, getting a little wider in my stance, a little more bent over the ball similar to how I used to stand over it. It's kind of got me a little more like open, like eyes open to the target versus feeling closed, and if I feel more of a left bias I putt a lot better than trying to save it. It just needs reps. That's really all it is. The rest of the game is really solid."
ANOTHER walk-off eagle. 🦅
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 15, 2021
Go on, @JordanSpieth❗️ He's 2 back. pic.twitter.com/soaS0Hh10b
On his final round prospects:
"It's one of those rounds where you want to control your own destiny. So if I just have the attitude I did today, go out and be really patient, wait for it to come to me, play the easy holes well, and wait for your chances, I think there's still a 6- or 7-under out there."
On the notion of a home town win:
"I kind of consider winning at Colonial as doing that, but this is the tournament that I remember as the first time I ever came out and watched professional golf so it's a big week for me. A win here would hold a special place in my heart for sure. But really just trying to have fun tomorrow, I think that's the key."
Sam Burns - 1st on 20-under (65-62-69)
On the difficulty of following up on a career-low round on Friday:
"I said to my caddie Travis coming up 18, 'Man, I didn't really have my best stuff today.' He's like, 'Yeah, but it's hard to follow up what happened yesterday.' It's important to remember that. I'm proud of the way we battled out there. The golf course played a little tougher with the wind today."
On what he's learned about being in-contention:
"I think for starters, I don't have to play perfect. Always felt for a long time I had to play perfect on Sunday to win. That's just not the case. You're going to make mistakes. You need to limit those, but, yeah, just go out there knowing I don't have to play perfect, stick to the game plan, and see what happens."
Charl Schwartzel - T3rd on 17-under (65-68-66)
"The way I played today was really good. Ball striking was phenomenal. I drove it good, straight, long. Hit my irons within making range all the time. I'm happy. It could have been lower, but I kept myself in it. Whoever wins is going to shoot a low score tomorrow and the key is making putts. This course is pretty generous, so if I keep hitting it good I'm going to have a lot of opportunities."
Matt Kuchar - T3rd on 17-under (67-66-66)
"Warming up on the range this morning it was blowing hard and I was nervous going out there. I saw some pretty good scores up on the leaderboard and was thinking, 'Boy, I don't see how the guys are putting them up.' Think I was 4-under through six so that made me feel like, 'All right, this is gettable.' I'm excited with where the game is. I love having a chance going into Sunday. It's fun to be out there in contention playing some meaningful golf. Makes the game a lot more exciting."
Alex Noren - T3rd on 17-under (65-64-70)
"It was not as clean as the first two rounds. Obviously you can see that on the scorecard, too. Hit a lot of good shots, hit a few bad shots, got away with a few when I was putting pretty good. Drive it straight and you got a chance at this course."
