PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 19, 2022

Jesse Mueller

Southern Hills Country Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 2022 PGA Championship here at Southern Hills, Tulsa, Oklahoma. We're with Jesse Mueller, the 2022 PGA professional champion. You know how to get a golf tournament really going right from the get-go, so we'll ask you about that first hole and your first round in general. A really solid number up there, a 72, 2-over par. Start with your first hole.

JESSE MUELLER: Yeah, I hit a really good tee shot and then that pin placement was a gettable pin placement if you could hit it in the right spot. I was trying to hit it long and right and then hopefully it would draw back, and it happened to go in.

What a start to my first ever PGA Championship. Pretty amazing.

Q. Did you see it go in or was it just by the roar of the crowd?

JESSE MUELLER: Yeah, just by -- I knew it was going to be close because of where it landed and it was drawing back, but I didn't know until I heard the reaction up by the green, because second shot is kind of elevated, so I couldn't see the green. But once everyone started to cheer it was one of those cheers where you know it went in. That was pretty special.

Q. Did you share the moment with your wife? That's like storybook, isn't it?

JESSE MUELLER: Yeah, that's just like a head shaker right there. You just put your hands up or -- yeah, to hole out for eagle on my first hole of my first ever PGA Championship, pretty sweet.

Q. How about the rest of your round? You put up a really good number, one you might have even contemplated signing up for, especially in these conditions. It's windy out there. Do you feel pretty good about how you positioned yourself here?

JESSE MUELLER: I do. 72, I probably would have taken it at the beginning of the day. But I got off to such a good start that I wish I could have been about 30 minutes back on my back side holes; 5, 6, 7, went bogey, bogey, bogey there. Missed a real short one on the par-3, and I wish I could have those holes over again.

But overall I'll take 72 out here. This course is just playing so difficult. The pin placements right over bunkers and having 5-irons and 4-irons in to pins that you just can't even stop with a wedge, it is challenging out there.

Q. I want to ask you about representing Grand Canyon. What does it mean, you're wearing all the Antelopes gear. What does it mean to represent Grand Canyon at a major like this?

JESSE MUELLER: Yeah, it's great. I love working at Grand Canyon University. I work at the golf course there. My brother works in the pro shop. My other brother is the men's head golf coach. I have a good group of friends that work at the course.

So I love going to work every day. Have a great group there, and just being part of the Grand Canyon family, it's fun to represent here at the PGA for sure.

Q. Where does that shot on No. 10 rank in terms of your career?

JESSE MUELLER: Right up there. Just being in a major championship and holing out. A month ago at the National Club Pro I chipped in a couple times, and that really helped propel me to that win.

So those I'll always remember, but this one -- first hole of my PGA Championship to hole out from the fairway is pretty -- I don't think it really has sunk in yet, but when I get back, sit at the hotel for a minute and think about it, yeah, I'll have a different perspective about it.

Q. How different was the golf course today than what you saw Monday through Wednesday?

JESSE MUELLER: I would say the pin placements. You're expecting them. Obviously in the practice rounds they're putting them more in the middle of the greens where you're not going to see them in the tournaments, so you know they are going to get closer to the edges. That just makes it that much more challenging.

You can't miss it in the wrong spots, and it's just very difficult to get close to the pins. Hats off to the guys who shot 4- or 5-under par. That's an amazing round out here with how it's playing right now.

Q. In connection with No. 10 and kind of the thinking, after the initial excitement do you think, I still have 71 holes to go, or do you think, wow, this is a good sign, let's go?

JESSE MUELLER: Yeah, a little of both. Sometimes when those things happen -- I've played in tournaments before where you get certain breaks, and you need those to finish -- win tournaments or finish higher in tournaments.

But as a golfer, it's always challenging not get a head of yourself and there is so much golf to play, and playing in tournaments you know that that's one of the most important thing in tournament golf is to not get ahead of yourself and stay in the moment.

I try to do that the best I can; I felt like I did a pretty good job today of doing that even after holing out that first shot on No. 1.

Q. Who's caddying for you this week?

JESSE MUELLER: My wife is caddying for me.

Q. One of the things, and I'm sure she's great, but I was talking with the caddies, and the caddies that have been around for a long time are kind of overwhelmed this week, not just because of the difficulty, but they think on every shot you have to strategize, you have to think about it. How do you work together on those things?

JESSE MUELLER: Well, she helps me with a few different things out there. Helps confirming like wind direction, making sure I'm committed to each shot. But as strategy and things like that, I rely on myself for that. There's so many different ways you can play the shots out here, but the wind and if you want to draw it, cut it, bounce it in, hit it higher, so the distances -- I can hit a 6-iron from 175 to 210, just depending on how it goes. You really can't -- that I'll rely more on myself.