PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 20, 2022

Davis Riley

Southern Hills Country Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 2022 PGA Championship here at Southern Hills Country Club. We are joined by Davis Riley, who carded a second great 68 today, 4-under par for the championship. Golf course is probably not identical yesterday to today. Your scores are identical, so what was different about you today and what was different about the golf course?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, you know, I felt like it was kind of two different rounds but got the same score somehow. Yeah, yesterday morning it was pretty soft, pretty calm conditions. It was pretty good scoring conditions and put together a pretty solid day. Felt like I hit it pretty solid and just scored well. It was pretty stress free.

Today I started to find a really good rhythm on the back nine but just couldn't get any putts to fall, so I feel like today could have been a really special round if I had a few putts fall. But hit it really good, and luckily the wind kind of died down for us as opposed to the guys that played this morning, so it's still pretty good scoring conditions this afternoon.

Maybe the greens got a little firmer than they were yesterday morning, but yeah, it was a solid day.

Q. Since your missed cut back at the RBC Heritage, you've had 12 rounds in the 60s out of the 14 you've played. What changed since that week that's allowed you to be on this run with three top 10s coming in?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, ever since I got in that playoff against Sam at Innisbrook in Tampa, yeah, I kind of found my stride a little bit. But after RBC I got a couple weird breaks and wasn't on my "A" game and got punished for it.

But I knew ever since the beginning of the year I've been playing some good golf and I've been trying to stay patient. It was nice. I knew I could do it at some point, but to finally have it come to fruition and have a chance to win a golf tournament like I did at Valspar, I felt like I really turned a page there.

Yeah, I've just been trying to continue that good play and same mindset since then, and luckily have been up there the last couple weeks and had some decent chances to win a golf tournament.

Q. You see Will up there on top of the board; you saw Scottie win the last major. The young guys, there's no intimidation at all. What's your take on how young guys are ready to do big things so fast?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I just think through amateur golf and college golf is so competitive, golf has changed a little bit in a sense. Guys are working out a lot, eating right, training a little bit different than they had in the past, and I think you -- it gives you confidence when you see friends like Justin and Jordan come out and have early success and you kind of see that they were kind of on the same path as you. It's just like, why can't I do it?

Yeah, I think you just see guys do it that you're kind of on the same path as, and you're like, okay, that gives you a sense of confidence.

It's cool to see the guys go through the ranks, good buddies of mine, Scottie and Will and all those other guys. It's really cool to see the guys kind of progress through the levels, and yeah, it's really fun.

Q. What is it about your game that really fits into major championship golf and over the coming years might give you some confidence that you can make some plays for a few titles along the way?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, ever since I really stepped foot here, I was really comfortable. It just kind of reminds me of golf that I kind of grew up on, a lot of Bermudagrass. I felt really comfortable, and I just think my game, ball-striking tends to be my strength, and I think that serves me well on some of those tougher courses and major championships.

I feel like I've kind of done that this week, pretty stress free, a lot of fairways and greens, and I think the reason that I've played as well as I have the last month, month and a half is just because I've found a good rhythm with the putter.

I haven't quite gotten that match that I had the past couple weeks with the putter, so I'm just kind of waiting for that and hopefully it comes this weekend, and I'm going to keep plotting around the way I am and hopefully get some putts to drop.