JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 8, 2023

Denny McCarthy

TPC Deere Run

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Slam-packed leaderboard, but it's a slam-packed leaderboard with guys at the house. There's four guys within three shots at the house, and then there's B. Todd who is not there this year. How do you explain that?

DENNY McCARTHY: We got a lot of good golfers that are all staying together. It's funny because we're all pretty good at -- we've been playing a bunch of games at the house too. You know, throwing frisbee, baseball. We're all pretty good at that stuff too.

It's been a fun week. We've been playing cards, board games, outdoor activities, so it's been fun. Once you leave the golf course to go back to the house, everyone is there, and you just kind of jump into whatever game they're playing at the time. So it's been a fun week.

Q. Your round featured a little bit of everything today, didn't it?

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, it did. It was pretty windy early. It's typically not this windy here. Usually it's really hot and calm.

Today it was pretty gusty. Hit a lot of really good shots early on actually and just didn't really convert on some of the close-in putts, but then made a couple bombs to make up for it, if you will.

So kind of a weird day on the greens, but all in all I played pretty solid today.

Q. Beyond Sunday being payday, is there a different mindset going tomorrow? It seemed like you were giving it your all today.

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, I think just coming out I was in a really myself nice mindset today. I think it kind of started -- something kind of clicked yesterday when I made a mess of 9 and 10 and went on that little tear.

I think something mentally and physically clicked right after that. I kind of had a choice of how am I going to respond to this, and I chose the better option.

So hopefully continue that into tomorrow and going to have to go shoot a really good round of golf.

Q. Do you dare think about a number with this kind of leaderboard?

DENNY McCARTHY: No, I'm just going to go and try to play as good as I can tomorrow and try to shoot the low round of the day and see where that puts me.

Q. Where is the house?

DENNY McCARTHY: You turn out of the course and -- so I guess east of here. You turn out of the course, and it's about 15 minutes when you make a right out of the course.

Q. Past Calona?

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, it's in Geneseo, I guess. You make a right out of here, go down that road a couple of miles, make another left, and it's six or seven miles. Kind of corn fields.

Q. Just a country place?

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, it's tucked back in the wood probably --

Q. How many rooms?

DENNY McCARTHY: Six or seven bedrooms. We found it last year, and we were able to get it again this year again.

Q. Did you kick B. Todd out?

DENNY McCARTHY: No, his family decided to come last-minute, so he opted out of the house.

Q. Talk about yesterday 9 and 10. What transpired out there? What happened? Then what did you do -- you said physically -- to change the course of action?

DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, 9, it's just a weird -- didn't play great the first eight holes, but kind of scored okay to be 3-under through eight.

Then almost made a bomb on 9 and then had a tricky little read on a four-footer and missed that, and then probably didn't quite collect my thoughts quick enough off 10 tee. Just kind of let my mind slip for half a second, and it cost me.

Had a tough chip-out that got snagged in the rough and then I was forced. I never like to go for that green in two. I always play it as a three-shot hole, and I was forced into a situation where I kind of had to go for it.

I had 220 front and 50 hole. Wind started blowing off the left. It was just kind of a magnet to the water. It was just a tough situation to be in.

But from there on out I just told myself I was going to be super free, swing really freely at my targets, and just go. That's exactly what I did, and it felt great.

Q. Do you have a chip on your shoulder at all from previous close calls that got away from you?

DENNY McCARTHY: No. You know, I know it's going to come. I get this question asked a lot. It's a good thing. I'm playing a lot of good golf, and I keep putting myself in this spot.

It's not easy to win golf tournaments. A lot of the top guys out here make it look really easy, but it's really not. You have to have a lot of things go your way on top of playing really good golf, and it just hasn't quite matched up for me yet, but I know it's coming.

Q. You mentioned issues on the green today. Obviously you're known as one of the best putters out here. What was happening?

DENNY McCARTHY: I think when the wind starts gusting, I think putting is actually harder than hitting shots. I like playing and hitting shots in the wind, but putting it makes it difficult when you start getting wind gusting 15 miles an hour on some putts. It can move the ball a little bit and change the direction of the ball just slightly, so I think it makes it -- in my opinion it's tougher on the greens when it starts blowing than it is on approach shots.

Q. When you talk about something clicking after 10 yesterday, physically even, you can you explain that?

DENNY McCARTHY: Just a little feel on my back swing that I was able to release it better coming in. So something on the back swing helped me on the down swing.