THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

January 18, 2024

Hayden Springer

PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Your first round as a full TOUR member. Off to a great start. 29 on the front. It's a very rewarding day. You must be pretty happy to be in with that score?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, I'm very happy with a 64 and a 29 on the front, yeah, I couldn't have asked for a better front nine. To get off to a hot start, it's always nice.

Q. We last saw you at Q-School, just a little while ago, what have these last five, six weeks been like for you as you kind of prepped for your first season as a TOUR member?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: They have been kind of busy and exciting. Trying to just get stuff figured out and kind of plan for these first few events of the season and get stuff in order. But it's been exciting, just kind of knowing, getting ready for this, this start, and this is what I've wanted to do for a really long time.

Q. Has there been a moment where it's felt like it's sunk in that you're a member?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: This week a little bit. Being out here, I got out here on Saturday, so just kind of getting to spend a few days and kind of get prepared, yeah, probably this week the most.

Q. Had you seen the golf courses at all before you got here on Saturday? Had you played any of 'em?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: I came out a couple weeks ago and played the Nicklaus Course.

Q. Was that the plan all along to get here early to get as much experience as you could before the first tournament?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: We were kind of planning on, if I got into Sony, then it would be a shorter week, but not getting into Sony, then we were able to come out a couple days earlier and have a little bit more time.

Q. What was the most challenging aspect of what you just mentioned, like after the qualifying school until now, like getting things prepared, doing things, what was the most challenging part of that?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: I don't know if there's -- it's a lot of the same stuff. You got to figure out travel, and then of course the orientation that we had to go to in Hawaii, and kind of learn about everything behind the scenes. All of that stuff was just trying to plan for that. Then trying to figure out where that first start's going to come, having traveled for all of that stuff. I don't know if anything in particular was anything anymore challenging than the other.

Q. You mentioned, we mentioned that you shot 29 on the front. Have you ever had sub 30 anywhere? You played all around the world a lot of different places?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: I think I shot a couple 29s up in Canada this summer. Then maybe a couple in the Latin, Latinoamérica TOUR a couple years ago, so I had a few. Then even in a couple Mondays I think I've come out with maybe a 29 here or there.

Q. Is there a sense of relief now that you're a member and you've actually got that first round under your belt and it's a good one on top of that that now you feel it's going to give you some confidence to continue that this week?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, it's definitely a huge confidence boost to get off to a good start. I feel like it's slightly different now than a few of the other starts that I've gotten over the last few years. Being a member and kind of knowing that I've got a full season to make the most of and to kind of, you know, learn and grow and just kind of experience that rookie season. So, it's a little bit different, but it's nice to know that you got that and then also to get off to a good start is really nice as well.

Q. Especially at the Stadium Course, because I don't know if you studied it, but traditionally it's the harder of the three courses in the rotation here. When you saw the tee times come out and the courses that you would be playing first, were you kind of, how did you feel about that when you saw that you were playing the Stadium first?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: I mean, they're all pretty, you know, you're going to have to play all three at some point, so it's fine to play it first. I actually didn't know that it was the traditionally the harder one, so, I mean, I probably could have told you that, that it plays probably a little bit harder than La Quinta or the Nicklaus Course. So, it's even better to play well here the first day, and then hopefully keep it going on those other two.

Q. Was there a specific highlight for you today on the round out there?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, the chip-in on 8 for eagle. That's probably the highlight.

Q. Statistically, I think of the people playing on the Stadium Course I think you were ranked first in approach play today. Did it feel as good as the stats make it look?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, I hit it well. Definitely hit a few wedges close, and a few iron shots close. If I can straighten out the driver a little bit, maybe it's even better. Yeah, I think I hit it well, yeah.

Q. A place you can get away with spraying it a little bit though.

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, you get one side and you can just blast it, so, fortunately, I missed on that side most of the time.

Q. Talking about the driver, you said you didn't hit it particularly how you wanted to. Is there something you can pinpoint that you might go work on on the range to try to get that fixed?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, it's a little bit of just a technique thing. I just kind of stay behind it and pull down on the handle and kind of get the club behind me and it goes to the right. So, just trying to get kind of a shift to the left so that I can then just rotate and get it started more on line. I mean, that's what I'm going to go work on, try and get it figured out.

Q. Very sad and tragic situation with your family. How is your family doing dealing with that in the months since?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: I think we're good. I mean, we, you know, there's harder moments than others, but we're just trying to lean in on in our faith and trust in the Lord and that He's got a plan. And then, of course, the community around us, our friends and family, our parents, have supported us so well in these last few months, so it definitely, it's been challenging and tough, but just trying to keep moving forward and keep living life as much as we can, and we know that Sage would want that for us. There's a missing piece, that's always going to be a missing piece and, but, overall, I think we're just trying to love on each other and be around each other as much as we can.

Q. Is there anything you do particularly on the golf course, any kind of homage to your daughter for her memory?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: No, nothing in particular. I've had my wedges stamped with her name on it, just to kind of, you know, a fun thing to remember her, and have it a rainbow color and all that stuff. So we do that and at some point I'll probably wear a pink shirt to, her favorite color was pink, so just do little stuff like that.

Q. I'll ask you lastly, given the rarity of that disease and the visibility of your story, have you had other families or folks reach out to you perhaps with questions or support or to get information from you?

HAYDEN SPRINGER: Yeah, we've had a number of families reach out to us and we have, we started a nonprofit called Extra to Love that we're supporting Trisomy families, and we've done that for a few years now. So, we're definitely trying to grow that and expand that. We're passionate about this now. It's something that came into our lives and totally changed our lives, and so now we're very passionate about it and we want to push that community forward and help the families that are going through a similar experience to us.