SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 1, 2025

Davis Riley

Country Club of Jackson

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, like to welcome Davis Riley into the interview room. Mississippi native; I know this tournament means a lot to you. Talk about what it means to play here at Sanderson Farms Championship.

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, it's always really nice when you come and play close to home. Yeah, grew up playing a bunch high school golf here. Yeah, have a lot of good memories here. Grew up Hattiesburg, Mississippi, about an hour and a half away.

Yeah, I got a start early on in my professional golf career so, yeah, the Sanderson has been really good to me. Like I said, a lot of good memories.

Q. One top 20 finish; you finished T19 in 2022. What's the key at a semi-local tournament for you in terms of not getting the local pressure and all of that get to you?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I would say I haven't had the ideal finish I've wanted to. Yeah, there is always -- I mean, it's always super fun playing in front of a home crowd and have a lot of friends and family come out.

Yeah, you just got to take care of the task in front of and you not put too much emphasis or expectation just because you want to show out in your home state and represent.

But I think the biggest thing is just get into a rhythm and take it task by task and not really put any added pressure on yourself. Yeah, hopefully I can improve upon that T19 this year, and I'm looking forward to playing and representing Mississippi.

Q. I know you're already exempt for next season, but what are your goals here in the fall?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, like you said, I'm very fortunate to be in a spot where I'm not stressing to fight and get inside that top 100, which is also very nice.

Yeah, I've had a decent amount of time off. My last start was at the FedEx in Memphis, so I've time to get away and recalibrate and also put in some good work and try to improve upon some things in my game that I feel like need improving.

Yeah, it will be fun to put to test a lot of the work I put in the last two, three weeks to get prepared for this week. Yeah, looking forward to starting Thursday and waking up tomorrow morning and see how I feel and take it by the day and try to execute like I know how I can.

Q. Very few people out on TOUR win three straight years. You won in 2023, 2024; is that something here in the fall that -- I know you would love to do that, but is that something your thinking of, to try to keep that streak going?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, for sure. I mean, a win would be certainly nice, but I think just giving myself -- because I plan on playing a decent amount this fall, so giving myself just to get in contention. Winning obviously is a bonus, but I want to see where my game is and put myself in position and see how it goes from there.

Obviously winning is very difficult, but I think if you can put myself in that position, and those are the environments really love and work so hard to get in, so I think a good goal of mine would be to give myself a couple chances ideally.

Yeah, it's a good time to -- there is still quite a bit to play for to be in the 51 to 60 to have the first two Signature Events in the beginning of the year, so that also a big incentive for me.

Yeah, I think playing my way into contention and then fighting my way to get inside the top 60 would be an ideal situation for me.

Q. Three quick questions, all along the same lines. You mentioned memories here growing up, Hattiesburg. Anything specific that you recall? Did you go out and watch as a kid? Any standout memories from when you first came to the event as a kid?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, when I was a kid I believe it was the Viking Classic and Annandale actually, so wasn't on this property. I actually never attend the event but played countless number of rounds at Annandale and countless number of rounds here at Jackson Country Club.

I would say the first memory of Jackson Country Club that, I have I think I was in sixth or seventh grade and they had this place probably dang near the yardage that we are playing at now and I shot an 83 and thought I played incredibly well. I remember getting my teeth kicked in around here. That was my first taste the high school golf, being a little 13 year old and can hardly hit it out of my shadow.

So that's probably my most memorable and first moment out here.

Q. And last two questions I can actually combine into one. Looking for good feel-good answer. Obviously this is the last year with Sanderson Farms as the title sponsor. Just a comment on how much you feel like they've added and brought to this event.

DAVIS RILEY: For sure. Yeah, Sanderson, Joe Sanderson have been really good to this event. Steve Jent does an incredibly good job. This is one of my favorite events on the calendar, and just being so close to home is an added bonus. It's definitely one I always want to have circumstance you would on the calendar.

No, it's a first class tournament. If you go around and ask any TOUR player it's one of their favorite all year. Great golf course, great staff. So it'll be, like you said, the last year of it. Yeah, it'll be a missed event, but I'm excited to give it one last run at the tournament.

Q. Similar question about the Century Club. They're kind of the man behind the curtain there. With them being just the group of people that have really been the ones putting this all together, just a comment or two about the Century Club and how much they've done for the area and the event.

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, for sure. They've done really good job. Like I said, it's one the best-run tournaments all year. It's just a testimony to Sanderson and the Century Club like you were saying, how well they operate, very player-friendly, always asking for feedback, and they continue to improve every year.

Yeah, so really good for this area. It's a great area and I feel like it's an area that's hungry for some good golf and a TOUR event is a great venue.

Yeah, I think they do a really good job and it's a testimony to the first class organizations all the way around.

Q. Mississippi native and being able to come back here, are there some things you really like being able to play in Jackson, seeing friends and family or places to eat? What do you really like being able to come back here all the time?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, one of my favorite parts of the week is I always come back the weekend before and spend it in Hattiesburg with my family. It's always fun going back to my old country club, hang out, golf with old buddies, and then obviously I get up here and I get to Thursday and then I'll have a lot of those same buddies I just got done hanging out with the weekend before come out and watch, and obviously having my family.

I wouldn't say they travel a ton, but this is obviously an easy one for them to get to. So to have my parents here and sister and things like that are very important to me. It's always super fun to play in front of them.

I want to put my best effort on in front of them, so just a fun week all around. Seeing friends I haven't seen in a long time, spending the weekend at home before the week is always the highlight of the trip.

Q. With the Sanderson being Mississippi's only PGA event, how nice is it to have representation in Mississippi for golf?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, any time -- like you said, this is the only event in Mississippi, so to be able to be here, represent Mississippi and try to do it in a big way is super important.

Yeah, it's nice that we have a couple Mississippi guys out here. I know they're in the same boat and want to win this tournament just as bad as I do.

Yeah, it's nice to have an event here, represent. We got a couple guys representing Mississippi so it's always an extra incentive I feel like for all us Mississippians. Yeah, extremely fun week.

Q. If you were with your buddies this past weekend, talk about that Alabama football game.

DAVIS RILEY: First I'll say Roll Tide. Yeah, that was super exciting. Playing on the road against Georgia, I knew that was going to be a tall task. It's been fun to be out here with some fellow Georgia guys and give them a Roll Tide every now and then. I watched at my house with high parents and we were super excited.

Obviously I've got a bunch of buddies that went to Ole Miss and they had a big weekend too. We all had all good banter back and forth. Yeah, it was a super exciting football weekend to say the least.

Q. Great Saturday for both of those teams.

DAVIS RILEY: That's correct.

THE MODERATOR: Thank for your time and best of luck this week.

DAVIS RILEY: Thank you.