THE CJ CUP BYRON NELSON

May 21, 2026

Preston Stout

TPC Craig Ranch

Quick Quotes

Q. Can you fill us in basically the past 24 hours, coming from Arizona last night to get here to McKinney today?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, it was a little hectic but wasn't too bad. Finished up regionals in Tucson yesterday, got on a flight at 4:00 out of there yesterday and got in last night. Got to my house about 11:30. Luckily had a late tee time today, so I got to sleep in a little bit.

Yeah, I got to play today, which was a lot of fun.

Q. Prior to your round right now, what did you know about the course or how much have you played out here?

PRESTON STOUT: Actually, being from Dallas, somehow I've never played out here, but I came down a few weeks ago and played once. So kind of got a lay of the land there a little bit.

Then my caddie James, he came out here and walked it Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a good feel for the course. It's pretty much all there right in front of you. Yeah, it's an awesome track.

Q. Knowing kind of how these dates laid out, what made you take the sponsor exemption knowing with regionals to kind of where this laid on the calendar?

PRESTON STOUT: I think it's just this tournament means a lot to me. I'm a Dallas guy, and it's the first tournament I ever went to as a kid and got to meet some players. I just thought that was always the coolest thing in the world.

To come back here and get to compete against those same guys is just kind of cool for me. And having all my friends and family out here is pretty cool.

Q. It's a good legacy of Dallas amateurs playing here, Jordan Spieth, Scottie. Did you come out here and watch them at all? What's it like to follow along in those footsteps?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I think that's kind of another reason why I wanted to play because those guys have come and played here and had good success. Yeah, kind of wanted to follow in their footsteps a little bit too, which has been really cool and really fun so far.

Q. On TV they showed a picture of you. I think you were at the 2016 Nelson. Do you remember your first Nelson?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I remember I went there, and Jordan Spieth was having a little clinic, and we went and watched that, and I got to meet him and got his signature. I thought that was so awesome.

It's kind of full circle to come back here and compete as an amateur.

Q. 2016 was your first?

PRESTON STOUT: That sounds right, about eight years ago.

Q. So today you go into the stadium hall and birdie it. What was that experience like?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, it was pretty cool. It was pretty loud. They had some music going. People were chirping, chirping about my high school and stuff. Yeah, it was fun. That was cool. To be able to make birdie, that was awesome. Highlight of the day for sure.

Q. On the downside, I didn't see what happened on 13?

PRESTON STOUT: Or 4?

Q. 4, I'm sorry. Your 13th.

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I just hit it right of the green, honestly where you want to miss it, and I hit a bad chip, came up short, rolled back to my feet, chipped it up to 10 feet and missed. Made a double bogey, terrible. It happens sometimes.

Q. What's kind of been the most eye opening thing, whether it's -- I don't know if you got a courtesy car, or what's been the most eye opening thing that's happened in the last since you got on site?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, it's just a lot different. It's just the way the tournament's ran and how much thought they put into everything, whether it's the cars or the locker room or the dining. Yeah, they just put a lot of thought into it, and it's pretty cool.

Hopefully I'm out here in a year or two getting to play here every week.