TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2026

Patrick Cantlay

TPC River Highlands

Quick Quotes

Q. Opening round 65. How would you assess your first round?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, a good start. All in all I thought I played pretty well. I drove the ball in the fairway a lot, which is important around here. I hit some really nice iron shots. I made some putts on the back nine.

Q. Seems like you've been coming to this golf tournament for half your life, why such a great relationship with this golf course and results would obviously show it?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, well I got a sponsor's exemption here as an amateur and then turned pro at this event the following year, so I have a lot of good memories around here. It's just been so great to see how Travelers has turned this into one of the best events on TOUR. I talk to all the guys and this is always one of their favorite stops. I just know they put so much effort and consideration into making it one of the best events on TOUR and a real credit to them because they have done it.

Q. You learn anything last week at the U.S. Open?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I don't know if I played enough round to learn much (laughing). It's just a tricky golf course, you gets out of position and it can really bite you. I feel like my game's in a good spot and I'm not surprised going out and playing well today and hopefully follow that up the rest of the weekend.

Q. Where is the season stand for you right now? Seemed like you started out a little slow but you've had some good results lately. You feel like you found something?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I feel like it's moving in the right direction. Golf's a funny game. A couple weeks can make the whole season. So just grinding and working on all the things that have historically paid off and we're coming into a big stretch of golf, so it's a good time to start playing well.

Q. What has provided you either inspiration or support through your career, because you've had some big ups and downs and a real roller coaster career, but here you are still playing well?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, well, I think the tough part was medical out of the start. My back bothered me for a number of years after I turned pro. Since then it's been pretty good. My golf's been good as well. It was a tough start, but I feel like it's been good since.

Q. I know it's going back awhile but your course record here which stood for quite awhile, does something like that just help you every time you come back here, just a different kind of confidence or a good memory?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, definitely, it helps coming back to a place that you played well before and I definitely feel that way here. Jim kind of obliterated that course record pretty quick though, 58 around here is pretty good.

Q. You spent a lot of your time over the past couple years, with the changes that's were announced Tuesday, curious your thoughts -- I know it's not a finished product but just a framework of what the new TOUR's going to look like?

PATRICK CANTLAY: First of all, I'm grateful to everyone on the Committee and all the player directors for all the hard work they put in over the past many months and I'm excited about the future of the TOUR and I think it's in a good spot and I know all the hard work hopefully pays off.

Q. What do you think the biggest benefit for the PGA TOUR fan is going to be?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I think as we've heard for a while now, getting the best guys together more often is a big thing for fans. I think this system's going to do that.

Q. This is obviously not the work is not done and Brian alluded to that, what are the biggest remaining questions for you or things that need to be ironed out to really make this a successful product?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I think like with anything the details matter. So we're just going to have to get to work and get all those details right. It's a complicated system, but I think given the work that we've done and how everyone's going at this problem we're going to get it right.

Q. Joe LaCava is a local guy here, what are your impressions of him and what's he added to your game?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, Joe's the best. It's awesome having him on the bag. He gets a ton of support this week. I feel like I'm in the crowd and Joe has more fans out there than anybody I'm playing with. So it's good to have him and he's just the best.

Q. How has he helped your game?

PATRICK CANTLAY: He's just a steady hand. He's been in every position before and we communicate really well out there together. I feel like we pick a lot of the right shots and clubs and I think that's because he's so easy to work with and easy to trust.

Q. What's it going to take for you to duplicate today and make a good solid run at this tournament championship?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I think playing from the fairway and hitting solid shots and get a couple putts to go in.