JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 1, 2026

Preston Stout

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: All right, going to go head and get started with Preston Stout. We would like to welcome him into the John Deere Classic Media Center. Preston, you're making your fourth start here on the PGA TOUR this week. What does it mean to get a sponsor's exemption from the John Deere Classic?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, it's really awesome. You know, just super grateful that I'm able to get some starts, especially here. It's a great golf course.

Yeah, it's been awesome to just get a little bit of experience under my belt while I'm still in college, so hopefully I'm out here when I graduate and I'll already have a little bit of experience.

It's just a lot different than college golf so nice to be able is it get out here and play with some guys and kind of see what they do week to week. Yeah, I'm excited for the week.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned it being a great course. Can you talk a little bit about it?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, really good driving course. I think if you keep it in the fairway it's gettable, but if you miss fairways you can get into some trouble.

Then, yeah, the green complexes are super good, too. They are fairly soft right now it seems like, but assuming they'll firm up. It's hot so feel like it will be hard to get them firm.

They got some good rough, too, which always makes a golf course good. Rough always helps the challenge a little bit.

Yeah, I think it will be a good test.

Q. You have James Edmondson on the bag this week. Curious as to whether you found him or he found you and what your criteria was for choosing a caddie? Will this be a one-off or a long-term thing?

PRESTON STOUT: James has caddied for me once. He caddied for me in Dallas. Yeah, Walker, my agent, he found him for me. He's a Dallas guy as well like I am, so thought it was perfect.

Yeah, I hope it's a long-term thing. He's in the middle of guys right now so we're just trying some things out. Yeah, it's been awesome so far. We get along great. Play some golf together and, yeah, it's been awesome.

I hope it's a long-term thing. He's been the best so far, so yeah. I've always had like just a buddy caddie for me previously, so to have a guy with some knowledge that's been out here for a long time has helped a lot.

Q. What are your goals for this week? What do you want to get accomplished?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I talked to some -- my team about it a lot. I feel like in my first few events I was just -- my goal was to make the cut and seemed like I was always around the cut line. So we talked this week, and going forward I need to have the same mentality I do when I tee it up for college events, which is to win. So I believe I can and I believe have the game to.

Yeah, my goal is to win this week. I think that's the mentality you need to have in any sport, in any event, is that you can win, so that's what I'm going to try to do.

Q. Playing off that, are you aware of the history in this event with youngsters, sponsor's exemptions doing well and using this as a springboard in their careers?

PRESTON STOUT: For sure, yeah. I think it's kind of known that young guys have played well here. So, yeah, I guess that gives me a little bit of confidence I guess you could say that young guys do have success here.

But, yeah, not thinking about that too much. Really just trying to go into the week and play my best and kind of see where I end up, so...

Q. What's your comfort level out here this week?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I feel like I've gotten more comfortable with every exemption I've had. It's just a lot different with all the fans, getting here three, four days before the event. Feels like you're playing a lot more golf before you actually tee it up on Thursday, which is just so much different than our college events. You get there the day before the tournament and play 18 holes and tee it up the next day.

Yeah, feel like I'm definitely getting more comfortable with the routine and the schedule that it is out here every week. Being able to play with some guys in practice rounds and see what they do and how they handle their business week to week has helped a lot.

So, yeah, definitely feel comfortable. Feel like the golf course suits me well. It's a good driving course, so I'm excited.

Q. Who have you played with in the practice rounds?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, yesterday I played with Austin Eckroat. He's an OK State alum. I played with Johnny Keefer, too. So guys that have been out here and have had some success. So, yeah, it's been nice to kind of learn from them, ask them questions, ask them what they do and what their weeks kind of look like.

Q. Kind of on that same note, last year Jackson Koivun told us he was blown away seeing the preparation out here. Is that -- do you have a similar feeling about them, or is there something else that kind of takes you by surprise and you're like, wow, these guys are really good at this one particular thing?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, they're very meticulous in how they go about their business, whether that's in the gym, physio. All recovery stuff is pretty impressive to me. Just how they take care of their bodies. A lot of these guys are playing multiple weeks in a row so that's definitely important and something I picked up on.

Yeah, just different stuff, and in practice, too. You know, you see the putting green is filled at all times of the day. Same with the chipping green. Guys are working on those parts of their game a lot, and I feel like that's a little different than amateur golf. Seems like a lot of guys are just beating balls.

Yeah, it's definitely cool to see and learn and just kind of observe a little bit and just see what guys are doing.

Yeah, it's definitely impressive how a lot of these guys work.

Q. I mentioned PGA TOUR University to you earlier. How much has that impacted your college golf and you individually?

PRESTON STOUT: Yeah, I think it has encouraged a lot of us to stay in college, which I think is great. I love college. It's so much fun. I love my team, being around them, traveling with them every week.

Yeah, I try not to think about it. I think for some guys - even for me, too - it definitely adds a little bit of pressure since we are playing for a job right out of college, which is awesome. I'm glad they're doing it. It helps us out a lot.

Yeah, some guys just talk about it being added pressure and I try not to think about that so much. I think good golf kind of takes care of itself, so that's kind of how I go about it.

THE MODERATOR: All right, good luck this week and we hope you have a great time.

PRESTON STOUT: Thank you.