JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 2, 2026

Lee Hodges

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

Q. Didn't you have a good first round at, was it, Schwab a couple of weeks ago or Colonial and then it didn't go quite as well.

LEE HODGES: Didn't go quite as well.

Q. How did you get it to turn around this time?

LEE HODGES: I think it's just my attitude, to be honest. I really just wasn't enjoying bad golf, you know. I don't think anybody enjoys bad golf, but you kind of have to sometimes. You kind of have to get through the bad to see the good.

So I just tried to have a better attitude this week, and I did a better job of that today.

Q. This is such a mental game. How do you keep it straight?

LEE HODGES: It's hard. It really is. I didn't think it was hard until recently the last couple of months, year or so. Man, it is. It's a game of failure. We play a game of failure. So if you let you beat it down, it will beat you down.

I had done a bad job of just letting it pile on and pile on and beat me down. This week I've kind of done the opposite of that and just tried to be more free out there. I mean, I guess it worked today, so I'll just do the same thing tomorrow.

Q. What went right today?

LEE HODGES: Everything. I hit it great and putted really, really nice. I've been putting good for a while, so it was nice to keep that going with some nice ball-striking also.

Q. A lot of the guys have been talking about the renovation on 4 and how it makes the hole harder. You birdied it. Can you talk about your thoughts on the hole?

LEE HODGES: Yeah, it is way harder. It used to be driver, wedge, and now I hit rip driver, 7-iron today. That plays into my hands a little bit. That's kind of the way that I play my best golf is with a 7-iron against everybody else's 7-iron.

So it's definitely harder, but I think it helps me out.

Q. I believe this is your first start since Canadian Open?

LEE HODGES: Yeah.

Q. Is there anything you've been working on in the past couple of weeks that you think have shown today?

LEE HODGES: Yeah, just my attitude. Just, you know, trying to be nicer to myself and enjoy the golf more.