JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 2, 2026

Davis Riley

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

Q. Davis, congratulations on No. 16. Can you talk a little bit about your hole-in-one?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, it was great. It's my first hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR. Yeah, it was 151 yards. It was into the wind. I think in these conditions my 9-iron is going about 160, and I felt like it was pretty close to just the perfect 160 shot.

It's just one you hit off the face, and it felt good. It was kind of drawing in there perfectly, and seeing it to land in the perfect spot and funnel in, it was awesome.

Q. Your back nine was pretty good with your putt, your putting you said, earlier. Can you talk a little bit about that?

DAVIS RILEY: I kind of had a slowish start. One birdie, one bogey, I believe, on the front nine. Didn't capitalize on some opportunities that I wanted to, and then just kind of missed a couple of fairways, so it was a little sloppy.

Then the back nine I felt like I was hitting some high-quality shots. Then obviously to get the hole-in-one and to eagle the next was the kicker for me and what made today what could have been a pretty average day into a really good day.

Q. You took a couple of weeks off since your last start. What have you been up to? Did you find something in your game that you really feel is clicking?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, you know, I changed driver shafts. I kind of changed my shot shape a little bit off the tee, too. I've been trying to cut the ball for, quite honestly, probably the last year and a half, and I've just struggled off the tee for the last year and a half, honestly.

Kind of going back to some old-school how I did in college and high school, kind of seeing a little bit more right to left of the tee. I had some good reps at home with a new shaft and then had some good reps earlier in the week here.

So I think that's -- if I can continue to build on what I put in these off weeks and then, you know, at the beginning of this week, I think that has been a nice addition to the bag.

Q. What was the club on 16?

DAVIS RILEY: It was 9-iron.

Q. This is just your second start here, correct?

DAVIS RILEY: I believe so. I think you're right, yeah.

Q. Last year a couple of rounds in the 70s. You come out with this round today. Is it something you learned last year, something about the course, something about your game that's working on this course now?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I really like the course, and I think it suits me well. It's just a beautiful golf course. I'm very comfortable around it.

But, yeah, I think in a little bit better form than I was last year. You know, whether you point the finger to it, I think any time you get extra reps around a place, I think you just get that more comfortable.

Yeah, maybe a couple of reads on the greens that seemed a little bit more familiar, lines off the tee could have definitely contributed to that a little bit.

Q. You talked about on 16 the wind blowing a little bit. How bad was it out there? What were the conditions for you in this morning wave?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, yeah, it wasn't too crazy early on. The wind is starting to pick up a little bit now, but yeah, it can swirl a little bit, especially when you get on the latter part of the back nine where you are kind of tucked away in the trees. Yeah, it makes holes like 15 and 16 -- 14, 15, 16 really on this finishing stretch where you've got to be pretty precise, it makes it quite challenging.

Yeah, just kind of had a perfect number, and I judged the wind just right on 16, and it worked out perfectly.