BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

August 21, 2026

Gary Woodland

Bellerive Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. (No Microphone.)

GARY WOODLAND: I am, yeah.

Q. (No Microphone.)

GARY WOODLAND: A lot. I learned a lot. I had way more benefit being with her that day than she did with me, for sure. Her energy's contagious. She took a negative and turned it into a positive. And she's had a positive impact not only in my life, but on a lot of people's lives that she's come in touch with. I'm proud to be her friend.

Q. Did she reach out to you when this came up?

GARY WOODLAND: She has, yeah. I talked to her. We text on a regular basis, for sure.

Q. On 18, after you hit the massive drive, I noticed you just sat down. Are you exhausted? What's your state after that big drive?

GARY WOODLAND: I'm tired. Fortunately, I'll get some rest tonight and get back out at it tomorrow. That was one of the better drives I've had. I like to turn the ball left to the right and that tee shot sets up for a draw. And to step up and execute there shows the kind of control I have with the golf club, it's nice.

Q. How would you describe your round?

GARY WOODLAND: I played nicely. I didn't hit it as well as I did yesterday, where I was in complete control. The key for me was, I lost it a little bit on the back nine, lost some shots to the right, and I was able to adjust, kind of take a step back. I checked my grip, which is a key from Randy Smith there. I checked my grip and hit four really great shots coming in on 17, 18, so proud of the adjustment I made there.

Q. Is this the most relaxed you've ever felt after 36 holes at a tournament?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, I would say that. I feel very comfortable. It's nice being close to home. It's nice having so much support out here. The fans have been amazing. I'm definitely feeding off that energy for sure.

Q. Family-wise, your mom and dad are still in Kansas, they didn't make the trip?

GARY WOODLAND: No.

Q. You have a lot of support family-wise here?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah. My wife just came in today, which always helps me. Yeah, there's a ton of people I know from home. I'm hearing people yelling my high school stuff. So it's nice to be around that kind of energy, for sure.

Q. (No Microphone.)

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, the golf ball change is, I know it's going to be good for me down the road, but it's been amazing for me right now. Coming off this type of grass it's a little less spin. This type of grass definitely adds spin to the golf ball. So being able to control my distances a lot better, that golf ball's helped me a ton this week, for sure. Hopefully get into next week and have the same type of grass and it would help me there as well.

Q. Is your outlook going into this week any different than it was in anywhere else?

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, for sure. My outlook, if I was in this position, which I've been in this position, unfortunately, a lot, right on that number, it's focused on getting into next week. My focus right now is one day at a time. I don't have that luxury to look ahead. I got to focus on making sure I take care of myself right now. Tomorrow's a new day, and hopefully I get some rest tonight and I'll show up tomorrow and see how it comes. But I don't have the luxury to look ahead anymore.

Q. What do you remember when you, from 2018, going into the weekend, your first time really contending in a major. What was that like on the weekend?

GARY WOODLAND: It was definitely the first time. I probably had a lot of nerves going in there.

Q. Saturday specific, I meant.

GARY WOODLAND: Yes. I played with Kiz, who is a buddy. Played with Brooks, who is a buddy. That helped. But I wasn't probably ready for it yet. Definitely more prepared for it now. I've been through the wringer a lot. Looking forward to it more now than then I was probably a little nervous going in.

Q. You were looking forward to it in 2018 until the 10th hole.

GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, until the 10th hole. At the end of the day, I love the golf course. The golf course sets up nice for me. You feed off the energy of the crowd out here and it's, I've had success here, which is a big key for me as well.

Q. What do you do tonight and what kind of recovery are you going to need?

GARY WOODLAND: I'll get treatment now. I'll get in the dark room, get my feet up, let my brain reset. Cold, dark room for a while. Hopefully about 12 hours.

Q. Treatment for?

GARY WOODLAND: Just my body. Just in general. Just, I'm getting older now. I'm 42 years old now. But a lot of rest. A lot of dark room, get away from electronics, and turn my brain off.