CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE

May 31, 2026

Russell Henley

Colonial CC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome the winner of the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge, Russell Henley to the interview room. Russell, your finish down the stretch, you were as hot as the weather was out there. If we can get some comments on I know a finish that you will remember for a long time. You birdied your last three of regulation, and then in the playoff to win your sixth PGA TOUR title.

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, still kind of speechless about it. I was on 15, let me think, 15 in the rough, after my tee shot, and was just like, man, I got to save par to not go over par on the day. So, yeah, I didn't really start thinking about birdieing the last three until when I made the putt on 17. I knew that I had a chance to put a little pressure if I played 18 well. So just seeing those putts go in and kind of a weird start to the day, and just kept fighting. I just got a little bit of momentum and, yeah, hard to believe I'm sitting here.

THE MODERATOR: How much does it mean to you to win also here at Colonial Country Club? I know a club that means a lot to you.

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, a lot of history here. Just cool to kind of walk the grounds and learn all about Ben Hogan and the history of the game. I've seen so many awesome tournament finishes here. So to be a part of that tournament history is really cool.

THE MODERATOR: All right, we'll open it up to questions.

Q. Can you talk about how, after you birdied the three holes, to kind of have that break before the playoff, how you regained composure and kept focus when you were really at your hottest?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, I was still kind of running on pure adrenaline at that moment. I was glad I got to go hit a few balls off 1 tee while I was waiting, just to kind of swing my arms a little bit and just kind of try to get into a little bit of a rhythm, because I was very excited. That was huge for me. Then just continued on into the last hole. Yeah, gray crazy finish. I'm just so, I'm over the moon.

Q. Take us through the playoff hole. Obviously the nice approach you hit, but just take us through the whole playoff hole.

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, so the wind's been off the right all week. And there are these three windows in the clubhouse that I've been aiming at every day. We debated on hitting a cut shot off that tee to kind of fight the wind. But Andy was pretty adamant, my caddie, about just hitting a straight, trying to hit it straight at those windows every time, and if the wind hit it, which it would, that was the perfect line. So when I got back to the tee for the playoff hole I said, Do you like the same straight shot? And he said, A hundred percent. So he was very confident in our game plan. That gave me confidence. That made me feel comfortable like I was hitting the right shot. I hit a great drive, got through the ball really well. We knew it was playing really short, my lob wedge in regulation went a long way. So we played, I had 135, I think, hole, if I'm remembering right, and I hit a shot feeling like it was 115, kind of like ball above my feet, down off the right, knew it was going to take a bounce out. So we were playing a yardage that was 20 yards short because it was so hot and the ball was going. So just all of it worked out, I feel like I executed both those shots perfectly. And then was able to hit a decent putt under those circumstances. I was very nervous and just tried to stick to my same routine that I always do on every putt and commit to my line.

Q. You move up to number 11 in the FedExCup standings. Talk about how this sets you up for the rest of the year and a really important stretch coming up.

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, I've had some good tournaments this year. I've also had a few that I've been frustrated with. Like I said earlier, I feel like mentally I've kind of let my frustrations get the best of me this year. So I felt like this week I wanted to start just being better about that and fighting all the way through the finish line. So, yeah, it's amazing to be 11th on the FedExCup and kind of fighting my way back up closer to the top there. I'm excited about the rest of the year and I'm going to keep trying to work hard at it and see if I can be in contention as much as I can.

Q. Your schedule over the next month?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, you mean to say what it is? Okay. So I'll play Memorial next week. And then I'll play U.S. Open. And then I'll play the Travelers. And then I'll play Rocket. Then the Playoffs, I think? Oh wait, The Open Championship. I'm going to play The Open Championship (laughing).

Q. I think you said something in your post interview about just wanting to win as you get to these points and as you get older in your career, just talk about how much more they mean and how much more you do want to chase them as you keep filling them?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, I've been playing really well the last three or four years, or even more, really. And even though I've been playing well, I still feel like I keep coming back to this realization that it's just so hard. So to get to win out here and to play consistently well, it takes everything out of me. I mean, I feel like mentally I can't take one shot off, I can't take a practice day off. I need to be locked in every part of my game and just, it just has to be a hundred percent every day. The older I've gotten, the more I realize how much work it takes, how hard it is. And I've also, you know, the longer I play the more bad shots I hit, too, so you kind of have those in the back of your mind too. I mean, like, man, I don't want to do that again. So there's just the mental grind of it as well. So just each time I've gotten over the finish line and gotten a win it's just very special for just because I realize each time it's just very difficult.

Q. You had your kids there with you at the end what, did it mean to share this victory with your family?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, my wife is my best friend, and just gives me so much confidence. This morning we just, I called her when I was at the course and I just asked her if she would pray for me and pray for the ability to fight and the ability to of dependence on the Lord while I was out there. So she's just my best friend and gives me so much confidence and just supports me so well. When I'm at the course sometimes I stress about like, man, I hope my family's, you know, having a good week when I'm at the course for seven or eight hours, and they're having to find stuff to do in all these towns. She just, she's just always telling me, It's great. We're going to be together. And she gives me the freedom to go play well or play poorly. So just so special to have them with me. I love 'em so much.

THE MODERATOR: Russell, one of the traditions of winning this tournament is you get a pretty good ride as well, talk a little bit about winning the Scrambler.

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, that Scrambler is cool. I hadn't heard of a Scrambler before this. Clearly it was just custom made and just so well done. It's beautiful inside and outside. So I'm excited to drive it. The engine was much louder than I anticipated. My family thinks it's really cool. My kids just probably want to hang out the back or stand up and going to have to try to get them to get the see the belts on 'em.

Q. A win anywhere is great because you know how hard it is to win. But to win here at a classic course that you guys play very rarely on the TOUR, and also a course that's been won by the real greats of golf, what does that mean to you just to win at a course that has this much history?

RUSSELL HENLEY: Yeah, it's such a unique course. It really takes ball striking to a different -- it's just different this week. A lot of the courses we play, you can really get away with hitting it in the rough and hitting it a long way. Clearly, I don't hit it a long way. But for this course you have to be in the fairway to attack. You have to control your irons. You have to shape the ball. It really tests every part of your game and asks you to be fully committed and fully clear on what you're doing. Even then sometimes the wind can be very tricky. So with the history of the tournament, like I said, I've watched so many people come down the stretch and win this one, and it's just so cool to know that I've won it. I still am having a hard time taking that in right now. But it's so special for so many reasons.

Q. Did you have a chance to look at the Wall of Champions?

RUSSELL HENLEY: I saw -- I think I saw Phil won it three times, this morning. But I think my son was looking at it, and I was trying to not look at it, actually (laughing).

THE MODERATOR: All right. Congratulations once again to our 2026 champion, Russell Henley.

RUSSELL HENLEY: Thank you.