Category: PGA Tour

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VIKTOR HOVLAND: “I had a good year last year, but I’ve had an even better one this year.”

VIKTOR HOVLAND smiling at the 2020 TOUR Championship at the East Lake Golf Club, in Atlanta, GA.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

East Lake Golf Club
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: This is Viktor’s second appearance back-to-back making it to East Lake, finishing 20th last year in the final FedExCup standings. I think just starting off it’s obviously a big deal to get back here two years in a row. I guess how would you kind of grade your season overall and explain what it means to be back at East Lake.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it means that you’ve played pretty consistently throughout the year and it’s a cool achievement to be able to be back here. And I had a good year last year, but I’ve had an even better one this year, so it’s nice to see that the, things are going the right way and we’re only starting seven shots behind and not 10, so that’s a good start. Hopefully we can do a little bit better than finishing 20th this year.

THE MODERATOR: Starting seven back, having played this golf course last year, what do you think is a key to being able to go low around here.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: You got to really put the ball in the fairway here. The fairways are pretty narrow and the rough is pretty thick because the ball just sits down in the, all the way down, and you can’t really attack the pins. It’s all about trying to make pars from the rough and when you hit the fairways you can really be aggressive. The greens are really pure. They’re firm and fast, so you’re really going to have to hit the ball well to get close. But once you’re on the green you can really make some putts if your speed’s right and you can read the greens well because they’re perfect.

Interview Transcript by ASAP Sports

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PGA Tour Team Ireland Top Tours

Rory McIlroy: “There’s no room in golf for people to abuse someone on the golf course when all they’re trying to do is follow their dreams.”

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off the sixth hole during a practice round prior to the 2021 TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

East Lake Golf Club
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: This is your 8th start here. You’re a two-time champion. Just what are you looking forward to about coming back here for the ninth time or the eighth time.

RORY MCILROY: I mean, I’m just happy to be here, to be honest. I was 28th going into the week last week at Caves Valley. I knew I needed at least a decent week to make it here and it turned out to be a bit better than that. I played, probably played some of the best golf I’ve played all year, not good enough to keep up with Patrick and Bryson, but certainly good enough to move up a few spots and get here this week.

So, yeah, happy to be here. It’s, I think it’s always a feather in your cap to make the TOUR Championship even though someone in my position is expected to and I obviously expect myself to as well. You look around this week and there’s only 30 players here and you can single out every single player that’s done something really well this year. So to be included in that group is nice and at least I have a chance.

I, it was funny, I saw Sungjae this morning at breakfast, and when I finished on Sunday, it looked like I was projected to start the tournament this week at 4-under and then Sungjae birdied 17, and then I was projected to start the week at 3-under, and then he birdied the last, and then I went down to 2-under. So even before the week started he cost me two shots.

But, no, it’s — and it’s sort of, I think that’s the fun thing about this format. You’re always sort of looking at what the other guys are doing and seeing where you’re going to start. But, yeah, just happy to be here and glad to have a chance.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You touched on it there. How do you approach starting the week eight behind? Do you just think, that’s just two shots a day, or do you just try and put it out of your mind until you get down to the business end of it?

RORY MCILROY: Not really. I mean, I think East Lake isn’t the easiest golf course in the world and it’s certainly a, it seems to be a course that separates the field somewhat. So the way I look at it, if I go out tomorrow and shoot 6-under, for example, which is the score I shot last year in the first round, get to 8-under par, and some of those top guys shoot even par or even 1- or 2-over, all of a sudden you’re right in it.

So it’s a golf course that you can, I feel like you can make up a lot of ground quickly. You can also lose a lot of ground quickly as well, depending on how it goes. But I certainly don’t feel like I’m out of it. I don’t feel like I’m too far behind. Eight shots around this golf course doesn’t seem like that much, so still pretty optimistic.

But, I mean, I think it just puts the impetus, especially for people that are in my position, the bottom half of the field, you just have to get off to a fast start.

Q. Jon has been kind of outspoken about the format for this week. He points out the fact that you come in having won, four, five times and a major and end up finishing 30th on the points list. And I know you’ve addressed this before, but there is a clarity for the fans, but that’s offset by Jon’s point, which I think a lot of people agree with. Do you have a thought on that one way or the other?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean I, look, the first year that it was played in this format I started five back, and I ended up winning the tournament by three. So, like, everyone gets here. The people that have played well have an advantage. It’s not an insurmountable advantage like it has been in previous years where guys have turned up to the TOUR Championship not having to do anything to win the FedExCup and that’s certainly, you don’t want that to happen either.

So I mean, there’s been a few iterations of it and I think this is definitely the best format so far. There’s clarity for the players. There’s clarity for the fans. It’s, again, it’s the playoffs, and I think everyone that’s in the top-30 deserves to be here and then because of that everyone in the top-30 deserves to feel like they have a chance to win it all.

So I can certainly see where Jon is coming from, especially with the year that he’s had. But, look, I’ve went into two, I went into two playoff runs being No. 1 in 2012 and 2014 and didn’t win either of them. So I’ve been on both sides of the coin here.

Look, it is what it is. I mean, the PGA TOUR wanted to create this playoffs format and by nature it is going to be volatile at the end of the year and I think most players have accepted that.

Q. I know you were hitting fades and hitting draws and trying to figure out which one made more sense. Where have you settled on that and why?

RORY MCILROY: I think it’s shot- and hole-dependent. I’m going to try to hit a fade on holes that dictate that that’s the way you should play the hole and I’m going to try to hit a draw on holes or hole locations where it dictates that you should hit a draw. I think I’m, most players in this field and most players on TOUR should be good enough to be able to work the ball both ways.

Certainly there is advantages of just having one shot shape. It takes the options or the choices out of your head somewhat and it simplifies the game, but I think I should be able to swing the club well enough and know what I’m doing that I’m able to hit both shots. I mean, I think for my swing pattern and when it gets off, I think the feeling of a fade is always a good one because it gets the club out more in front of me on the way down. So that’s always going to be a sort of thought or a drill of mine is, like, just keep trying to get the club out in front of me and rotate and hitting those fades because I know if I can hit the fade pretty consistently, then I know I’m swinging well and the club’s not getting stuck behind me, and I know how to hit a draw. I mean, I’ve done that my whole life.

So it’s just a matter of managing your patterns somewhat and basically just hitting the shot that’s required on the hole or, yeah.

Q. With two European Tour counting events remaining for the Ryder Cup, how do you see the Ryder Cup, European Ryder Cup team shaping up? Pads has got a pretty tough task in terms of phone calls before he makes the announcement of the wild cards at Wentworth on that Sunday night.

RORY MCILROY: It depends how Italy and Wentworth go, I guess, the next couple of weeks. Obviously, Bernd Wiesberger had a great chance to play himself into the team in Switzerland and didn’t quite get it done but certainly has a couple more opportunities coming up in Italy and Wentworth to get over the line.

And then I think if that were to happen, if say someone like a Bernd or a Victor Perez or one of those guys gets, plays their way into the team, then I think it makes it a little more difficult for Padraig because then say, for example, if Shane doesn’t get on automatically, then you’re looking at him for a pick or whoever else.

It’s sort of, it’s still all a bit up in the air. But I think at this moment in time, if the qualifications stopped, I think it’s a pretty simple, I think it’s a pretty simple scenario, but a lot can change over the next couple of weeks.

Q. Are we going to see you at Wentworth or not?

RORY MCILROY: No.

Q. Do you feel that fan behavior has become less respectful and if so what do you attribute it to?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I do, a little bit. I think I sort of know what you’re getting at on the back of last week and some things that were said over the past few weeks, I guess. Yeah, a little bit. I think it’s different. As golfers, there’s a very thin rope that separates us from the fans, and then you hit a shot off line, and you have to go into the fans to hit it. So we get a little closer to them than some other sports.

Yeah, I think some of it crosses the line. I think there’s a certain, I think certain other sports culture has fed into our game and fed into the fan base that’s definitely affected it, and people will make the argument that, well, it happens in every other sport. But I would say that we’re not any other sport and I think golf should hold itself to a higher standard. I mean, the players are certainly held to a higher standard than other sports, so why wouldn’t our fan base be.

Q. Do you feel like you have to develop a thicker skin for the Ryder Cup?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, certainly, especially the ones that are played in the United States. But I think the best thing is to just not — someone once told me awhile back, if you don’t take anything personally, you’ll live a very happy life, and I think I try to do that all the time. You just try to let it slide off, not take things personally and if you can do that and if you can train yourself to think that way, it certainly makes it easier.

Q. Everybody seems to be on Bryson’s case at the moment. Do you feel any sympathy for him or do you think he brought it on himself?

RORY MCILROY: I certainly feel some sympathy for him because I certainly, I don’t think that you should be ostracized or criticized for being different, and I think we have all known from the start that Bryson is different and he is not going to conform to the way people want him to be. He is his own person. He thinks his own thoughts and everyone has a right to do that.

There are certainly things that he has done in the past that have brought some of this stuff on himself. I’m not saying that he’s completely blameless in this. But at the same time, I think he has been getting a pretty rough go of it of late and it’s actually pretty sad to see because he, deep down, I think, is a nice person and all he wants to do is try to be the best golfer he can be. And it just seems like every week something else happens and I would say it’s pretty tough to be Bryson DeChambeau right now.

And I don’t know if anyone else on TOUR has spoken up for him, but I definitely, I definitely he feel for him a little bit. And I agree, I don’t think he’s completely blameless in all this, but at the same time, I think he’s trying to become better and he’s trying to learn from his mistakes and I think everyone should give him a chance to try to do that.

Q. Outside observers can’t help but note Patrick Cantlay’s very calm demeanor on the golf course regardless of what the circumstances are. Is that something that the players take note of as well? And what other parts of his game might you point to to, that’s going to make him tough to catch this week?

RORY MCILROY: I mean, if he putts the way he putted last week for the rest of his career we have no chance. (Laughing).

Yeah, Patrick is, he’s a very, what you see on TV is what you get in person. I mean, he’s a pretty, he’s a very smart guy as well. I think that’s the thing. He’s very, he doesn’t say a whole lot, but you can tell that there’s a lot going on in his head and he’s an educated guy. And, yeah, I mean, the performance that he put in last week, I think everyone that, when he hit that shot into the water on 17 in regulation, we all thought, Well, this is Bryson’s to win. But the resolve that he showed to get up-and-down to make bogey there, to birdie the last to force a playoff, and then everything that happened in the playoff, it was really impressive to see.

I think that was a, he’s won some tournaments before and he’s played well, but I think that was, I don’t know if anyone’s ever seen that side of Patrick Cantlay to that extent like we did last week and it was very impressive.

Q. You alluded to the Hazeltine Ryder Cup a little bit earlier and my read on that week was that you expended a ton of energy winning matches early in the week and kind of carrying your team. Obviously, you had that huge energy explosion on the 8th hole against Patrick on Sunday, and then I thought maybe you kind of lost, like you had reached a breaking point almost at that point. I wanted to ask you if that was true, first of all, and then playing off of that, what would you tell, let’s say like a Ryder Cup rookie or how would you advise them about the specific challenges of playing a Ryder Cup in the U.S. in this modern era where fans can be jerks and it’s just like a crazy amount of energy that it takes from you?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, so you’re completely right. That observation is, you hit the nail on the head. I expended so much energy during that week, not just competing on the golf course, but also just everything else that was going on that, everything sort of reached a crescendo on that 8th green on Sunday, and I think both of us, I think both Patrick and I, we certainly didn’t keep that level of play up for the entire match, and I think we both sort of came down a little bit from that, but he was just able to — he made birdie at the last and ended up winning 1-up.

And but, yeah, it was certainly, I took a lot from that. I learned a lot from that and I hopefully won’t make the same mistake again this year because you can only, you only have so much energy, and you can only use it for an amount of time. And I think what I would tell a rookie going into a Ryder Cup, especially on the road, is, yeah, conserve your energy. You don’t, like we’re there from the Monday, the matches don’t start until the Friday, I mean, I would Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday do just enough to feel like you’re prepared, but don’t do too much. Don’t play 18-hole practice rounds every day. Don’t kill yourself in the gym. Don’t like, I mean, do what you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind and the right space physically to go out there and play.

And the thing, as well, is if you’re called upon to play all five sessions, that’s a long week. It’s tough and it’s physically draining, but also mentally as well, trying to focus on the job at hand and not get distracted by the crowd or anything else.

So it’s a pretty tough task, I think, for a rookie coming into that environment that’s going to be the toughest week of their golfing life and they have to be prepared for that and all I would say is conserve your energy and put it into the three days.

Q. You said if you don’t think anything personal, you’ll never be upset. How do you put that into practice when you’re in the thick of it and the things people are saying to you are intensely personal?

RORY MCILROY: I think you just have to, you have to think about, Okay, if I were to sit down and have a beer with this person, would they think the same thing, would they say the same thing? And of course they wouldn’t. You go, if someone says something to you and you go up and you confront them about it, they’re not going to say the same thing as either, right? It’s a — it’s just a weird dynamic between fan and competitor and they’re doing it to try to help their own team. They’re doing it because they’re from the United States and they’re trying to — and I think if you — I think I’ve tried to train myself to think about it and think on purpose rather than react, and I think the more you react to it, the more it gets at you, but the more you actually think about it and break it down and it just, it becomes less meaningful and you can just sort of let it roll off.

And I’ve tried to do a really good job of that over the last few years of not react and just try to think about it a little bit more and try to just try to put it in a better perspective, I guess.

Q. It sounds as if you’re on board with what Jay told us yesterday about the fan behavior stuff. But just curious your thoughts on just enforcing that, the difficulty of actually calling people out and maybe asking, booting them or ejecting them in such a situation. Is that realistic?

RORY MCILROY: I think as I said at the start, as golfers I feel like we’re held to a higher standard than other sports and other athletes and I think because of that the people that come to watch us play should be held to a higher standard as well. And enforcing that, I think it should be — there’s no room in golf for people to abuse someone on the golf course when all they’re trying to do is do their best and win a golf tournament and follow their dreams. So there’s no place for that in our game and that might sound a little stiff or snobby or whatever, but that’s golf and we have traditions and we have — you look at like a First Tee Program, for example, what are they taught through golf? They’re taught respect, sportsmanship, etiquette, how to treat others the right way, and that’s everything that we try to do through golf. They are the values of our game and that’s, people need to understand that and they need to try to adopt those same etiquettes and those same beliefs and values when they show up at our tournaments.

Interview Transcript by ASAP Sports

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PGA Tour

Justin Rose: What an honor!

Photo from Justin Rose Instagram, showing his name engraved in the list of recipients.

Justin Rose was awarded the Payne Stewart Award last night. The Payne Stewart award is given to the golfer who illuminates Stewart’s unwavering values of charity and sportsmanship. Rose has shown these values throughout the year in many ways, “Justin Rose embodies everything the Payne Stewart Award represents,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. Rose continually roots for his competitors as well as donating to many charities. In fact, he and his wife established their own “Kate & Justin Rose Foundation” which helps communities across South Africa, the United States, the Bahamas and in England. Rose is the 24th recipient of the Payne Stewart Award and the second English player to win, joining a distinguished group of respected golfers.

Rose accepted the award stating, “I am truly humbled and honored to be associated with the enduring legacy of Payne Stewart through this award,” Rose said. “The Payne Stewart Award has become an annual celebration of Payne’s impact on the PGA TOUR and its players. I am forever grateful to be connected to a man who was the consummate professional on and off the golf course and will cherish being a Payne Stewart Award recipient well after my playing days are over…”

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PGA Tour

Jon Rahm: “If the putter gets a little hot, you’re going to put some good low scores..”

OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - AUGUST 26: Jon Rahm of Spain walks from the first green to the second tee during the first round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club on August 26, 2021 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Q. Talk about the round of golf; it seemed like the course was very gettable with the soft greens today.

JON RAHM: It was. It’s a lengthy golf course. You’re going to have a lot of long irons into some of the holes. If you can put it in the fairway when it’s as soft as it is, you can be aggressive. Had a great ball-striking day and made a couple of good putts early on and had it going early and continued the mojo throughout the day.

I think not huge numbers of bogeys can happen easily. Rough is thick, long holes, you can make a bad swing and have a tough one for par like, for example, Tony did on 13. It’s not like he really missed a shot, but he had pretty much an impossible up-and-down. If you manage it well and hit it as well as I did today, you can post a low one.

Q. Tell me about how you approach this type of event when you’re playing with Tony who’s ahead of you in the FedExCup standings and Cameron is right behind you but you’re also playing against 67 other guys in the field. Do you look at that this early?

JON RAHM: No. I pretty much know if I win I’ll be going No. 1 to next week, so that’s the goal. I’m not thinking about points or anything. I’m just trying to hit the best shot I can and move on to the next one.

Q. Last week being in contention, coming here, the Monday finish, everything that comes with leading a golf tournament is exhausting. How are you, and how do you keep your energy up but you still have lots of golf to play?

JON RAHM: Luckily I had a month off, so it helps. Those guys that went to the Olympics and played Memphis and played more events than me may be a little bit more tired, but really that shouldn’t be an excuse in my case. Just rest and recovery, knowing what to do properly.

On Tuesday when I came to the course I didn’t do too much. I didn’t even venture out on the golf course because I knew it was a tough walk. I just hit some balls, a little bit of putting and chipping and went home.

On days like that, Monday afternoon, Tuesday, what I really do, and I really, really prioritize, is hydration. When you know you’re going to have weeks like last week, humid this week and humid next week, if you get dehydrated in the middle it’s going to affect you coming the next few weeks. What I’m doing yesterday and today and tomorrow and every single day and this afternoon is going to help me be able to stay in good form, so I think that’s the most important key. Eating enough calories and drinking enough, as well.

Rahm laughs off his finish from last week

Q. You had a disappointing finish last week and yet you come right out here, bang, right up at the top. What does it say about your ability to do that?

JON RAHM: I must say, for all those Ted Lasso fans out there, be a goldfish. (Laughter).

If you haven’t seen the show, you’ve just got to check it out. I feel like almost everybody knows. Have you seen the show?

Q. I have not.

JON RAHM: It’s basically happiest animal in the world is a goldfish. You know why? He’s got a 10-second memory. Played great golf last week, just a couple bad swings down the stretch, and that’s the most important thing to remember.

Q. Who’s the best goldfish out here?

JON RAHM: Oh, without a doubt Dustin Johnson. He has the ability to forget unfortunate moments better than anyone else.

Q. When you look back to your scores from I would say Memorial on, what are you doing in practice? Are you maintaining? What do you do? It’s been a nice run of no real dips.

JON RAHM: Just always trying to get better. That’s all I can say. I think the bigger thing has been the putter. I found a putter that really works for me that I’m comfortable with. I would say ball striking is probably not that different before and after Memorial, but my putting stats are guaranteed to be a lot better, and that’s the key difference. When you’re hitting it as good as I have the last few months, giving myself plenty of opportunities, if the putter gets a little hot, you’re going to put some good low scores.

Q. Have you ever been surprised by a bad round?

JON RAHM: No. I mean, it happens. It is what it is.

Q. It happens, but what surprises you more, a really good one or a really bad one?

JON RAHM: Neither surprises me. You want to play good, but sometimes it doesn’t happen.

Interview Transcript from ASAPSPORTS.com

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PGA Tour

Rory McIlory: “It’s a cool venue, and I think everyone is excited for it this week”

OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - AUGUST 25: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off during the Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am ahead of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Course on August 25, 2021 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

DOUG MILNE: We’d like to welcome Rory McIlroy, 2012 BMW Championship winner. Thanks for joining us. Coming into the week inside the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, world No. 16, making your 11th start at the BMW Championship. Just some thoughts on Caves Valley. You’ve had a chance to see the course and kind of your take on how the week is setting up so far.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, first look at Caves today. It’s a big ballpark, can certainly let it rip out here, hit a lot of drivers. I think there’s been a lot of rain in the Baltimore area, so it’s pretty soft, so the ball is not really going anywhere when it hits, which is good. It makes the course play nice and long, which I like.

Yeah, it’s a good track, good test. I have a few friends that are members here, and they’ve told me all about it and rave about the place. I can see what they’re talking about. It’s a cool venue, and I think everyone is excited for it this week.

DOUG MILNE: Just a couple thoughts on how you’re feeling with your game coming into the week. You obviously picked up your 19th win earlier in the season in Charlotte. Just coming into the week, kind of assess the state of your game.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think I feel like a lot of guys feel right now, a little jaded, a little tired. End of the season, there’s been a lot of golf. Yeah, so a lot of travel.

So yeah, I’m just sort of getting through it, to be honest. I’m going day by day and just trying to get through it as best I can and try to make it to next week. After that, two weeks off before the Ryder Cup.

Yeah, just taking it day by day. The game feels pretty good, okay. Energy levels are somewhat sort of trying to dig deep at this point, but yeah, try and keep going and try and put in a good finish this week to make sure I’m in Atlanta next week.

Q. I think if you go back to last year, this is the sixth or seventh course on TOUR that you had not seen. What’s that like compared with the stuff you go back to week after week? What’s the difference?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think there’s pros and cons to each. I think sometimes when you get to a new course you don’t have the memories of hitting it in places that you shouldn’t and maybe having that in your mind somewhat. But then you go to some courses that you like and you play well on and you’ve got great memories, like Quail Hollow for example this year for me, and you can play well on them.

Mcllory believes it’s better to play on unfamiliar courses

I seem to — for the most part seem to do well on golf courses that I haven’t seen before, and especially at a golf course like this. It’s big, it’s right in front of you. There’s tons of definition. There’s not many blind shots.

Yeah, I don’t — I certainly don’t think guys are going to struggle this week because we haven’t seen this golf course.

Q. Tony when he won on Monday seemed like a very popular win. Why?

RORY MCILROY: He’s such a good guy. I’ve known Tony for over 20 years. He comes from a great family. He’s a wonderful person. Obviously he hadn’t won in a while, but he never complained. He just sticks his head down, goes about his business.

It was a really popular win in the locker room. I think Cam Smith is obviously a great guy, as well, and I think that would have been received really well, especially with how close he’s been over the last few weeks, but I think everyone was pulling for Tony, and it was a real popular win.

Q. Just wondering your impressions of Baltimore in general. Not sure if you’ve been able to see much of the town or where you’re staying, but curious what your thoughts are there.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I saw the airport for about 10 minutes yesterday and then I drove straight here and I’m staying on property, so I don’t — I can’t really give you much of an answer on that one.

I can tell you that Caves Valley is beautiful and where we are this week, but haven’t — I’ve never been to Baltimore before, and I haven’t made it downtown yet this week. Hopefully at some point I will.

Family is important

Q. There’s a young girl in your life about to have a birthday. I was wondering, looking back on the 12 months since Poppy was born, how has life changed?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean, it’s changed a lot. I want to spend a lot more time at home. I wanted to get home even in between these two events, so I flew down from New York Monday night so I could get a night in my own bed Monday, spend a few hours with her yesterday, a few hours with her and Erica, and then I flew up here yesterday afternoon. Yeah, any chance I get to get home, especially at this point in the season when we’ve been away so much, I’m going to take it.

Yeah, you have to manage your time a little better and you have to be a little more efficient with what you do. I think obviously it’s a big adjustment for anyone, but it’s been great. It’s the most fulfilling thing I think you’ll ever do in your life, and nothing can replace that feeling.

Q. Can I ask you about one other young lady, your reaction to Leona Maguire getting picked for the Solheim Cup, first Irish girl, as you know, and just the impact for Irish women’s golf in general.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I saw the news yesterday that Leona is on the Solheim Cup team. I think it’s wonderful. I got to spend a little bit of time with her in Tokyo. I think, as well, like from back home, Leona is — both the girls but especially Leona was sort of earmarked for success for a long time, sort of child prodigy coming up. She sort of went through all the ranks, Curtis Cup and now into the Solheim Cup, and she’s been putting some really good scores together, obviously shooting that great round the last day at the Evian.

So yeah, she’s been playing well. I think her selection is well deserved, and it’s just another stepping-stone in the right direction for her. It’s a great achievement, and yeah, I certainly don’t think this is — I think she’s just getting started.

Q. When it comes to late summer, kind of dog days like you were talking about, what is the most tiring or monotonous part of the week-to-week preparation?

RORY MCILROY: I don’t know. I think just the — I mean, this morning, I was tired. Look, we all had a long week last week, as well, but even just summoning up the effort to get out of bed and go get to your 7:20 pro-am tee time, it look a little more effort today than it usually does.

But yeah, just everything. It’s a lot of golf. It’s hard to feel fresh at this time in the season. It all just sort of catches up with you. I don’t know if I could pinpoint one particular thing. It’s just sort of everything blended together.

Q. Is there one particular thing you’re looking forward to once you do get a break?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean, just not traveling for a little bit. I’m going to take a bit of time off after the Ryder Cup, and that’ll be nice.

It’s been a — since we came back after the sort of COVID halt, I guess, when we came back in Colonial last year, I think this is my 33rd event since then. Next week will be 34 and then Ryder Cup 35. So all that in a space of 15 months, it’s a lot of golf. It’s probably too much for me. I’ve played more than I probably should have and feel like it’s just sort of all caught up with me.

Q. You were on the range for like ages yesterday working really hard. Just curious what those practice sessions look like and what you’re working on.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, so I needed to try to get into a new 3-wood and into a new driver. I threw my 3-wood onto the New Jersey Turnpike off the 9th hole yesterday, or on Monday, and so I was without a 3-wood coming here.

The driver I just felt was spinning a little too much last week, so I just needed to get into something that wasn’t spinning as much, and that was really it. So going through a bunch of different heads and shafts as you saw yesterday, and feel like I landed on a good driver and got a pretty good 3-wood, too.

That was the purpose of yesterday’s range session.

Q. You said the 3-wood went where exactly, on the New Jersey turnpike?

RORY MCILROY: I mightn’t have reached the road but I threw it into the trees off the 9th tee at Liberty National, so if someone wants to go get a 3-wood, there’s one in there somewhere.

Q. Just talking about kind of the energy deficit you feel right now, it occurs to me that you learned at Hazeltine and I guess all the way back at Medinah that playing a Ryder Cup in America takes a ton of energy, and it can be incredibly taxing. Is that of concern to you at all?

RORY MCILROY: No, I think having two weeks off after the TOUR Championship is going to be nice. Like I sort of was planning to go over to Wentworth to play the BMW, but it’s just too much travel, and with what’s coming up with Ryder Cup — yeah, that’s a long week, no matter if you’re in Europe or the States, especially I haven’t missed a session yet. So say I play five sessions again, yeah, it’s a really long week. So the two weeks off after the TOUR Championship are going to be well needed, and I’ll go in there nice and refreshed and ready to give it my all.

Q. You’ve played under five captains now. Do you expect one day you would be a captain? I wanted to ask, of the guys you played under, what qualities from each ones would be something that if you were a captain you would use?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think captaincy for me is still hopefully 20 years down the line. But yeah, there’s been — I think every captain I’ve played under has brought their different qualities to the team, whether it be individual man management of some players to sort of like a group leadership type of role.

Yeah, everyone has brought sort of some different stuff. I thought Thomas Bj�rn last time was wonderful. I thought he did a really good job. He was a very — he sort of was quite an emotional leader. He played us this video on the Thursday night before the first session on Friday morning and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. So just stuff like that, and sort of — he put a real — he sort of gave everyone meaning of why they were there and the people that came before us.

It was a really — to put it in that perspective I think was really cool, and it just gives you a real sense of you’re part of this Ryder Cup team but you’re part of something that’s obviously a lot bigger than that, so that was really cool. That’s just one thing that sticks out in my recent memory.

Mcllory vs. Rahm

Q. One person who will be alongside you next month and probably for those next 20 years at Ryder Cups is Jon Rahm. I wonder how you would describe the evolution of his game since he came out here, and then we all kind of always describe him just in the default way as fiery, but is there another perspective that a player might have that’s different than that?

RORY MCILROY: No, I think with Jon what you see is what you get. Hell of a player, though. I mean, just doesn’t seem to miss a shot, is super aggressive all the time, no matter what shot or how he’s played beforehand.

Yeah, he’s fiery. Obviously it means a lot to him. He takes it very seriously. He’s a very — like he knows how good he is, and I think when you’re that good and you know you’re that good, you can — he’s got a great mentality for the game. He’s so consistent. Every time he tees it up, he’s up there.

Yeah, he’s a hell of a player. He’s by far the best player in the world right now, and he shows that every week that he plays. It’s up to the rest of us to up our level a little bit to try to play alongside that.

Q. You guys are both trying to play top golf while being a new dad. Is that a conversation you’ve had at all or not?

RORY MCILROY: No, not really. I think everyone has different ways of dealing with it and parenting, and I’m certainly not going to go to anyone else and tell them how to do it because I’m a novice, too.

But yeah, I think it’s an adjustment for all of us, but it certainly hasn’t seemed to hurt his game at all. So yeah, I think he’s doing just fine.

Q. We were just talking to Tony Finau a little while ago, and he admitted that it’s harder than it looks to speak to reporters after a close loss, like the series of close losses that he had, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. Do you likewise feel responsibility to do that even after a tough disappointment?

RORY MCILROY: I wouldn’t necessarily say I feel a responsibility to do it, but I guess it’s just sort of — it’s the accepted way to do things. It’s sort of what — you’re met off the 18th green and a representative from the TOUR or someone else sort of ushers toward a line of reporters. Sometimes I’ll say no because I just don’t want to, but most of the time I’ll say yes because — yeah, it’s just the done thing. It’s the status quo, I guess. That’s the way I would put it.

Q. Is it harder than it looks? Is it harder for you to do that, for people to do it do you think than they let on?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think if you’ve had a s— day, it’s hard to like go and talk about it, right? If you guys have a bad day and we come to your office and try to talk to you about it, you might want to confide in your family or your friends or you might want to — I think the tough thing is sometimes doing it right there and then. Sort of I think sometimes letting us cool off for 30 minutes or 45 minutes and then try to let us gather our thoughts, I think sometimes that could be a little bit easier.

I don’t think anyone enjoys sort of trying to explain a day where it hasn’t went the right way for them. But I think it’s accepted that when you’re at a certain level it’s just part of the job.

DOUG MILNE: Okay, Rory, we appreciate your time as always. Have a great week.

Interview Transcript by AsapSports.com

Categories
PGA Tour

It’s the climax of the PGA TOUR season

The next highlight of the 2021 golf season is just around the corner: the climax of the PGA TOUR season. When the US state of Maryland hosts the BMW Championship (26th to 29th August, Caves Valley Golf Club) for the first time this week, only the top 70 pros in the FedExCup ranking will be eligible to tee off. They will be fighting it out for the 30 places at next week’s season finale.

What’s to come:

  • The top 70 players of the PGA TOUR season tee off this week at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club (Owing Mills, Baltimore).
  • By the end of the penultimate Playoff event, only 30 pros will remain in the race for the FedExCup.
  • Qualification period for Ryder Cup Team USA ends after the BMW Championship.
  • Hole-in-One Award: An ace on the 17th will win the pro a BMW iX – and one fan a BMW i4.

Baltimore/Munich. The next highlight of the 2021 golf season is just around the corner: the climax of the PGA TOUR season. When the US state of Maryland hosts the BMW Championship (26th to 29th August, Caves Valley Golf Club) for the first time this week, only the top 70 pros in the FedExCup ranking will be eligible to tee off. They will be fighting it out for the 30 places at next week’s season finale. Adding an extra dose of intrigue will be the Ryder Cup (21st to 26th September, Whistling Straits), as the BMW Championship is the final opportunity for the Americans in the field to score qualifying points, as they strive to make it onto captain Steve Stricker’s team.

More facts on the 2021 BMW Championship.

Venue.

Caves Valley Golf Club, Owing Mills (US state of Maryland).
Championship Course (7,542 yards, par 72).
Venue for the U.S. Senior Open 2002, Palmer Cup 2007, Women’s Golf Championship 2009, LPGA International Crown 2014.

Defending champion.

Jon Rahm (ESP).

OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 30: Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates with the BMW trophy after winning on the first sudden-death playoff hole against Dustin Johnson during the final round of the BMW Championship on the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club on August 30, 2020 in Olympia Fields, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Ryder Cup qualification.

The BMW Championship is the last opportunity for Americans to pick up points towards Ryder Cup qualification. Six players qualify automatically for captain Steve Stricker’s team, with a further six called up as wildcards. Qualification for Ryder Cup Team Europe ends after the BMW PGA Championship (Wentworth Club, 9th to 12th September).

The players.

Among those challenging for the prestigious BMW Championship title will be:

  • Defending champion and world number one Jon Rahm (ESP).
  • FedExCup leader Tony Finau (USA).
  • Olympic champion Xander Schauffele (USA).
  • Two-time BMW Championship winner Dustin Johnson (USA).
  • Two-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy (NIR).
  • Reigning BMW International Open champion Viktor Hovland (NOR).
  • All the reigning major winners: Hideki Matusyama (JPN, Masters), Phil Mickelson (USA, PGA Championship), Rahm (U.S. Open), Collin Morikawa (USA, The Open).
  • All the players in the top ten in the latest world rankings.

Charity.

All proceeds from the 2021 BMW Championship will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation and its mission of awarding full tuition and housing college scholarships to caddies. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has contributed more than $36 million to fund caddie scholarships.This year, a record 1,045 Evans Scholars are enrolled in 19 leading universities nationwide.

Prize money.

9.5 million US dollars.

Hole-in-One Award.

At this year’s BMW Championship, the spectators will have their fingers crossed particularly tightly that the pros will hit an ace. Should a player high a hole-in-one on the 17th hole during one of the tournament rounds, he will be rewarded with a fully-electric BMW iX – and the fans do not go home empty-handed either. Everyone who has entered the “Win the i4” competition goes into a draw to win a fully-electric BMW i4.

History.

The history of the BMW Championship began back in 1899, when the tournament made its debut as the Western Open. This makes it the third-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR calendar. Only the Open Championship and the U.S. Open have been around longer.

Previous winners and venues of the BMW Championship.

2020     Jon Rahm (ESP)                             Olympia Fields CC (Chicago)

2019      Justin Thomas (USA)                     Medinah CC (Chicago)

2018      Keegan Bradley (USA)                  Aronimink GC (Philadelphia)

2017      Marc Leishman (AUS)                   Conway Farms GC (Chicago)

2016      Dustin Johnson (USA)                   Crooked Stick GC (Indianapolis)

2015      Jason Day (AUS)                            Conway Farms GC (Chicago)

2014      Billy Horschel (USA)                      Cherry Hills CC (Denver)

2013      Zach Johnson (USA)                      Conway Farms GC (Chicago)

2012      Rory McIlroy (NIR)                         Crooked Stick GC (Indianapolis)

2011      Justin Rose (ENG)                          Cog Hill G & CC (Chicago)

2010      Dustin Johnson (USA)                   Cog Hill G & CC (Chicago)

2009     Tiger Woods (USA)                        Cog Hill G & CC (Chicago)

2008     Camilo Villegas (COL)                    Bellerive CC (St. Louis)

2007     Tiger Woods (USA)                        Cog Hill G & CC (Chicago)

Categories
PGA Tour Top Tours

JON RAHM: “If anybody should be rested, it should be me.”

Jon Rahm finishes T3 at the 2021 Northern Trust, first event of the FedEx Cup Play Offs

THE NORTHERN TRUST

August 23, 2021

Jon Rahm

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Liberty National Golf Club
Quick Quotes

Q. How would you characterize the day?

JON RAHM: I haven’t been able to digest it. My son put a smile on my face so at least I’m not in a terrible mood.

You know, I think it’s going to be very easy to focus on maybe 15 on. Even though I was I did not make a putt all day. I did what I had to do tee-to-green and it could have been a lot better than what it was. I felt like I could have had a bigger lead and that wasn’t the case.

The putts on 9 and 10, they were good putts. Speed of the greens was a little different today and I couldn’t quite get to it.

And then, you know 15, it’s the one I keep going to. I hit every single one of those five shots the way I wanted to, and that’s the unfortunate part. That bunker, the wind didn’t push the ball the way I thought, and I think that was the difference.

Q. I know it’s hard to focus on not winning today but there are a lot of positives out of the week. How do you take the short turnaround, how do you look at the positives and take it into the BMW next week?

JON RAHM: If anybody should be rested, it should be me. I just haven’t thought about it too much. You know, I played great golf and I’ve played only what four holes all week over par, and usually if I do that, I probably would have been a lot more under par.

I don’t know, it just hurts to think about it a little bit too much. It’s the second time I’m going into contention in the back nine, and the same bunker, same hole screws me over again. Similar tee shot, different wind conditions but similar tee shot. That’s the upsetting part, come up short when I had a good chance.

And then 17 and 18, I didn’t make my best swings. But like you said, you know, short turnaround, one more week next week to finish as high as possible for the FedExCup for Atlanta, which is the goal.

Interview transcrpt by ASAP Sports

Categories
European Tour Live Panorama PGA Tour Top Tours

FedEx Cup Rankings: Collin Morikawa ahead, this week's updates

Collin Morikawa is on the lead for the week of the FedEx Cup Ranking
Weekly analysis from Golf Post of the FedEx Cup Rankings. With Collin Morikawa still at number one, find out what else is happening on the European Tour this week.

Top 5 FedEx Cup Leaderboard

# Name Nationality Points Total Points Gained Events
1 Collin Morikawa USA 2171 xxx 20
2 Jordan Spieth USA 2139 xxx 22
3 Patrick Cantlay USA 2056 xxx 21
4 Harris English USA 2039 xxx 23
5 Jon Rahm ESP 2003 xxx 19
Collin Morikawa leads in the most recent FedEx Cup ranking table. The American’s points average is xxx. ‘s rank has not changed since the last count. ​ Ranked second is Jordan Spieth, with a points average of . The American has not changed positions in the rankings compared to last week. The American jumped from position 69 to 29, and now has a points average of xxx.
The No.1 Englishman in the FedEx Cup rankings is currently Paul Casey, in place 45 and has remained unchanged since last week.
Of everyone playing this week, the biggest winner is Kevin Kisner. has managed to jump 40 places in the ranking list.
Categories
PGA Tour

Update: Ian Poulter and his new Tee Time!

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 20: Ian Poulter of England lines up a putt on the 15th green during the second round of THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, at Liberty National Golf Club on August 20, 2021 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Ian Poulter has shared his updated Tee Time for the Norther Trust. The final round has been delayed due to rain and the players have been anxiously waiting to tee off for the final time for this PGA championship. Will this delay cause a disruption in Poulter’s performance? We are anxious to find out.

Categories
PGA Tour Top Tours

Viktor Hovland: “I hit a lot of fairways, which out here is important if you want to get close to the pins.”

Viktor Hovland teeing off in hole 16th during the first round of the 2021 Northern Trust, in the Liberty National Golf Course, in New Jersey.

THE NORTHERN TRUST

August 19, 2021

Viktor Hovland

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Liberty National Golf Club
Quick Quotes

Q. Viktor, just talk about your round, just a recap?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it was pretty solid, especially off the tee. I hit a lot of fairways, which out here is important if you want to get close to the pins.

Hit a lot of really nice iron shots. Couple not so good ones, but I was able to hit some good short game shots and make a couple putts.

So it was good day overall.

Q. What was the best recovery around the green for you today?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: I pulled a shot on No. 5 that looked like it was going to go in the water, but since I got a flier, it went over the water on the left side by kind of the trees, by the bridge, and it was right on the red line and my backswing was kind of up against a tree, so I had to take a very slow backswing.

I hit a flop shot that hit the side of the slope on the green and rolled to maybe four feet. Went from looking like having to fight for a bogey to making a par, so that was big for momentum.

Q. Is that a part of your game that really keeps getting better and better? How would you describe the progress you made there?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I feel my technique has gotten a lot better, and in practice it’s way better than it is in tournaments.

I think for me it’s just kind of — I have some scar tissue in there, and just trusting kind of what I’m doing now. You know, I have a tendency of getting a little tentative on the chips out there, so I’ll hit good chips but they’re just eight, ten feet short because I just don’t hit it; whereas I feel like as soon as I get more of that confidence I can hit it harder to create more spin just because I know I’m going to clip it the way I want to.

Q. Is that Jeff you work with on that or someone else?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, Jeff.

Q. Okay. How old were you when you learned to speak English out of curiosity?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: I guess we started in first grade, so six, seven years old we started learning a couple words.

Q. Curious about the Ryder Cup. From here we are like, oh, yeah, Viktor is going to play on the Ryder Cup. Do you feel like you have added pressure? You’re literally the first person from your country who will have done that. Does that add something?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I mean, that’s really cool, especially coming off the Olympics, just being a part of that. I felt like that kind of added some patriotism in just the way I go about playing golf over here. Representing my country, which is cool, but playing golf is uncharted territory for Norwegians, so…

Obviously it’s cool being the first Norwegian to play in it, but, yeah, our history is not very long in Norway.

Q. Growing up did you have a favorite Norwegian athlete? I know Bjorn Dahlie, a couple.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I used to watch a lot of biathlons, Ole Einar Bjorndalen. He was a stud. And, I mean, we had multiple cross country skiers and downhill skiers, so I used to watch that a lot.

But I grew up mainly watching golf, so Henrik Bjornstad was the only Norwegian TOUR play that played before me and Kris Ventura, so looked up to him when I was younger.

Q. What’s your earliest experience of watching the Ryder Cup, and get a little color of what time of day and how late you stayed up?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: The first one I actually watched and sat there and rooted for, it’s not like that long ago. I mean, Medina was kind of the first one that I sat and watched multiple days and multiple nights. It would’ve been nighttime and I wouldn’t have been that old, and I remember watching on the couch with my dad and going nuts in this apartment complex. I’m sure the neighbors above and below us were not too happy with us yelling.

Yeah, that was a cool moment.

Q. That round back home that you played where everyone followed you, I think you know you have a lot of support, but did that surprise you, the amount of interest and passion people have for your golf?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, that was pretty wild. I probably shouldn’t have had my buddies put my name on the online kind of portal that you put your names on to register for events or rounds, but I didn’t think too much of it.

When we show up there are 200, 300 people there. That was pretty nuts. I didn’t think that was going to be the case.

Q. Do you worry about the reaction at Stillwater if you beat the U.S. team too badly?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Let’s — yeah, let’s worry about that when that happens.

Q. How big did the gallery get that day?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: It was probably the biggest on the first hole actually, and then probably say most of it went out for a couple holes and then for the rest of the round I watched — the whole round was probably just over 100 people.

But people flying in from half the — the other side of country and driving eight hours. It was pretty wild.

Q. Would you have done that to watch anyone play golf growing up?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: No. (Laughter.)

Q. Tiger?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: That’s a little different. That’s a little different.

Interview Transcript by ASAP Sports