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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 15, 2015

Michael O'Reilly

Kohler, Wisconsin, USA

Q. This is old hat for you, because you did this before.
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Yeah, I was lucky tee enough to do it in 2004.

Q. Could you explain that, that circumstance at that time is a little different, wasn't it?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: That was on Friday morning and two players had withdrawn from the same group, which is pretty odd. They play in threesomes. So two players withdraw from the same group. Probably the only two withdrawals of the whole event and they withdrew from the same group. So found out just a few minutes before that and went out and teed it up.

Q. How about today, how much time did you have once you figured out there was an odd?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Once we -- I knew a couple hours in advance that it could happen. But then we were just watching the scoreboard to see if it was even or odd.

Q. But it was at the player's discretion, right, whether to take a marker?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: I believe so, yeah. They can have a walking marker or they can have a playing marker.

Q. What was he like to play with?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: He was great. He can hit the ball. Probably carries it about 50 yards past me, so hit it pretty good. But he hit it really good. So he was 2-under through 16, made double on 17, which is unfortunate. He parred 18. So he shot even.

Q. Were you nervous starting the day?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: At the beginning, yeah. I said this before, my score didn't matter. I play in events all the time where I probably feel a little bit more nerves because I care about my score. Today we were just having fun. I picked up on 15.

17, I left myself about four feet and just tapped it and it happened to go in.

Q. How many times have you played this course having been out here for so long and how much of a different experience was it walking it today?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Played it probably a hundred times. I don't know. Been here a lot of years. But it's different. There was a couple holes where I don't play those holes very often, so I don't know the lines for me. He's carrying it here and so it's hard to say exactly where to play it. The greens are quick, not as quick as I thought they would be. I haven't putted on them in a couple weeks, so I left a few putts short thinking that they were going to be pretty good putts.

Q. People on 18 knew it was you, but on the course were they familiar with who you were, that you were the local guy and were they rooting for you?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Yeah, yeah. They were yelling at me and yelling at Todd, my caddie. There was more people out there watching us than Morgan.

Q. With these two experiences in 2004 and 2015, is that the total times you worked, you played inside the ropes in a major? Have you been in other Majors?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Have I ever played in any other Majors? No. I played in a National Club Pro Championship, which those that are Top-20 qualify for this event. But, no, I never played in a major any other TOUR event.

Q. Do you have any idea if you are going to be doing this again tomorrow?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: I do not know. I don't think so. I think we'll get someone else.

Q. For people that don't understand, what's the benefit to the player of having a marker?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Benefit to the player is to keep pace. Slow them down a little bit as the lead group. And they get to see the way the ball reacts on the green. So if I'm away, not even if I'm on the same line, but if I'm on a similar line or coming from a different way, they see how the ball reacts when it gets near the hole. So that's certainly an advantage.

Q. Your score would be an estimate because of a pick up?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: 82. Yeah, it was a gimmie and so I was like, okay. I hit some good shots, hit some not so good ones and it was pretty tough out there. Pretty tough. I birdied 13, which was the highlight. Went par, par, par, birdie on the back. And then made a couple mistakes, but hit it okay, all things considered.

Q. Is there any truth to the rumor that this was a job evaluation for Todd?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Yes, yes, it was. (Laughter.)

Q. Did he pass?
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Yes.

Q. Does he still have a job on Monday?
(Laughter.) Mike, the architect of this great course, has said this course has settled in the last few years, would you agree with that statement from Pete Dye?

MICHAEL O'REILLY: Yes, it has. It's matured. When this course was first built, if we got a big rainstorm, a lot of water or something like that, a bunker might literally wash away. And we would have to rebuild it.

And that happened for the first several years. But now the course has matured, the grass has matured, it usually comes out of the winter in a little bit better shape because the grass has been around and the roots are in there a little bit better. So, yeah, it's grown up a little bit.

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