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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 18, 2015

Branden Grace

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Branden Grace into the interview room, making his first career start here at the Wyndham Championship. Branden, first of all, welcome to Sedgefield. If we can get some thoughts on being here for the first time.
BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, I'm excited to be here. Obviously I've heard some great things about the tournament, about the golf course. I haven't had an opportunity to get out there yet. A little bit knackered after a long week last week, but I'm excited. It's nice to be out here again, nice to play well, and nice to give it another go at a start here, and we'll see how the week progresses.
JOHN BUSH: Really nice summer for you in the major championships, including last week's third place finish, right in the thick of things there on Sunday. Just take us through last week if you can.
BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, the week started off pretty slow, and I wasn't really hitting the ball great for the first couple of days, but then as the week progressed on, the ball‑striking got better, the form got better and the short game started to click a little bit, and I had a phenomenal round on the Saturday which put me right back into the frame of things.
Sunday was good. I got out of the block exactly the way I should have, the way I would have liked to, and then unfortunately a double bogey there on the 10th hole cost me. But I think we were playing for second all along. Jason was just in a different zone. The type of golf that he was playing, the way that he hit the ball was just different, so I don't think anybody would have caught him. Jordan gave it a shot there, but he was just one step higher than all of us.

Q. You come into this event not as a TOUR member, but you could make the Playoffs if you win. Is that at all on your mind, that if you get a win here that you've got four more tournaments to play?
BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, definitely. You know, I think that's one of the main reasons I would have liked to come to this place this week. You know, there's still a lot up for grabs. I can just come in with the frame of mind that I've got nothing to lose and I can give it a go. I can maybe push a little bit harder than what I would usually do because there's a lot at stake for me, and the Playoffs is something I really want to play in. If I could tick one off, it would be great. Obviously Shane winning a couple of weeks ago just shows us that it's possible. So I'm definitely going to push for that this week, and like I said, it would be nice to get out to the golf course maybe later today or tomorrow in the pro‑am and see what this place offers and see if it suits my eye, but I'm definitely going to push for it.

Q. How difficult is it to play in competition on a course you've never played before?
BRANDEN GRACE: Well, courses are so similar these days. You get to play so many different types of golf courses over in the States or in Europe that you've played one that's similar to this one before somewhere, somehow. But it normally takes one practice round and then you go for it. You really just want to tick off the places that you can't really go on the golf course and try to stay away from those places, and then if you can just work out a game plan and try to stick to that as the game progresses on, then you should be all right.
The tough thing is when the weather conditions change a lot, that's when it really gets tough out there, obviously with rain and a lot of wind. Then your game plan has to change and you don't get to see those different spots that you would have hit it in those conditions.
So those are the big things, I think. But I think the weather forecast and things look pretty good this week. Obviously there's the odd thunderstorm probably, but you know, I've done a little bit of research. I've had a look at the golf course. It looks nice, and I'm excited.

Q. You've really played well in the bigger events, the majors, the WGCs. Do you just get up for them easier? Is it easier for you to get motivated for those, or do you just apply yourself more? You've had really good success this year.
BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah. It's hard, I had the first one at Augusta was a missed cut, where I actually thought the game was in probably the best state out of all of them. After missing the cut at Augusta, I went to RBC the following week, and I think I finished seventh for my first actually good PGA performance. And then it was just going into the frame of mind with the next couple of majors just trying to do as little as possible in the weeks before. I've been fortunate enough to be able to have a two‑ or three‑week break before those events and just didn't really do anything for two weeks, didn't pick up a club and came over, did a little bit of‑‑ couple of days beforehand and then came over here with no expectations whatsoever, and I think that was the same‑‑ at Chambers Bay, the same as last week. Obviously the British Open was a little bit different playing the week before, but last week, again, I was home for two weeks, didn't do anything, saw my coach the day before I flew, and that was it, really. Like I said, I didn't really feel good, and you get in there and I think you find your form.
I think coming into these big events with no expectations I think is sometimes better than going in with a lot of expectation of feeling good and hoping to play well. I think I've worked a little bit too hard at events like these maybe in the past where I've tried to push and tried to perform well, and I think that's been working for me so far the way that I've gone into the majors, so maybe I must do that more often now.

Q. I think less than a year ago you were ranked 139th in the world; now you're 20. Is it difficult to wrap your head around just how quickly you seemed to have come about here where every time you tee it up now people are looking at you maybe thinking you're going to make an impact on the leaderboard?
BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, I've been here before. I've not been 20, but I've been in the high 20s. But it's nice. It's nice to know that obviously out here one week can change everything. Obviously it was a big jump, like you said, from 139 odd to 20th. But it's not that it can't happen this way. I know the type of golf that I'm playing now I should be playing. I've done it before. 2012 I had a great year where I had five wins. So the golf is there. The ability to play those numbers and to shoot those scores and to win tournaments are there, it's just a matter of putting your head down and doing it.
You know, I went a little bit through‑‑ not through tough times, but obviously not playing as well, a couple of mistakes I made off the golf course caddying‑wise and things like that which cost me and which threw me back, and fortunately enough that I got it back. I realized the mistakes, worked on it and moved forward, and I think that's been a big key since the end of last year, since maybe December when I won my first one, the Dunhill back in South Africa at Leopard Creek, everything has just been spot on. The form has been there. I've worked on the putting. I had some extra eyes to get in there, Sherylle Calder, that worked with Ernie. He gave me the go‑ahead to work with her, and I think since then everything has been a big success and a big turnaround.
You know, it's nice in a game like this where so much can change in so little time, and it's nice to know that I'm at this form and this stage of the season, especially for us in Europe where it's not even over yet, so there's a lot of‑‑ still a lot of time to improve on where I am now.

Q. How much better are you now than 2012?
BRANDEN GRACE: Ball‑striking I wouldn't think I'm that much better. I think I'm a little bit more consistent in my strike average and those things show, that between now and 2012 I've been a little bit more consistent, and especially‑‑ I actually had a look this morning. I think I've only missed two cuts this year so far, one at Augusta and one at the Travelers, otherwise I've been playing real solid golf. I think I had one place where I've not finished in the top 25 in seven events. It shows that the steadiness is there, where in the past I would win one and then maybe miss two cuts and then have one decent one and then just click on again.
So I'm better in that way, but I think the main thing so far as far as success this year is the short game. The chipping has been very good, and I've really worked, like I said, with Sherylle on the putting and things, and I think that's been the big key and the big turnaround.
JOHN BUSH: Branden Grace, thank you, sir.

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