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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

August 10, 2016

Wesley Bryan

Silvis, Illinois

AMANDA HERRINGTON: We'd like to welcome Wesley Bryan to the interview room here at the John Deere Classic. Wesley joins us this week as an official member of the PGA TOUR, having won his third Web.com TOUR title and getting his three-victory promotion to the PGA TOUR. Wesley, it's been a whirlwind for you. Just take us through after that second win and the possibility of maybe getting a third.

WESLEY BRYAN: Yeah, after I won in MÃ©xico, it was I think in the beginning of April maybe, I knew the possibility was out there if I played well. I just wanted to continue trying to get in contention and hopefully put myself in position to win a golf tournament, and I did that a few weeks ago, wasn't able to finish it off, but this past one I was able to win in a playoff. It was super exciting and kind of the emotions running from that after winning the third time and trying to make plans and changing everything around to make it here, it was kind of a bit of a whirlwind, but glad to be here, and hopefully win another golf tournament.

AMANDA HERRINGTON: You got a little experience on the PGA TOUR, two starts already this season, this is your third here at the John Deere Classic that has a history of rewarding young players who are jump-starting their careers. How have you found the welcoming so far here in the Quad Cities?

WESLEY BRYAN: It's been great. It's actually funny because for the last year or so, Clair and I have been going back and forth on Twitter, and I was trying to figure out a way no status to find myself here, whether it be a sponsor's invite, or me and my brother doing a trick-shot show, just anything, and then it turns out this is my first event as a full PGA TOUR member, so excited to be here.

Q. What are the emotions and the expectations now that you're out here on this Tour?
WESLEY BRYAN: I mean, it's going to stay the same. Like I've said every time, when I show up to a golf tournament it's hopefully to win a golf tournament or at least put yourself in contention to win a golf tournament. The back nine Sunday is hopefully -- I'll be somewhere up there on the leaderboard, being able to make a run. If not, I mean, so be it. I've only got a couple events to try and squeeze in the FedExCup Playoffs. I feel like I'm kind of playing with house money these next two weeks, but the expectations are the same.

Q. No small step to get out here.
WESLEY BRYAN: No, I played a couple of events earlier in the year in Memphis and Congressional and found myself in contention on the weekend both of those weeks. I didn't finish as well as I'd like to in either one of those, so hopefully learned from the mistakes I made there and use them moving forward here.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of success all throughout the year, been in contention a lot out on the TOUR. Was there any point in the season where something just felt like it clicked for you, maybe after one of the wins or at some point?
WESLEY BRYAN: Yeah, I really learned the first week down in Panama coming off of a top 10 at Q-school, knowing that I had three reshuffles guaranteed and really good status heading into the year, I still had never played a Web.com TOUR event or a PGA TOUR event at that point, so I didn't really know what it was like, but I found myself in contention that first week and realized that, hey, if I play my game and I play well that I can contend on that level, and I've always heard that the gap from the Web.com TOUR to the PGA TOUR is relatively narrow.

Knowing that I can compete out there I guess gave me a little more confidence heading into the first couple PGA TOUR events I played in.

Q. Is there a point in the last few days where you said, wow, because you seem pretty matter of fact.
WESLEY BRYAN: Yeah, it's crazy just looking back at how much things changed over the last nine months. If you had told me there was going to be a microphone in front of my face here playing in the John Deere Classic, I probably wouldn't have believed you. Excited to be here, but can't get too wrapped up in the whole scene and the PGA TOUR. Got to just take it as business as usual out here trying to win a golf tournament.

Q. What do you think about the idea that the Web.com TOUR, making sure that players who go through it spend a year there as opposed to preparing for the rigors of playing professional golf at the PGA TOUR level. With your three wins there, what do you think about that concept of preparation by spending a year on the Web.com TOUR?
WESLEY BRYAN: I think it's definitely beneficial, the new system now. You're going to get guys that played well for an entire year to earn their status out here instead of just guys that maybe got hot for one week during Q-school. I think the overall product out here is going to be better, and the overall product on the Web.com TOUR is going to be better, too, because they're going to have to get those young guys coming out of school. There's a few exceptions like Jon Rahm and a couple of those guys that recently have been able to make the step, but the guys like Bryson DeChambeau are probably going to have to spend an entire year out there, and he's proven that he's one of the best players out here when he's playing well. You're going to get a lot of really good young talent out there, and they're going to have to show that their game is able to hold up for an entire season instead of just one week.

Q. What have you heard from Clair, fellow competitors? What did they say to you on the way up?
WESLEY BRYAN: I think Ollie's Tweet was one of the funniest I'd seen, basically just congratulating me for the third win, and he basically said, get the heck out of here, so that was great.

But out here, it's just been a lot of high-fives and good job. They're in the same position I am, just trying to figure out a way to prepare and get ready for another week of golf.

Q. I know you and your brother kind of made a name for yourself initially as trick shot artists. Is it hard to wrap your mind around the fact that you went kind of viral, and now here you are making a name for yourself as a pro golfer, winning three times on the Web.com and now making it to the TOUR?
WESLEY BRYAN: Yeah, it was funny, a lot of the comments when we were first starting out doing the trick shot stuff was basically just bashing us as golfers and saying, oh, these guys can't play golf, all they can do is PhotoShop a few videos and go viral on the internet. But how are you as players. So it's been -- I mean, George and I always knew growing up that we were golfers first, and the trick shot stuff was just a side business that we did to make ends meet and keep food on the table.

I guess proving those guys wrong is somewhat satisfying, but I mean, in the back of our minds we knew that we were golfers first.

Q. Do people still recognize you as trick shot artists or are they starting to really notice you for your play?
WESLEY BRYAN: Yeah, I mean, it seems like most of the places we go -- I don't know if they recognize me as a trick shot guy or a golfer, but I think because I have a little different story, it differentiates me from just the other guys that are out here.

I mean, any way they want to recognize me, that's fine, but I know still I'm here to play in a golf tournament, and I'm a golfer first, like I said. The trick shot stuff is great. Me and my brother are still going to continue to do that. But my number one focus is trying to compete out here.

Q. It takes a lot of talent to be good at those trick shots. Will you try trick shots or be more conservative in your play?
WESLEY BRYAN: You know, I usually am kind of a conservative player by nature when I get in trouble, but there's definitely times where I take a few unnecessary risks. It's just -- it really just depends on the situation. I haven't tried banking anything off, or I don't think they'll let me hit balls out of mid-air out here. We asked in one of the first web events, and they told us I wouldn't be allowed to tee off the first tee out of mid-air.

Q. Is there any concern of a stigma with the other guys out here on the PGA TOUR? Are you at all worried about that?
WESLEY BRYAN: No. I played a lot of amateur golf and a lot of college golf and mini-Tour golf with a lot of the guys that are out here. I know most of the younger guys out here and have gotten to know some of the other veterans. It was really cool just a few weeks ago at St. Jude, guys like Steve Stricker coming up to me and being like, oh, man, I've followed your success this year and seen some of your videos. It's really awesome. Keep it up. I've met some of those guys, and they've been pretty welcoming I guess for the most part. And a lot of the younger guys I'm buddies with out here anyway. So it hasn't been too difficult of a transition.

Q. With two events left here, have you contemplated or thought about what you're going to do as far as your schedule goes starting with the wrap-around?
WESLEY BRYAN: I'm going to play these next two events, see how things go. Obviously the goal is to be in the FedExCup Playoffs come the end of next week, but if that doesn't happen, there's nowhere really for me to play other than the Web.com TOUR finals. I'll go play a few of those events and then get ready for the wrap-around. I'm probably going to play three or four of those events before the end of the year and maybe head over to Australia in December and play an event or two. It's going to be pretty light this fall.

AMANDA HERRINGTON: Thank you for your time, and good luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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