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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 16, 2016

Harold Varner III

Greensboro, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: I'd like to welcome Harold Varner III, making your first start here at the Wyndham Championship. Might add one day after your birthday. Happy belated birthday to you.

HAROLD VARNER III: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Off to a -- not off to a good start, because we're wrapping up the season, but with four Top-10 finishes, comfortably in the top 125, I think it's 79th in the FedExCup standings. With that said, just some thoughts on playing here in North Carolina, your home state, at the Wyndham Championship.

HAROLD VARNER III: Just real excited. I love playing at home. Just ready to get going. Took the last two weeks off, just been itching to get back.

Q. Are you coming into the week feeling particularly good about any part of your game or have you not played much to know what's working and what's not?
HAROLD VARNER III: I've played a lot. Just got to get comfortable. Played enough this year to feel like I'm ready whenever Thursday comes. I've played out here a few times. I feel good.

Q. Are you familiar with the course?
HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, probably played it maybe ten or so times. I played it two or three times before they redid the greens and then afterwards played a couple here and there. But just ready to get going. It's not that hard.

Q. Growing up, did you follow this tournament?
HAROLD VARNER III: I did not. When I started playing the Mini Tours, we played at Forest Oaks and that was the first I really like heard of it. I was like, oh, nice, we played here. This is cool.

I don't watch much golf, it's not my thing. I like to play it, but watching is a different story.

Q. What is your thing? What do you watch?
HAROLD VARNER III: Basketball, football is back on. There is some great HBO series out right now, Netflix, everything except golf sometimes. If it's slow, it's hard to get into it. I keep up with the guys that I play with a good bit, like Bud and those guys. They have apps for that.

Q. Do you find that is a way to help you stay away from the game and when you get on the golf course, you are able to put your full focus on everything?
HAROLD VARNER III: No, I just love competing and golf is my outlet for competing. So I just want to play. You don't get that competing side when you are watching it on TV. You just want to play. You are not going to get any better watching them, I don't think so. You get a lot better if you go practice.

Q. Have you tried to get into this tournament before in a qualifier or anything like that?
HAROLD VARNER III: I did not. I don't know why, but I never tried until Monday.

Q. How would you assess your season to this point? You had obviously the four Top-10s that I mentioned. You played incredible in December overseas. Has this kind of shaped up to what you had hoped for, has it exceeded or you still got stuff you want to take care of?
HAROLD VARNER III: The playoffs, obviously that's where you can do the most damage. Right now I feel good. I just want to seal my card, that's the biggest thing because sometimes you don't get into all the events your rookie year. I did a pretty good job of that, got into two majors. A lot of positives, but there's still some big tournaments coming up, like this one this week.

Q. What was your expectation coming into your rookie season? Did you expect to do as well as you did?
HAROLD VARNER III: You see the young guys that are winning. Smylie came out and won his second event. Emiliano won his first event. You play with those guys and you are like why can I not do that. That's the ultimate goal. I think you have to do a real good job of focusing on you and not everyone else. I think that's easy to do out here. Especially with you guys, the media, you do a really good job of making it where you can follow somebody else other than what you should be doing.

I have a really good team who keeps me focused and that's how I'm going to do my job.

Q. Do you have people here this week?
HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, my parents will come up, my teammates will be out here. It should be pretty fun.

Q. Teammates from?
HAROLD VARNER III: ECU. There will be some from back in Gastonia. It should be a good time.

I like it, I enjoy it. I have to block them out, but they will be all right. We've had our good times, we'll have more good times. It just won't be this week. Play well, they will be on another level.

Q. Same crew that came out on the Wells Fargo?
HAROLD VARNER III: Same crew. I think that's exciting. I like when they make fun of me because I get to make fun of them. It should be a good time.

Q. You get a microphone, they don't?
HAROLD VARNER III: I don't put them down, you can't do that. Then they will come back too hard and I can't come back.

Q. Do they mess with you when you are out there in the gallery?
HAROLD VARNER III: Oh, yeah, I just don't pay attention. I used to and I played bad. I learned a lot this year at the Wells Fargo. I just have a real hard time focusing, so I just have to try my best. Just not looking at them has helped out a lot, so we'll try that again.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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