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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 12, 2017

Silvis, Illinois

THE MODERATOR: Start with a couple opening comments from each of you and how excited you are to be here.

DYLAN MEYER: Perfect. Yeah, I'm excited to be here and get the sponsor exemption. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity being able to get out here and get this experience before next year happens, before our school season starts, to see where I need to prepare myself for a better senior season that I had a junior year.

Hopefully lead the team into a national championship next year. I know Nick can kind of go off of that as well.

NICK HARDY: Yeah, I mean, it's a great opportunity obviously. Not too many college players get a chance like this mid their college career, so it's awesome we get a chance like this to compete against the best players and see how we stack up and take it to our college campus and work harder towards being here in the future.

THE MODERATOR: Are you guys coming in with any expectations or are you more ground in reality and just excited to be here, just see what happens?

DYLAN MEYER: We got here on Sunday. I wanted to get here on Sunday, get the whole shock and awe factor out of the way, and then on Monday just go ahead and get to practicing and getting down to work and understanding the golf course.

Been able to come out here and prepare like we do for every college event. We talked to coach a little bit -- I know I have -- about how to prepare for this type of moment. Being in your first PGA event you can get kind of nervous. But it's just sticking to the process and how you prepare for each and every tournament.

Don't really want to change it up, because then that means you'll be changing something else in your game while you're on the course. So just keep preparing the way I was, just understanding the golf course and finding a strategy to play well.

NICK HARDY: Yeah, I think I a lot of players play their best with no expectations. Hopefully that's what I carry into this week. Just out there to compete the best I can and have fun for sure and soak up this experience.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Nick, it's not like you haven't played in pro events. Couple Opens back to back. What have you told Dylan about the idea of playing against pros, and is it different for you as well?
NICK HARDY: I haven't really told Dylan anything about playing against the pros. I don't I think he needs my help. It's ready to go, that for sure. He's had obviously a great past year. His game has come around to be one of the best amateurs in the world, so I think he's ready to go.

I think these two experiences definitely helped me a lot going into this week for sure. You know, getting here early, like Dylan said, is definitely a big help for the first couple days. Kind of wear it off, and by yesterday and today you're ready to go, ready for the tournament to start.

I think we're both ready to roll by now.

Q. What's the biggest thing you learned from those two Open experiences?
NICK HARDY: I'll never forget how nervous I was on the first tee. I think just learning how to deal with those and playing in front of a crowd like that and kind of just being there with the best players in the world. Having that experience wear off for those first two times is huge, which will help me go into this week.

I think I just learned how to manage myself and my emotions when I'm out there on the golf course and kind of control the nerves, you know, how I handle myself.

THE MODERATOR: Dylan, you want to add to that?

DYLAN MEYER: I mean, Nick has played in two U.S. Opens, which is awesome being able to play in two majors before you actually turn professional. Doing it back-to-back years and then making the cut his first time in, that was pretty impressive. Seeing him do that kind of gives my inspiration to be in that little moment as well.

It's always exciting following him. I wasn't going to pick his brain because I know he's going to try to keep that competitive edge and he might give me false information. No, just kidding. We stick to our own games. I know he's going to be a little different since he is about 40 yards past me usually, so it's okay.

Q. Dylan, how is your health?
DYLAN MEYER: My health is doing good now.

NICK HARDY: I'm taking good care of him. He's in good hands.

DYLAN MEYER: Health is doing good. The medication I've been on has been helping me a lot. The doctors in Champaign and the University and the athletic department and the program and then these guys as well, they have been there for good emotional support and everything through it. Then my dad and family, they have been there for me through everything.

Been so it's been a tough road in the beginning, especially right before regionals and trying to figure all that out, especially at such a crucial time in our season, going into the championship season.

You know, I was lucky enough to have great doctors that got me healthy enough to play in nationals at 100%, and then get to where I am now where I am just getting on a regimen and figuring out dietary things of what I can and can't eat and things like that.

So it's nice to have the good support in the background, behind the scenes, telling me to be where I'm at today.

Q. For both you guys, talk about the connection with Steve, especially considering this week at this tournament where he's such a big name coming into this one.
NICK HARDY: Yeah, it means a lot. Obviously he's had some success here. Yeah, yesterday I got to play nine holes with him and that was really cool.

Kind of just picking his brain about the course a little bit. He's always such a big help in that aspect. Just being out there with him, me, Brian, and Stricker -- unfortunately Dylan couldn't play with us -- but it was a great time, that's for sure. He's a great guy, so it was a big help for sure.

DYLAN MEYER: It's cool seeing Illini guys coming out here and then winning. Strick has done a great job out here. Like Nick said, I couldn't play yesterday. I was doing the junior clinic, which was the blast in itself. Helping the kids and growing the game of golf is always fun. Wish I would've been able to get out there with them and play, but it's just one of those things you have to do and I enjoyed it.

Hopefully in the future him and I can get together and play a round of golf, a practice round or something. It's just definitely nice to see illini guys do well in the tournament.

Q. What does it mean to have him back here cheering you on before you go out there?
DYLAN MEYER: Yeah, it's cool, because you grow up watching him play and cheer him on. I know I did anyway. I watched him a lot growing up. It's just kind of cool having him do the same thing for me. Feels kind of weird at first, but it's just cool in general.

NICK HARDY: Yeah, he's helped our program out a lot too, which is pretty special. He's helped pretty much coach out with anything and helped build our outdoor facility too. Everything he's done for our program is really cool itself.

Q. What kind of interactions, how have you been received by the pros?
DYLAN MEYER: I know like a few of the younger guys that kind of graduated in the last three or four years have known who we are and whatnot. They have come up and said they said they've watched the college scene, nationals on TV. Some of the older guys, they don't really know my we are and everything. It's kind of been like, Okay, yeah, I don't think he knows who we are yet. Is this kid a caddie or what?

But, yeah, no. It's been cool seeing some of these guys and talking to them and whatnot. I played good Ollie Schniederjans and Daniel Berger in the practice round, and Richey also. It was a good time seeing those guys and play with them, because they kind of know who I was and I knew who they are. It was a cool experience.

NICK HARDY: I've met some guys at the past couple U.S. Opens I've played at, so I was able to say hi to a few of those. Like Dylan said, not many of them know who we are. Kind of got to branch out a little bit and introduce ourselves maybe.

DYLAN MEYER: Maybe.

Q. I just have one more. Dylan, I know you talked the other day on the radio about your political aspirations, that you want to be President of United States. I would like to know, A, about that. Then, B, what Nick thinks about that.
DYLAN MEYER: A, what do I think about it? Well I think it's a great idea because I love politics, and I think getting into the whole deal and the whole deal with Trump and everything like that, always getting in there and kind of distracting things and disturbing the peace, which is nice. Kind of getting away from the whole political system that's built up now, it's kind of nice to have someone that's an outsider come in and do this.

So it would be good for me to kind of build that up and be an outsider later on down the road. It would be so cool to get in there in that White House and kind of run some stuff.

Q. Nick, what do you think about that?
NICK HARDY: I think the plan is I am his running mate and the First Lady is Nicki Minaj.

DYLAN MEYER: That is true. That is a true comment.

Q. You talked about arriving Sunday and getting some the awe factor out of the way. What have you observed about this course so far? Weather isn't super great today.
DYLAN MEYER: You know, on Sunday and Monday it was a little bit wet so it was okay. I'm sure it's going to be a lot wetter going into the rest of the week.

But getting here and seeing the golf course, it's a little bit hillier than you think it's going to be, because most courses in Illinois are not this hilly. Especially the front nine. The undulation is a little different.

The back nine is about what I expected it to be. Front nine is, Oh, wow this is a little different than what I thought. Being able to get here and play a couple rounds on that and see what we can do and how we can plan out different things.

Me and my caddie have kind of gotten a pretty good strategy on what we want to do and where we want to place the golf ball. I think going into the tournament we got a pretty good plan.

NICK HARDY: Yeah, I love this course. First time coming here. I played it with Dylan on Sunday. I love this golf course. I think you got to drive it well. If you drive it well, it gives you a lot of opportunities.

THE MODERATOR: Dylan, Nick, we appreciate your time and wish you guys the best of luck this week.

NICK HARDY: Thank you guys.

DYLAN MEYER: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 12, 2017

Nick Hardy

Dylan Meyer