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SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 29, 2017

Ryan Armour

Jackson, Mississippi

THE MODERATOR: We would like to go ahead and get started. Like to welcome two individuals. First of all, the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship winner, Ryan Armour.

Ryan congratulations on your first career PGA TOUR win.

RYAN ARMOUR: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: We will certainly hear from you momentarily. And also the man who made it all possible, Mr. Joe Sanderson, Jr. CEO and president of the board for Sanderson Farms.

Mr. Sanderson, if I could just get a couple quick comments from you, and then we'll hear from our champion.

JOE SANDERSON, JR.: Absolutely. We were very pleased this week. We had a beautiful week in Mississippi. The weather was fantastic all week. Course was spectacular. Our sales for the week for the tournament were up over a year ago.

Both pro-ams were sold out Monday and Wednesday. The interest in the tournament has increased every year. We are very pleased about that. It's going to mean more contributions to charity, and we are thrilled about that.

I will admit, yesterday was a little windy and a little cooler than we've had in the past, but Thursday, Friday, and today were exactly what we were looking for when we moved the tournament from July to October.

So we're happy with that. The golf course was exactly in the shape we wanted it to be. It was dry and fast and the greens were excellent. We believe they were a good test for the field.

We're thrilled that we have another first-time winner. Ryan Armour put on a wonderful display of golf this week, and we're thrilled to have him as our champion.

I'll turn the mic over to 2017 champion, Ryan Armour. Congratulations.

RYAN ARMOUR: Thank you, sir. (Applause).

THE MODERATOR: Just a few comments on the week. Obviously incredibly impressive performance this week. My perception was you really remained calm and kind of stuck to your strategy, which you talked to the media a lot about this week. That certainly paid off.

With that, just a few comments on collecting your first career win here at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

RYAN ARMOUR: Big monkey off my back, I'm not going to lie. There is a lot of emotions running through my head right now. Part of me wants to fly home immediately and see my wife and kids, and part of me wants to go hang out with the boys. I don't know.

But, you know, it's great. It's job security for a few years, which I've never really had out here. It's the vindication I guess would be a good word that --vindication is kind of a bad world, I guess -- validation is a better word, that you don't have to hit it 330 in the air to still win golf tournaments.

So I hit a lot of fairways. I don't know what the stats showed, but hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, made a lot of putts, and somehow you still win that way.

THE MODERATOR: One question I have before we turn it over is just looking back at your performance in the past few months, it's really come around.

In fact, we have a state dating to the Wyndham Championship. In your last nine rounds, you've collected 57 birdies and are now accumulative 36-under par, so obviously something has been heading in the right direction.

Is there something that you kind of connected with that's resulted in this?

RYAN ARMOUR: You know what? I'm not sure about that. My teacher back in April put a process together for us that would get us better for the long-term. It was a five-year plan. Maybe it's coming together a little quicker.

But then there were some tweaks I made in the summer, and right before Greensboro some equipment changes that really have paid off and made it a lot easier for me to work the golf ball, elevate the golf ball.

THE MODERATOR: With that, open it up and take a few questions.

Q. How are your nerves today? Feel pretty good on the course? There was a moment Jonathan Randolph was making a run for your spot there at the top of the leaderboard.
RYAN ARMOUR: Yeah, I saw him. I was on 6 and he made the putt on 8. I think what did that put him, within three?

Yeah, you know what? I didn't get real nervy until I missed the putt on 16. I was like, Whoa where did that come from? But I pulled that. I was trying to hit it inside the hole and got it outside the hole.

I was pretty calm out there.

Q. Was there a moment out there that you thought you had this one? Maybe the birdie on 14? Was there a moment where you're like I'm comfortable about that?
RYAN ARMOUR: The birdie on 14 was a big birdie, because I knew Chesson wasn't going to make eagle. So making that birdie is huge. I really didn't think I had it won until I buried that on 17. You can have a two-shot swing so easily out here.

When I buried that on 17, I knew I had won.

Q. You've talked all week about playing your game and not paying attention to others. You played with two guys today who hit it a mile. How do you ignore that? How do you just stick to your plans so well?
RYAN ARMOUR: Well, I mean, first you giggle because it's pretty funny how far Scott hit it today. He's the longest guy, I mean, I've ever seen, without a doubt.

But I don't know. Somehow you got to believe in something out here if you don't hit it 330, so I'm sticking to the fact that I hit fairways and greens and somehow it worked.

Q. What pushed you? You've been on Web, you had to go back to Web finals. What still pushes you over the last few years?
RYAN ARMOUR: I don't know. I think the love of competition is what drives most of us. I have loved to compete since I was a kid. Plus, I don't know what else I would do.

You know, I love playing golf. Sometimes I don't love practicing, but I love playing golf all the time. I play a lot when I'm at home in Jupiter. I just love to play the game.

Q. How old were you when you were in the playoff with Tiger in a U.S. Junior?
RYAN ARMOUR: 17.

Q. What do you remember?
RYAN ARMOUR: He was really good. (Laughter.) There were a lot of people there. He was really good. That was the second year in a row he beat me, so I was a little ticked off. It was a good week.

Any time you take him to extra holes you were doing something right.

Q. Your putting this week, I think you ended up ranking second or third in all the putting statistics. Was this your best putting week? Have you had putting weeks like this before but didn't hit the ball as well?
RYAN ARMOUR: I made a couple bombs this week, which you never account for those. I wouldn't call it my best putting week. I putted good, but we left some out there.

I think the combination of what I had going on, the fairways, the greens, and holing putts, was the best it's ever been.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Well, Ryan, congratulations. We appreciate your time as always. Best of luck moving on.

RYAN ARMOUR: All right, thanks.

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