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RBC HERITAGE

June 19, 2020

Ryan Palmer

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Q. 4 under today. Some really good looks at your last three holes at 7, 8, 9 to make birdie. 10 under going into the weekend. First your thoughts on how you played today.
RYAN PALMER: I had some rough shots today. I didn't hit it as well as I wanted to, but I still played pretty solid. I had some great chances there at the end and some great iron shots coming in. Actually, yeah, some pretty good putts. It's hard to get the right line with the grain, the way the grain's working.

Yeah, 10 under through two rounds, two back, I couldn't be happier with where I'm at, the way my game feels. I'm excited for a great weekend.

Q. How different did the course play today? We had like .3 inch of rain overnight compared to yesterday afternoon. The humidity is on the uptick today.
RYAN PALMER: It was hot this morning for sure. Golf course-wise, it wasn't that much difference. Still the greens were soft, soft fairways a little bit, but other than that, I had a few specks of mud. But overall the golf course was pretty similar to yesterday. No wind this morning. Like I said, it was probably the hottest day I played so far. We survived it.

Q. Finally, your thoughts on the weekend going in. Webb's in the house at a dozen under, but you're just two back and still a lot of golf to play.
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, no doubt. It's always great to be within a couple shots of the lead going into the weekend for sure. So a lot of golf left. If I can just keep my mind and stay focused for 4 1/2 hours each day, I'm going to have a lot of good chances. I'm excited. I'm in the hunt. That's all I can ask for each week. Looking for good golf this weekend to come out on top.

Q. All black on a hot day.
RYAN PALMER: I wasn't really expecting the heat.

Q. Ryan, only one bogey through 36 holes. More credit to the tee shots or the iron play so far?
RYAN PALMER: Today I drove it pretty solid. I got a few lucky breaks on a few shots. I just kept it kind of in front of me. I didn't really do anything that spectacular today. I didn't hit it as well as I thought I could. I need to make some putts too. I made a couple great par putts today. Yeah, just overall pretty solid for sure. It's always hard to follow those good rounds of 65. So it's nice for me to follow up with a 4-under par round.

Yeah, it was -- I kind of felt I left a few out there. But two back going into the weekend is always a great spot.

Q. You told us yesterday that you and Brady Smith last weekend did a lot of work on your putting. How, I guess, would you grade it so far? These are difficult greens to figure out.
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, definitely. I feel very comfortable, very excited with the way I'm putting. My short putting has been really good for sure, and a lot of putts just kind of die off the edge. So seeing the ball roll, it's tumbling like I want to. I've got my hands where I wanted to get them. Yeah, the work is definitely paying off. I'm looking forward to a great weekend.

Q. Speaking of the weekend, with it getting hotter, do you expect the golf course to get a little firmer? They say it's playing a little soft so far. How different do you think Saturday and Sunday could play out here, if that trend continues, versus Thursday and Friday?
RYAN PALMER: I can't see it getting too much firmer. It's still pretty soft out there. You're still going to have the heat and humidity to keep it soft as well. All this golf course needs is a little wind. You get 5 or 10 mile per hour winds, the way it swirls in these trees, it makes it difficult to pull certain clubs.

I don't see it really getting that firm, to be honest with you, but if that little breeze picks up, it's going to make for some good decision-making and good ball striking on the weekend.

Q. Ryan, two back right now at the time here, 10 under par through 36 holes. How would you assess your play so far?
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, it's been solid. It's been a fun two days for sure after not playing as well as I wanted to last week. I drove it well for two days. I kept the ball in front of me a lot, and had some great iron shots. It wasn't quite there today, I didn't think, but I still played solid. I left a few out, I feel like, down the stretch, had some good chances for birdie.

It's nice being two back going into the weekend for sure because you know your game's in good shape, so anything can happen. I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited to be part of the mix going into Saturday. I'll keep doing the things I'm doing.

Q. Did you feel like the conditions this morning, not a ton of wind early on, were kind of ripe for scoring?
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, there were some low scores. I think it was 8 under in front of me by Duncan. So, yeah, it was there. The greens just feel soft. The greens were rolling a lit better than they did yesterday afternoon. The scores are there. It's showing out there. I'm thankful I got in at 4 under today to get to 10 under and only two back. So the pressure starts tomorrow, I think.

Getting to the weekend is the first step. So now we're there, and we're in contention. So I'm excited to give it a go.

Q. Do you feel like your weekend work last week with Randy Smith and your putting has paid off so far?
RYAN PALMER: I think so, for sure. Just my short putting for sure, and just my confidence over each one. I've hit a lot of good putts that have been close to going in and just haven't gone in. Maybe that's what I I'm waiting for on the weekend. Yeah, it's definitely -- I went back out to Colonial on Saturday and Sunday and worked on my putting. It's showing this week.

So I'm excited to get back into it tomorrow and give it a run.

Q. You haven't had a ton of success here in your times playing here. Is there something a little different this year? Maybe the change from April to June?
RYAN PALMER: I've grown to play this golf course better each year, it seems like. I shot my lowest round last year, I believe, in the first round. Shot it this week in the first round, my lowest round. So I've kind of learned how to play it. I guess that's the key is you've got to learn how to play this golf course. It's not a golf course where you can go ahead and just play your game. You've got to know how to play each hole, where to miss it. That's the key.

It's taken me 17 years to figure out how to play it, so I'm enjoying it. I'm proud to represent RBC while I'm here. Yeah, I'm excited about the weekend for sure.

Q. Is there one key that you're going to focus on this week that will hopefully bring success?
RYAN PALMER: Just my game. That's all I can do. I can't get wrapped up in what they're doing in front of me. If I can drive the ball well, that's going to be the key because I know my iron play is there. Just clean it up a little bit tomorrow morning before I play.

If I drive the ball well, I'm going to have a lot of good chances, I think. So I'll focus on putting a little more focus on the tee ball tomorrow and give myself a lot more chances. Hopefully, the putter and the balls will go in the hole.

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