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RBC HERITAGE

June 20, 2020

Ryan Palmer

Hilton Head, South Carolina

THE MODERATOR: Ryan Palmer, 5-under 66 round 3 at the RBC Heritage. Just a few comments today on how you got the job done.

RYAN PALMER: Great day, knowing I had to come out and shoot a low round today. When I got here this morning, six 63s, the scores were there. So 15th place, three back when I teed off. It's nice to know, when it gets to your round, you can come out and shoot 5 under and now you're at the top of the leaderboard. So tied for the lead, I think. I don't know where Webb finished.

Nice little round. I had to shoot a low round to stay in there, and my game's ready for a challenge tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: You said outside that you felt all the parts are starting to come together with your game. Do you feel like you're that close?

RYAN PALMER: I am. Today was my best day with the driver for sure. Hit some great iron shots. Had some good chances on the front, but the putter, I'm not making a lot of the putts I should be making, I feel. Overall, putting has been good. I made a lot of short putts. I made the bank for par, which was huge.

I think, in my mind, my lowest round has not been played yet, as far as from No. 1 to No. 18 as far as my best round. Everything is in place. It's just a matter of making a few more putts.

Q. Ryan, if you look at your record here, you've kind of been hit or miss when you've played Harbour Town. Is it a golf course you feel like you should play well on? And maybe what clicked this year?
RYAN PALMER: It's been getting better over the years. I played decent last year, had my lowest round last year, so I've kind of grown into the golf course. Just the fact that I hit different tee shots has helped. So that's the main thing is just knowing how to hit different shots on these holes. I'm able to take advantage of the way I can drive it, and it paid off today for sure.

So I've grown to love it. It's a ball striker's golf course, which kind of leads to what I can do best as far as my game is my ball striking. So for me, it's just a matter of making putts. I've made a few, but I also feel like I left quite a few out there. Hopefully, we'll have a big hole tomorrow.

Q. Are you anticipating the same thing tomorrow, by the time you tee off, a lot of red numbers on the board?
RYAN PALMER: I'll be interested to see. Sundays are always different. I think Saturday, they call it moving day, which it is, but Sunday seems to tighten up a little bit. I'd be -- I don't know if you'll see six 8-under par rounds that early. You could because it's going to be soft, no wind, I'm sure. To win tomorrow, I'm going to probably have to shoot 4 or 5 under again, I would assume. That's going to be the goal, to get to 20.

We'll see what happens. It may not take that many tomorrow. All I can do is play my game and give it my best chance. In my mind, I have no doubt I'll have a chance.

Q. Hey, Ryan, congratulations on your round today. Playing off what you just said, this course, I think today, the front nine the announcers are saying was something like 140 under compared to maybe 80 under on the back. With so many players clustered so tightly, is there a sense that you really have to, in order to win tomorrow, to play the front nine 3 or 4 under par at least?
RYAN PALMER: Yeah. I mean, because the par 5s are gettable. You have No. 9. So it's definitely you can get the front nine. But today, I think I played it 2 under and really didn't let it bother me, and I was able to shoot 3 under on the back.

If you get off to a good start, it's there for sure, but we're going to have the tough pins tomorrow, a lot of tucked pins, plus it's Sunday. Games seem to tighten up more on Sunday, and for me, it's a matter of just let it go. I love where my game's at, and I'll just play my game. It's probably maybe a good thing I'm not in the last group. Of course, it is different when you don't have the fans.

But I'm excited. I love where I'm at. Like I said, I have no doubt that I'll have a chance.

Q. Quick follow-up about Nick's positive test yesterday. It was always a probability that somebody would test positive, but the reality, now that it's happened, does it change how you approach anything you do or anything like that?
RYAN PALMER: You know, not what I've been doing. I've been doing everything right from the get go. I've eaten in my hotel every night this week, stayed by myself obviously. The sanitizer I've been using every day, washing my hands.

I almost didn't test today for the charter, just to make sure. I wanted to make sure nothing came back for tomorrow. No, I did take the test today. I have no doubt in my mind. So I don't expect anything to happen to me.

Yeah, I feel for Nick. I hope he's feeling good and recovers from this, which I know he will. But it's scary because we work with the same therapist. He happened to not work with Nick this week, the guy and myself is who he works with. So I guess it's fortunate that Nick was not working with Troy this week.

Yeah, I mean, everything you do, you've got to pay attention. Like I said, I've never left the hotel all week. So I'll eat in the hotel again tonight and just get ready for tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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