SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 29, 2020

Davis Riley

Country Club of Jackson

Press Conference

DOUG MILNE: Joined now by Davis Riley here at Sanderson Farms Championship. Davis, thanks for joining us for a few minutes. I know this is obviously an exciting week for you given your history here.

And you're playing well. Couple opening comments about being here at the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship.

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, sure. It's always nice coming back to a place you're familiar with. I played here a couple times in high school and then of course getting the opportunity last year was awesome.

It's a place I'm comfortable. Feels like a home tournament to me, so I'm just excited get going.

DOUG MILNE: You're making your second start her at the Sanderson Farms Championship; finished in the top 40 last year. Any good memories you can take to heart as you tee it up again this year?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, sure. It's nice coming back. I played well last year, so it's nice coming back and just seeing the course and the tournament conditions for the week, just rehashing on some good memories and just trying to improve on last year.

DOUG MILNE: You make your sixth start on the PGA Tour. (Indiscernible - talking in background.)

Couple comments on that event and what you felt was going right that week.

DAVIS RILEY: Sure. I think it might have been the Byron Nelson you're talking about.

DOUG MILNE: Yeah, the Byron Nelson.

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, it was great. I think that was my first sponsor exemption last year, and it was nice to get a start out there. I played well. Yeah, got up there inside the top 10 at one point. Kind of had a slower -- I think the last day I had kind of a slower finish.

Yeah, no, it was great. It's nice to get up there and have a chance and feel like you're in a tournament, have a chance to win. That's the biggest thing, just getting up there and being comfortable and just actually having a chance and being there and learning from past experiences and just trying to get up there again and have a chance to win.

DOUG MILNE: Obviously you're enjoying tremendous success this season out on the Korn Ferry Tour with two wins in Panama and San Antonio. Just a little bit about those wins and how much that did for your game and your motivation?

DAVIS RILEY: Sure. Yeah, Panama being my first professional win, that was very nerve wracking. You know you can do it, but you never know until you actually do it, so was it nice to get the monkey off the back, so to speak.

After that, I was just very confident in what I was doing, and then a win pretty soon after in San Antonio, so nice to get two wins fairly early and have a good shot at chasing down No. 3 pretty shortly into the season.

DOUG MILNE: (Indiscernible) kind of changed and that impacted you a little bit. I read an article where you more or less said you got what you got; you got to make due with it. You had a good attitude about it. I guess in a lot of ways that just told you you're just going to have to keep grinding. Just talk a little bit about your philosophy there.

DAVIS RILEY: Sure. I mean, obviously it's a bummer just because I was -- I feel like I was right there to get a tour card. I was in a great position to. But at the end of the day, there is nothing I can do about that or control.

All I can do is be the best I can every week and try to get -- it was really nice they kept the three-win promotion in there, so that's what I'm trying to achieve.

Just really taking that week by week and controlling what I can.

Q. Davis, you mentioned playing a few high school events here. Tell me what those tournaments were, and also if you ever attended as a spectator?

DAVIS RILEY: Sure. No, I've never attended the tournament as a spectator. But, yes, I had -- I played in high school a few times. I remember the first, actually my first round out here. I had to be 12 or 13, very young, sixth or seventh grade, and I was playing on the varsity team at the time. I think I shot 83 or something like that, which probably felt pretty good to me because I was hitting 3-woods into the greens all day.

Yeah, I think I -- I guess my memory is getting bad. I'm getting old. No, I definitely have won a few high school events out here. It's nice being in a place I won, and of course playing last year playing fairly decent in the tournament last year, it's obviously very nice coming to a place where you've had success.

Q. What's the difference in your game from a year ago when you played here?

DAVIS RILEY: I think I've just improved all around. Everything has gotten cleaner. I've gotten out here, seen what the guys who are really good do, and just learned from other people.

Then of course my coaches. I dedicate a lot of the improvement to who have helped me improve even from last year. I think just all around and mentally and getting more mature. Just all around just formed into a better player.

Q. Who were you working with on your swing these days?

DAVIS RILEY: Troy Denton and Josh Gregory. I do Josh Gregory for a lot of short game; Troy Denton for a lot of full swing kind of stuff.

Q. Have you put extra pressure on yourself trying to get the third win? I notice last few weeks, couple missed cuts in there.

DAVIS RILEY: Sure. Yeah, I think at first I really did -- I kind of did. Springfield, the week after, I was just kind of just so excited, because Springfield was the first week after I had won to get three, so I was actually playing really well and I was just kind of amped.

But as of lately, a little bit. I've kind of been a little off physically. Hitting shots, haven't been executing as well as I have, and it's been a blessing in disguise I've gotten some time missing some cuts to work on it.

I've put in some really good work the past couple days that I'm excited about. Yeah, you know, I've just really -- it's definitely harder having the opportunity to get three wins, putting that extra pressure. I feel like I've done a fairly decent job staying to the process and doing what works well for me.

Q. When you come to a tournament like this, do you room with Will Zalatoris this week or do you go your separate ways?

DAVIS RILEY: No. We get enough time with each other at home. We kind of need a break from each other now. No, we don't room with each other too much on the road. Maybe a tournament here or there.

Of course we're playing every practice round together, so I actually played with him this afternoon. So we're always -- whether it's rooming one week or something, we're always playing a practice round. We get enough of each other.

Q. How would you describe the heater that he's on?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, he's playing very well. You know, we played a lot over the quarantine. We were fortunate enough our home club was open, so you could see it coming. He was playing really well at home, and then he just brought it out here really well.

It's really cool to see and it's motivating at the same time.

Q. Have you guys done anything to celebrate your victories?

DAVIS RILEY: You know, we've been playing so much we hadn't really had the chance to go home and really celebrate. I'm sure when it's all said and done and we kind of get -- hopefully we'll both be playing on tour a little bit this fall, but when that off-season comes, we'll probably find some time to celebrate what we've done and put it in hindsight.

Q. Who do you think is going to get out here first?

DAVIS RILEY: You know, obviously I want to say myself, but he's on a darn good track right now. You know, I guess -- I don't know how many points he's away from getting status and I'm one win away. Could be a tossup.

Hopefully -- we're both obviously pulling for each other, so we want to see each other get out here as soon as possible. Hopefully that's for both of us after this week.

Q. And how would you describe this golf course? What type of style does it favor?

DAVIS RILEY: Sure. I feel like you've got to do everything really well around here. Kind of an all-around golf course. You've got to drive it well, because on the Korn Ferry we haven't played on too much bermuda. It's something I'm comfortable on, playing bermuda, the fairways and greens and all this stuff.

So I think you got to do everything fairly well. I think it's somewhere I'm comfortable with and that I can do really well at. Just a matter of me just staying within myself and really just taking it one shot at a time.

Q. Are you playing in the pro-am tomorrow?

DAVIS RILEY: I'm not, no. I played nine holes in the pro-am yesterday and got around 18 yesterday, so getting a light practice in tomorrow.

Q. What was that like being back in a pro-am format yesterday?

DAVIS RILEY: It's been interesting. You know, we've had a few pro-ams on the Korn Ferry Tour, so it's been different. Last year you're so used to playing one pro-am Monday or Wednesday, and now when we first started back Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, okay, I've got to pace myself, because we have so much time to do whatever.

So it's kind of -- it's nice. We enjoy getting out there and playing with the sponsors. Whether it's local members or sponsors, it's always nice kind of shooting it around and having a good time.

DOUG MILNE: (Regarding twice being runner-up in U.S. Junior Amateur.) A little bit of background on how you got into the game of golf. Do you come from a family of golfers?

DAVIS RILEY: It didn't really run in the family so much. I lived on a golf course. You know, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and I'm walking distance to the golf course I play at, Canebreak Country Club. So it was in my backyard. I could come home from school and run out in my backyard and play golf.

It was something that was just there. My parents didn't force it on me or anything like that. It was just convenient for me. I had a big group of guys we would go out and play with, and it was just an awesome fit. Worked out perfect.

DOUG MILNE: Appreciate your time, and certainly wish you the best of luck this week.

DAVIS RILEY: Thanks. Thanks guys.