PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 21, 2021

Branden Grace

The Ocean Course at Kiawah

Flash Quotes

THE MODERATOR: We are pleased to be joined by Branden Grace. Branden posted a second round 71, 1-under par. He is 3-under par for the championship at the moment, tied for second.

Branden, a lot of really good golf out there. Maybe not the exact end you would have liked, but I think overall it's a positive day for you.

BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, just trying to stay alive out there, to be honest. I definitely preferred starting on the front side today. Yesterday we started on 10. From 14 onwards, 14 to the 4th hole, it was just such a grind. Unfortunately, I got off to a good start.

Today I kind of broke it up, wind in, wind down, and then all the way down and then coming in back again. You kind of knew that final stretch was going to play tough. I want to say, even with that bad couple of holes, I still got the most out of my round. I hit some shots where I shouldn't have and I made some up and downs. I'll take it. I'm exactly where anybody would want to be going into the weekend.

Q. Can you imagine -- and I think this speaks to what you were just saying about how difficult those closing stretches are. Can you imagine finishing the way you did today at any other golf course and have a smile on your face?

BRANDEN GRACE: I would probably look to break a few things out there, but it's tough. I think going down there -- when you go on the back nine, you go to 10, and you know you go all the way down to 13, and you kind of tell yourself, if I can make one or two getting before that extra turn at 14 coming in, that homeward stretch, then you kind of just have to grind it out.

I thought I did really well. One bad swing on 7, one bad swing on 18. On the front nine, a little bit more lucky that the misses are fine on the right coming in or going out, where the misses on the right are not so ideal on the back.

It's tough. It's just, like I said, trying to stay alive. I knew I was playing well and just kind of waiting for that one bad thing to happen. I've worked hard mentally with my psychologist and just kind of preparing for the worst. If it happens, just getting on with it, and I've done that pretty well so far.

Q. Kind of along those same lines, can you allow yourself to imagine what those holes are going to play like on Sunday if the wind does what you think it's going to play?

BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, 100 percent. Mentally, I don't think I did anything wrong. I stood up there, I picked my target, I hit the shot that I wanted to, but it just didn't come off. You have to move on, get to the drop zone, and carry on. I'm probably going to have a few more scenarios like that over the weekend if it carries on playing as tough as it does. I just need to back myself up, trust myself, and just hit the shots that I see.

Q. When you won in Puerto Rico, you were fighting to get back to this big stage. How would you describe your confidence level now?

BRANDEN GRACE: Obviously, a lot of emotion going into that week. I believe that I should be out here. I believe that I should be a top 30 player in the world, and I believe I should win. It was nice to get over that hurdle again.

Like I said, this is where I want to play.

I've contended in these big events before. There's no reason why I can't contend in them now, especially around a golf course like this. It kind of goes into my -- into how I like to play golf. I love the dive-off courses, and it's just literally getting the ball low, getting it on the ground and letting it run and be creative around the greens and really commit to what you want to do.

So this is something I like. I believe that, obviously, what happened, the sadness, there's a lot of good to follow. I know my old man's with me. He's out there grinding it as well. So I'm just playing golf. I'm enjoying it and nice to have the family out there just to stay calm on the other side of it.

Q. How difficult will the adjustment be if the wind actually switches for the next few days?

BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, big time. Fortunately, I came down on Sunday, Sunday the wind was the opposite, so I got to play the back nine actually in the opposite wind. But then those first few holes are brutal -- 10, 11, 12, 13, you have to really hit some proper golf shots. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the last stretch is easier.

When I played on Sunday from the back tee, which if the wind switches, that's probably where the guys are going to play it on 17, and I hit 3-iron to a back flag. It's sort of a brutal golf hole. You still have to have all of your things in line and just get up there and step up and hit a golf shot.

Q. Just wondering you mentioned like in Pete Dye courses, why do you think you had such a good track record on them?

BRANDEN GRACE: I think it's just, given my point of view, it always feels a little bit links-y the way he creates the golf course. To get around this place, you need to be creative, you need to hit shots, you need to see different shots and use slopes. A lot of times, you can't really play for pins. You just have to play -- even if it's for 20-foot, 20-foot sometimes is a great shot out here, and then just back yourself with a putter. That's something I've done really well in the past.

Q. What did you do last year during the PGA Championship when you were out because of the quarantine?

BRANDEN GRACE: I was actually sitting in my RV. I had a guy that was driving me from San Francisco -- I was actually onsite. Obviously, my RV was down there, and the RV driver actually drove me down to the Wyndham. I think I've seen more of America than most Americans, let me put it that way, and it took me four days to get there. So it was pretty long.

Q. Was this course at all ever intimidating when you first got here on Sunday? And if it was, has it become less so as the week's gone on and you know your way around?

BRANDEN GRACE: I think that fear factor's there, but mentally I'm in a good place, especially after my win, and especially leading up to this event. We've played a lot of hard golf courses coming into this. Arnold Palmer was tough again, THE PLAYERS is always tough, and leading up to this, fortunately for myself, the wind is always blowing in Florida down there at the Bear's Club. So starting to hit those golf shots, starting to see those shots that I know I have to hit -- not that I remember much from the last time I was here in '12.

When I got out here, there were certain shots that I knew I had to hit. I have to get on the range this afternoon to try to work those things in and try to refresh and really commit on different lines. Just come out here and hit golf shots. I think that's it at the end of the day.

Q. How come when it's really hard and there's big numbers and high scores no one bitches at much at this tournament as they do at the U.S. Open?

BRANDEN GRACE: If golf was like this, if we had the rough that we have at the U.S. Open, everybody would probably bitch a little bit about it. I think it's playing very fair, and obviously they added a lot of distance to this golf course. So when the wind is calming down, they can really toughen it up.

I don't think you get a lot of times with the big guys out here, Dustin and those guys that hit a mile, I don't think you see them often with 3-irons in their hands. They're all going to hit 3-irons this week, I guarantee you that. It's fair. It's showing teeth, and that's what a major championship is about.

Q. What's the highlight of your four-day cross country trip? Were you able to watch any golf along the way as you went?

BRANDEN GRACE: It's pretty tough. It's tough getting the signal and stuff like that. I couldn't really watch the golf, and I didn't actually want to watch the golf, to be quite honest. It was not emotional, but it was tough to know that I wasn't playing. I think the last time I was there was in the match play, and I actually really played well. This place, again, you have to really shape your shots and things, so I was really looking forward to it.

I think the highlight is obviously just seeing the different terrains. It sounds simple, but it is. When you come out of California, everything is nice and just California, and then you go to the desert, and then you come and get all the farm lands after that, and then you get into the mountains. So it was pretty cool. It felt like forever, but it was a nice trip.

Q. What's the longest trip you ever took at home? Did you ever go up with Louie to the dunes?

BRANDEN GRACE: No. This was definitely the longest trip I've done in a car or in a bus, if I can call it. What's the right term for it. I've never done a trip like that. I don't think I have the patience for it. I learned I needed patience in the previous trip.

THE MODERATOR: Branden, well played today. Best of luck to you all weekend.