CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE

May 27, 2021

Erik Compton

Colonial CC

Quick Quotes

Q. Erik, 5-under par 65; excellent start, no bogeys. If we can get some comments.

ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, obviously I'm excited to be a sponsor exemption this week and try to take the best opportunity that I can. Prepared pretty hard the last couple weeks on the Korn Ferry TOUR and visualizing the shots I've got to hit out here. This is like the first week I've had all year that it seems like I haven't had a delay. I was happy to play 18 holes without stopping.

Yeah, it feels really good. I put in a lot of work on the putting. I've been working with Phil Long with Access One and grinding away and trying to get that right. I think that's been the missing part of my game. I'm always a scrambler, so my chipping is good and if I can hit a few more fairways, I think I'll have a good week.

Q. Talk about the conditions out there today that you faced and how the course held up.

ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, it's windy. It's swirly. Conditions were tough because you've got a lot of crosswinds and you've got to manoeuvre the ball into the wind, and I was out of position a few times but got up-and-down. Just real proud of myself for grinding away, but it's a long week, so been playing on the Korn Ferry TOUR for the last couple years. My first round scoring average has been usually horrendous and my second round scoring average has been really good, so I'm happy to get off to a good start, and hopefully tomorrow will be the same.

Q. If you can for local media sort of explain a little bit about I know a double heart transplant recipient. If you can talk about the condition that you had when you were 12 when you got your first one and sort of the challenges you face on a daily basis.

ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, I'm a two-time heart transplant recipient and just celebrated I think my 29th anniversary for my combined transplants last week. I mean, it's hard to sum it up, but it's a lot of work, and I'm a fighter, I'm a grinder. I put one foot in front of the other. I'm just blessed to be alive really. Spent most of my life with somebody else's hearts. It's a challenge, but I do the best that I can.

It's funny, I'm seeing Jordan Spieth right here, and my daughter yesterday said, did you see Jordan Spieth? So I thought she was -- that I was her biggest fan, but apparently not. To be honest it's really neat to see all the best players in the world again. As an older guy on the Korn Ferry TOUR, I really don't know a lot of the players, and out here it's nice to see a lot of old friends and people asking me about my health and my family. My dream is to be back here and playing full-time again, make another run.

Today was one step in the right direction, but I know it's a long week and I have to get rest and be ready for tomorrow.

Q. As you are fighting to get back out here, do you put a little extra pressure on yourself when you do get these opportunities?

ERIK COMPTON: Yeah, I mean, my heart rate probably -- my average heart rate today, I looked at my watch, was about 140, and when I play on the Korn Ferry TOUR it's about 107. Maybe I need to jog around the block a little bit the first round over there. But it's different. You're playing for different stuff out here. It's no offense to the Korn Ferry TOUR. This is the biggest stage in golf and you want to perform, so obviously I do put a little bit more pressure on myself, but I handled it well, and I've been at this stage before where I've played well in some major championships and big courses, and I like the feeling of it. I like the preparation and the weeks prior knowing what you need to do.

You know, visualizing what you're going to do is really part of the fun. I've said it before when I was in the hospital that I like super imposed my head on other players when I was watching them, and now I'm here and seeing the same guys.

It's neat.