JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 9, 2021

Luke List

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

Q. Bogey-free 8-under 63, great way to head into the weekend. Just some comments on your round today?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, I was kind of feeling like I had some momentum putting from yesterday and I wanted to carry that into today and was able to do that. I got off to a little bit of a slow start not birdieing the 10th hole, my first hole, and then from there I just tried to stay patient. The round got going midway through and was able to keep hitting the fairway, which out here is premium, and I was able to attack from the fairway.

Q. I think you've top-tenned here before --

LUKE LIST: I don't even know. It's been a while since I've played here. Clair Peterson, the tournament director, is one of the best on TOUR, and he gave me a spot way back when, one of my first sponsor's invites, I believe it was 2007 or 2008. It's always fun coming here. I wish I had the family here, and I'll look forward to coming back for years to come.

Q. That stretch from 16 to 1 and 2, five straight birdies, talk about going on a tear like that.

LUKE LIST: Yeah, I've been able to, like I said, keep reiterating I've been able to put the ball in the fairway. The par-5s especially, I hit a really good drive on 17 that set up a good 7-iron and then hit one in the fairway on 2, also, so those were two pretty easy birdies, two putts. I think there's a lot of wedge opportunities out there, and if I can keep it in the fairway, again, then I'll have some scoring options. I felt comfortable with my putting yesterday, and it was nice to see some putts go in today, too.

Q. Did you look at the leaderboard before you went out?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, I always kind of look at it. This course you can always expect to see birdies and guys going low, so it's not like there's anything funky going on. I knew starting out I wasn't going to be anywhere near the lead like some courses that are tougher, but it's a great golf course and if you do the right things tee to green, you can really make some birdies. I knew I had to keep going low and I'll have to go low this weekend.

Q. Did that change your approach seeing the scores?

LUKE LIST: I wouldn't say that. I think you know expectations on this golf course, and especially if it does rain that you're going to have to continue to make birdies, so my mindset won't change on that going toward the weekend.

Q. Do you feel like this is a key week for you?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, they're all key weeks out here, but it's nice, I took a couple weeks off with our new little one, and yeah, I've got to play some good golf to make the Playoffs, and that's important to make the FedExCup Playoffs. For me I'm trying not to think about that. I've got enough on my plate with the next two days, and as long as I stay in my right head space, all that stuff takes care of itself.

Q. Not much momentum coming off of three missed cuts. How satisfying is it to be where you are?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, that's the beauty of this game. Momentum is kind of funny and you can find it in the smallest of things. I had a couple putting sessions last week where I was like, man, this kind of feels pretty good, and I had a good round with some buddies at home. One round and I was like, okay, I feel like I've got my game. Sometimes that's all it takes is just a little bit of lightning in a bottle like that and hopefully I can continue that this weekend.

Q. (On his family).

LUKE LIST: Yeah, we have a two-and-a-half-year-old and we just had our second, and unfortunately he was in the hospital, he was in the ICU for two weeks, so we were home and I wasn't playing because of that. It was tough. It was really hard on my wife. She's a worrier and kept us together. Luckily with the health and everything, he's back home and growing and eating like a champ, and going to be big soon. Everything is great now.

Q. (Indiscernible).

LUKE LIST: Yeah, for sure. Coming here, I wasn't going to come back on the road and compete until everybody was home safe and healthy. I was itching a little bit, but family is always the most important thing, and anyone would say that. But for us just to get him home from the hospital was amazing, and it felt such a relief. I miss him like crazy but I'm glad that everyone is home and that I'm here competing again.

Q. It's a little boy you said?

LUKE LIST: Yes, we have a two-and-a-half-year-old little girl and then a boy this time.

Q. What's his name?

LUKE LIST: Harrison, so Ryan and Harrison. He was born June 5th, so he's a little over a month old.

Q. Can you explain his health issues?

LUKE LIST: Well, when he got home, he was home for a week or so and then he contacted RSV, a respiratory virus, and had a tough go. That's kind of a dangerous thing for a premature. He was a month early. He fought hard. He was intubated for a couple days and he was in the ICU for 14 days.

Q. I see why you were at home.

LUKE LIST: Yeah, I was helping with the little one and my wife never left his side. It was tough, but I think -- and it's been amazing to come back. Everyone has been asking and praying and thinking about us, so it's kind of cool. It's a big family out here and it's nice to know that you've got everybody's support when it's not going great.

Q. In light of all that, do you feel freed up now?

LUKE LIST: Yeah, you hate to have stuff like that be perspective, but if you do have -- in my situation I've had a few things in my life that you can spin in the right way, and it was definitely a difficult time, but there's millions of families that go through way worse, and we witnessed that firsthand. Those children's hospitals are amazing places to see how hard those doctors and nurses work, and we were lucky to come out -- there's a lot of positive stories and there's obviously a lot of negative ones, and we were lucky to be a positive one.