THE NORTHERN TRUST

August 19, 2021

Lanto Griffin

Liberty National Golf Club

Press Conference

LANTO GRIFFIN: The course is awesome. It's in perfect shape. It's hard to miss putts on this green when they have a good putt.

Q. How would you assess how you played today?

LANTO GRIFFIN: Compared to how I've been playing, it's been good. My coach and my caddie got something that felt pretty good the last four or five days. Always nice to see good shots. Putter started feeling better at Wyndham last week and rolled it really well today. All in all, very happy with it.

Q. What would the swing be?

LANTO GRIFFIN: We've been trying to get going back. Kind of made a 180 instead of feeling wide with my right arm, trying to feel wide with my left arm and feel the right elbow bent. So fairly different than what I've been doing, but it just hasn't been good the last couple months.

It frees you up. I don't have a whole lot of expectations this week. It's just the way I've been playing.

I'm working hard, which is frustrating, but at the same time, I feel like I'm not that far off. A lot of positive stuff so far this week. As you guys know, the new season starts in a couple weeks. So it's not like we have a whole lot of off-season to reassess. Happy with everything today for sure.

Q. Are you ever as far off as you think? If you look back, are there times when you're really way far off than you actually thought?

LANTO GRIFFIN: Yeah, that's definitely -- golf is a weird thing. You feel like you're on the right track, and then you kind of get your teeth kicked in. You get to feel like you're back on the right track, and you get your teeth kicked in again, and you've kind of just got to keep searching.

At our level when something clicks and you get a good feel, like 5 tee shot today, it was uncomfortable for me, and I got up and hit a really good 3-wood down the left side. And a couple other ones today that shots that aren't comfortable on 9 with that wind, hitting driver up the left side and not bailing out. So that's kind of where you get confidence in what you're working on.

Q. Whatever level of confidence you have is based on the way you played this season. You kind of alluded to that a minute ago. I'm curious how it feels different this year compared to last year when you came in this thing 12 or 13 to start. Now you're something around 70?

LANTO GRIFFIN: 84. Being on TOUR, everybody's so good. So being 84 on the FedExCup is nothing to be embarrassed about, after playing mini tours for years and being on the Korn Ferry TOUR. It's not like I'm like, man, what's going on? Being 84 is not the end of the world. But at the same time, your mind wants to play well. Nobody likes to -- a lot of people have asked me, what was the Masters like? I'm like, it sucked because I didn't play well.

Augusta was awesome. The tournament was incredible, but playing bad -- working hard and playing bad is not fun.

Q. You brought up the word expectations a minute ago. How are they different? From a year ago.

LANTO GRIFFIN: We just had a really good week so far here. New York City has been a lot of fun. I'm trying to just -- everything that's going on in Afghanistan, it's kind of hard to -- I kind of want to have a good attitude. We're so lucky out here. Seeing what's going on out there is tough. I'm trying to put things in perspective. I might not be playing the best golf, but could have been worse. That freed me up a bit.

We've had a lot of fun here. Restaurants have been amazing, and this golf course is special. If you look back where I was several years ago, I'll take being 84 and playing Liberty National. Going back to last year being locked up for East Lake, that was way better.

Q. Was 12 locked up? I haven't done the math.

LANTO GRIFFIN: It was last year. They did three times the points instead of four last year.

Q. Are we doing four this year?

LANTO GRIFFIN: Four this year.

Q. I didn't get that memo, did you?

LANTO GRIFFIN: It's four this year, but you're one good week away from being back at East Lake. So two-way tie for second this week, which obviously is not easy. That will put me right back where I was last week.

Q. I don't get any sense that there's this burning internal pressure inside of you, if I don't make this next putt, I might not go to Baltimore?

LANTO GRIFFIN: Yeah, I'd love to be at Baltimore. I love the BMW. I'm a big BMW car guy. I played well last year at Olympia fields. I've learned this year the harder you try, it doesn't always help. I'm trying to be a little bit more patient and a little bit more understanding where I am.

The main goal is just to get back to being in contention this next coming season.

Q. It seems like you did the math for East Lake. Have you done the math for BMW?

LANTO GRIFFIN: It's going to be around 800. So I need probably a top 15, solo 15th or so, solo 16th. Somewhere around 210 points.

Q. And I notice you didn't play between 3M and Wyndham. Was that just a schedule deal, or did you want to take time off?

LANTO GRIFFIN: I wasn't in St. Jude and the travel from -- I love Barracuda. I love Tahoe, but just the travel coming from the Open, going back, going straight to 3M, I was exhausted. Going to Barracuda and coming back to Wyndham, I just felt like it was too much. Just too much on the body. I'm getting a little older than I was.

Q. The tool company, Stanley?

LANTO GRIFFIN: Yeah, great screwdrivers. Power tools are great.

Q. How is your house coming along? Could Stanley help?

LANTO GRIFFIN: I wish Stanley could more. They would if they could. It's been a frustrating process with subcontractors and supplies and stuff, but we'll be there eventually.