SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 1, 2021

Hayden Buckley

Country Club of Jackson

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you characterize your round today?

HAYDEN BUCKLEY: I mean pretty much as good as we could imagine. I think our only bogey of the day was a 3-putt from inside of 20 feet on a pretty good shot we hit on a par-3 early. So starting off I think it was huge to start off well. We talk about it all the time if I can make a birdie within the first couple holes usually my rounds take a different turn than the others. I'm a pretty streaky player as well, so making those early birdies I can build off of, but birdieing 10 from 225 I think today is huge to start. Then getting up-and-down on the next for birdie. So we're 2-under through two holes and all of a sudden we got that ability to go deep. And I think that's something that we've been searching for, we had a little three-month stretch after my win on the Korn Ferry in February where I just couldn't get it deep, I couldn't make a lot of birdies in a row or couldn't really shoot any scores off of par. A lot of that was with the putter. So ball striking-wise we hit it exactly where we wanted to, hit a lot of fairways, I think I missed a couple, the numbers might be down just because I missed a few by a yard and that's always frustrating, but we made it work, we hit it in the right spots and the putter stays hot and then great things can happen.

Q. Does it help playing in Mississippi in your home state, what does it feel like to put up a score like this and put two round like this together?

HAYDEN BUCKLEY: You want to entertain, I know at the end of the day we are entertainers and there's so many people that came out to watch so it's nice to give them something to cheer for, you can probably hear it from all over the course, I know I had a couple guys that they were yelling a little too loud, but it's just so nice to see so many people supporting me and see what I've been doing for the last few years. I moved away, I went off to college in Missouri and didn't see a lot of friends, I kind of lost connection with a lot of friends and some family and it's nice to see all my hard work paying off and for them to see it pay off as well.

Q. What is this feeling like having a PGA TOUR card and just all the hard work and everything going and seeing the fruition from it?

HAYDEN BUCKLEY: For the few days off we had between finals and Napa, it felt really nice and then things hit me really quick when I missed the cut in Napa and came home, I'm kind of in the same boat I was last year, I was a conditional member on Korn Ferry, I had to Monday into Utah, so well into the season. I kind of feel like I'm in that same boat of every start I get I need to take advantage of. And obviously the play at Napa wasn't what I wanted to start with, but knowing that I got this tournament right behind it I knew we were in a good spot. I knew if I hit the ball well, I played this course so many times, obviously I was a different kid five or six years ago when I played it in high school and amateur golf, but I know the course so well and I know a lot of guys probably know it well too, but I grew up on it, I grew up playing it. And just for the state of Mississippi you want to make them proud and you want to have somebody in the mix out there. So I'm glad it's me, I'm hoping some other guys can join me as well, but it's just what, it's what you dream of. You dream of playing on the highest level of golf, the PGA TOUR, in your home state, right in your backyard. So we're having a good time to say the least.

Q. I've been told to ask you about your dinner at Smoothie King last night?

HAYDEN BUCKLEY: I did, yeah, I picked up a smoothie last night and ran into a familiar face and we had a mutual friend, so that was kind of funny, kind of getting recognized a little bit more, I guess that's part of the PGA TOUR, but we are in my home state and I guess a lot of guys follow it, it just shows you how many people support you and really follow your career.