THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

January 20, 2022

Graeme McDowell

PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course

Quick Quotes

Q. (No Microphone.)

GRAEME MCDOWELL: I think my caddy and I are both looking at each other wondering why it's taken us so long to get here. Obviously the weather is perfect and these golf courses are so well presented and it's the place to play early in the season because you feel like you get the conditions to go out there and make some birdies and see exactly where your game is.

So it was nice to obviously make a few putts today and kind of post a number and get myself off to a good start this week.

Q. Looking at your previous results coming into this week the last five, six events, probably not what you were looking for, what has clicked since this week so far?

GRAEME MCDOWELL: It's definitely last six months been a lot of sort of soul searching, if you like, and I think I've become a bit more settled physically about kind of what I'm trying to do with the golf ball and it's really just been trying to get the head kind of screwed on the right way this season.

I feel like I've kind of got things kind of where I want it, trying to take a very nice consistent approach to the season, try and do the right things as much as I possibly can, not too much pressure being put on myself on a day-to-day basis and that's really how I'm trying to go about this season.

I played quite well in Hawaii last week, disappointed to miss by one in the end and came in here feeling like I know what I'm doing with the golf ball. So, first time seeing La Quinta, I was pretty happy with that effort and back at it tomorrow.

Q. What made you decide to add it to your schedule or what made you decide to come back after all those years?

GRAEME MCDOWELL: I was sort of 50/50 between here and Torrey Pines and guys were telling me I would like this place better from a setup point of view more so than Torrey Pines, with it being such a long, tough golf course. So Saudi is my next event and I just figured San Diego to Saudi was going to be quite a trip as well. And figured, on the way home from Hawaii, I guess missing the cut in Hawaii gave me some extra prep time for this event as well. I was worried about not having seen the three courses and having to come and prepare well for this week, so when I missed the cut there last week it helped, it helped to get my prep ready for this week.