RBC HERITAGE

April 15, 2022

Erik Van Rooyen

Harbour Town Golf Links

Quick Quotes

Q. Difficult conditions out there today. How would you kind of assess your play?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: A-plus. Hit the ball extremely well the last two days. Yesterday -- the difference was just I made a couple more putts today, which is great.

Bogeyed a couple on the back nine, probably the two hardest holes out there today, so I'm not too worried about it. Just really happy with the state of my game.

Q. Did you put a new driver in play this week?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: No, I've got the Rogue in play since January. It's just been going really well this week.

Q. I thought I saw something on social media you put something new.

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: Nothing new. I've been playing the fairway wood as well. Last week at the Masters I dabbled with the hybrid, which is nice, but it's just sort of flying too high for these windy conditions. So I've got the 2 with the 3-iron in the bag this week, yeah.

Q. The wind kind of switched directions today. How did that make the course play different?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: I think it just makes the finishing stretch really hard. 15, the par-5's back into the wind. So you won't see anybody reach the green in two today. 16, the drive's key, and then it's downwind. 17's easy, but if you -- there's a little hump in the green. If you fly that hump, you're going over the green. So that's tough.

18, you've got to get the gusts right, and I didn't. Jim Herman, who played with me today, didn't. So I think that finishing stretch play really tough. The rest of the holes, if you can keep it underneath the trees, you'll be just fine.

Q. You were talking about how you play well in the wind, you're kind of used to it. Is there any part of you that likes it when it gets windy? Like deep down, I know I'm going to be able to do well?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: Yeah, to be honest with you, I don't care for the conditions. I feel like I'm prepared for anything that's coming my way.

But I do enjoy the wind. I think, like I mentioned, it brings out the creativity in me, and you've got to hit it low and fade it and draw it around trees and with the wind or against the wind. In this golf course you've got to do that, and I do that quite well.

Q. When you say I don't care for it, you mean I don't care about it, right?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: Yeah, exactly. I don't care if it's raining or windy or quiet, whatever it is.

Q. Your mustache, is it naturally buoyant like that, or do you have to use wax?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: No, this is a grooming process in the morning.

Q. Do you have a favorite wax that you use?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: Not a favorite. The wax that I had actually didn't hold strong enough, now that's just straight up pomade hair product that's in there.

Q. Oh, pomade, like Dapper Dan? With the mustache, would you consider more of an individual expression of style, a branding exercise, or a combination of the two?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: Definitely no branding intent there, but my grandfather had a mustache his whole life. I used to do it for Christmas, and this one kind of stuck around for a little while. People seem to like it.

My wife dislikes it. So there's definitely a shelf life to this thing, but who knows when that will be.

Q. What do people ask you about more, the mustache or always seeing your ankles?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: I think that's kind of fading away now. People hopefully are getting used to it. The opinions are all across the board. Similar with the mustache, definitely a lot more positive vibes right off the bat. Yeah, people like it.

Q. I asked Matt Kuchar what he thought about your mustache, and he had no opinion, but he said he has nice ankles. How does it make you feel to know Matt Kuchar likes your ankles?

ERIK VAN ROOYEN: Yeah, he mentioned something to me at the British Open one year as well. Yeah, no comment (laughter).