VERITEX BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

April 16, 2022

Tyson Alexander

Press Conference

Q. Tyson Alexander, you just defended your title here at the Veritex Bank Championship. How are you feeling right now?

TYSON ALEXANDER: I'm feeling great. It kind of hadn't sunk in quite yet, but yeah, this place is obviously pretty special for me.

And, yeah, it's just something about this place I guess that gets me going.

Q. Talk about I guess you made history today. Has that sunk in at all yet, I mean, how big this win really is, and not just for you, but for KFT?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, I mean, whenever you can be the first person to do something, I thinks that's cool.

Hopefully I'm not back here next year; hopefully I'm on the TOUR.

But today a win is a win and I'll defend any title anywhere, so I'll take it.

Q. When do you think it's going to sink in for you?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Hopefully, I mean, pretty soon here. I think I'm going to got truck and maybe have a beverage and start celebrating. Yeah, I've already got a bunch of text messages and stuff like that, so it's pretty cool.

Q. Walk me through your round today. In the morning guys were going extremely low, and you knew that going into your round. You see the leaderboard and how low those guys are going, so walk me through how that felt.

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, I thought the front nine was pretty stress-free. Just kind of worked my way through the golf course pretty easily. Hit it really close for eagle on 9 and missed to shoot 4.

And then, yeah, the back nine I still had a bunch of good looks but I just couldn't make a birdie putt. I hit it really close on 17 and it kind of hit an old cup and kind of lipped out.

But yeah, I still had good looks on 16, 17, even 15, and, yeah, I just kind of felt like I was in control, and here we are.

Q. Coming up the stretch did you feel the pressure of I have to make these pars or birdies to solidify my win?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, I always tell people that like when you're playing well, you know, it's like it's a good nervous. You know, when I've got my good stuff and I'm playing well, I'm excited.

So I had that bit of nerves, but it was a good nerve. It kind of means something when you're nervous, so that's what I kept telling myself.

Q. Talk about, I mean, you've done this before. Going into the rest of the season, what's that mindset like knowing you've done this before but hopefully this it's a different outcome for you?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, I think I've been making strides this year. I don't think my results have shown that. I've made a bunch of cuts but haven't really had any top finishes. I finished 9th in Lake Charles, which is pretty good.

But, yeah, I think if I just kind of keep doing what I'm doing, we'll add them up at the end.

Q. It's hard to win once out here. You've done it twice, defended your title. Can you kind of attest to the competition out here you're facing out here week in and week out?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, I don't think -- I don't know, I don't think some people realize how good we are honestly. I live back in Jacksonville, in Ponte Vedra, and I play and practice with guys that are on TOUR, and I don't think there is much of a difference.

There are guys that are high up on the World Ranking. You know they're pretty good, but I think a lot of us are pretty good, too. It's just a testament. It's just hard. Golf is hard right now. It's competitive and it's hard to win.

I think the Korn Ferry is very competitive.

Q. So for you, what does this win do for your confidence going into the next couple events?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, it's awesome. Yeah, it's just everybody is trying to get a TOUR card, everyone is trying to get a win, everyone is trying to have top finishes and get as many points as you can, and this is a big boost for me. Like I said, I'm just going to kind of keep doing what I'm doing and we'll see what happens.

Q. How far away does that stretch of like as you characterized it, really bad golf last year? How far away does that feel?

TYSON ALEXANDER: It feels far. Yeah, I mean, I guess I was lost honestly back then and I just kind of didn't realize it.

I was fighting my golf swing and trying to make it work, and I'm just I guess just light years from where I was.

And golf is hard. You can get in a rut sometimes and it's tough to get out. Like I just said, a lot of good golfers out here; you can't finish well with your C game.

Yeah, I'm in a much better place physically with my golf game and I think mentally, too.

Q. After the win last year you talked about fighting your swing. Was it more something clicked into place once you came here, or just it was a great week and you just took the confidence from that and that propelled you?

TYSON ALEXANDER: I want to say I was working on the right things. It just kind of wasn't working. I think you just got to be persistent and just kind of keep fighting.

It's just hard. I mean, I don't know any other way to put it. It's just you could be -- you could play good golf and not score well; you can play not-that-great golf and score well.

It's just like you got to just -- it's just very fickle. Golf is weird, man.

Q. You've won twice now with the same caddie on your bag for both those wins. Is he going to continue caddieing for you?

TYSON ALEXANDER: No, he's got a regular job. He's one of my best friends who lives in Dallas. But, yeah, I mean, I want to -- like my normal caddie, Mike, like he deserves some credit. He's been there with me for the good the bad as well.

I just gave him a big hug and I told him, you know, that he's part of this win just as much as anybody. Will is my buddy. He knows when I'm feeling angsty. He knows when he needs to make me laugh. So we had a good relationship out there this week.

Q. (Regarding which win means more.)

TYSON ALEXANDER: The first one, yeah.

Q. Why is that?

TYSON ALEXANDER: I just -- I mean, my track record coming in here was pretty crappy. I mean, I remember going into Sunday and I was just trying to have a good finish. Next thing you know I was kind of in the mix and it happened.

This one kind of felt different. I felt like I know this place well; I'm playing well; why not me?

So, yeah, I thought definitely the first one was harder.

Q. And then it's hard to win. The fact that you won here last year, did you have that in the back of your mind? Like, Hey, I know I can do this; whereas sometimes you also have to lie to yourself?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah. Back in college I won the Azalea Amateur two years in a row, so I kind of kept thinking about that, you know. I won it the first year and then I won it the next year, and winning here last year I kind of was like, you know what? I've done it this before. I've played good golf on this golf course before. I've won back-to-back tournaments before.

So I just kept saying that done this before.

Q. (Regarding worst round of 5-under.)

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah.

Q. How do you explain the fact that eight times you've never had a day where you're walking off the course shaking your head?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, that's weird. They put the graphic up that I was 39-under for my last seven rounds. I know I've played good here, but it's like when you see that number it's like, whoa, okay, that is pretty good.

Yeah, I just think that I just know how to play around here, and I know where to be conservative and when to be aggressive. It's just kind of a golf course that I picked up kind of quickly and I'm running with it.

Q. (Regarding cowboy boots/trophy.)

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah, I think I told you, I think whenever there is a trophy that kind of resembles the city or the state and they put some thought into it, I think that's pretty cool.

Yeah, I saw that they put it on Instagram that this was going to be the new trophy for the event, and I just I think that's pretty cool. This is my first pair of cowboy boots, so pretty cool.

Q. Are you going to have two pairs now?

TYSON ALEXANDER: Well, I don't know if these are mine or what, but I got fitted on Monday for mine, and, I mean, I would assume I get two pairs. I don't know.

But I'll take one. I don't care.

Q. And then just the week in general, I mean, it was a jam-packed week. (No microphone.)

TYSON ALEXANDER: Yeah. Honestly, I was really excited to be done with everything. I was excited to play the first round of golf because I could just focus on golf and do my thing.

Don't get me wrong, throwing the first pitch out is great, getting cowboy boots for the first time is cool, but I just kept telling myself, Hey, we're here for a golf tournament, we're here to play good, and I was kind of excited to tee it up the first round and get going.

Q. Do you think that this win has made you...(Wind interference.)

TYSON ALEXANDER: I'm going to keep going. I mean, hopefully -- I don't know. I still think there is people out there that know my dad from the past and what he's done in coaching and playing, but I like where I'm trending.