HUNTSVILLE CHAMPIONSHIP

April 30, 2022

Harrison Endycott

Press Conference

Q. Harrison, five stroke lead after 54 holes played. How are you feeling right now?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah, feels nice. I played great today. Hit the ball exactly where I wanted to. To be honest with you, I don't think I missed a shot out there today.

Yeah, no, I just felt really comfortable out there. I visually loved it. Executed well. Made some putts.

No, I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. Is there anything specific about today that made you settle in a little bit more? Did you just get on a run?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: To be fair, it was more just trying to hit fairways and greens. That was the all I focused on today. These golf courses are all about fairways and greens. I thought, you know what? My putting feels really good. If I can just give myself looks all day, I'm going to shoot a good score.

I managed to do that today. I hit it great. Like just was probably one of the best ball striking days I've hit in a long time. Yeah, just I felt -- didn't matter how I moved. I just felt like I was hitting the center of the face, start lines, hit my windows, I was hitting my numbers.

Yeah, it just felt really, really comfortable out there today.

Q. When was the last time -- I know this is the first time you've had a 54-hole lead on the Korn Ferry Tour. When was the last time you had the lead going into the final round?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Don't know. I have no idea. Four years of being pro have been pretty frustrating so I don't know.

You know, probably when I was an amateur back in Australia maybe. You kind of just forget about those little things, you know.

But, yeah, no, look, it is really nice to have a lead going into tomorrow. I've still a lot a lot of hard work to play tomorrow. Guys out here are really good.

I'm expecting someone to shoot a low one again tomorrow. I'm prepared for that, and I just want to get some sleep and have an easy night tonight and try to get out and do my best again tomorrow, see what happens.

Q. Would you consider 17 a fairway hit? I think you hit every fairway. Would you consider that one?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: No. Actually, no, because I was mad about that. I said to my caddie, I was like, damn it. I missed the fairway there. The lady in the green right there, I said to her, like I'm going to slot it straight to her and I didn't leave her, so that was nice.

And also like it was a bit of a weird start. I was in three divots in the first six holes, which was, yeah, really weird.

Anyway, I was really happy with how I managed to just stay calm and hit my shots and give myself as many opportunities as I could.

Q. How do you not let yourself get ahead of yourself having a five-shot lead and worrying, oh, I've got one to burn? Do you have a way or will you talk to someone or do you have experience?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: I don't know. At the end of the day it's just another round of golf. You know, it's like we've seen in the past a lot of really, really good players be in situations like that and close it out or not close it out.

You know, I just think tomorrow my strategy is just to -- I'm going to talk to my coach back in Australia and I'm just going to try and focus on what we do well this week and just take that into tomorrow's round regardless of the result.

You know, obviously I want to win this tournament, but at the same time, still got 18 more holes to play with a lot of good players behind me.

So, yeah, it's just focus on just keeping one shot at a time, keep it in front of me.

Q. I know it's not been the season you probably -- start of the season at least; I think you were hundredth on the points. Did you see these days coming?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah.

Q. Was there signs?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah. I've been really frustrated this year. I felt like I played close to how I played this week nearly every week. I think there is probably two weeks out there where I didn't play that well.

I just -- it was very hard to be optimistic about that because like I know it's -- you know, you got to focus on the process, but results kind of kick you in the face a little bit.

When you don't have the results when you want to and you're not seeing -- you know, you feel like you're doing the process really well and just the results aren't happening, it's frustrating.

You know, that's just part of the grind. Like I said earlier in the week, that's the challenge. Any of the best players in the world will tell you that.

Q. You said frustrating is how you describe your almost entire pro career. What do you mean when you say that?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Just being close many times. I lost in a playoff back in Australia like I think it was my second event out as a pro.

You know, I just haven't been -- I just haven't been able to quite get myself in position where I want to be in position to give myself that chance.

I learnt how to do that as an amateur, but not quite yet as a professional. That's frustrating within yourself. It's something that, you know, you expect high things of yourself, but at the same time, there is a lot of good players around the world.

You got to do a lot of things well, and that's what -- where I'm trying to get at. It's patience. It's sticking to that process and being humble about it.

Q. What do you remember sort of about back in like 2016, '17 when you sort of made the decision to come to the U.S.? You played Latin American Tour, but just the decision to come and try and work your way to the tour in this fashion.

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Week it's where the PGA TOUR is. I still want to play the PGA TOUR. That's the pathway I felt that I had to go. You know, in Australia it's very challenging to play this tour and live there, so you make the career change and you pack up stuff and go and play overseas.

That's what I intended to do since I was a small kid. So, yeah, regardless of where I end up in my career or whatever, I'm doing something that I've always said I wanted to do. I proved a lot of high school teachers wrong which is fantastic.

They sucked. But, no, there was some good ones there. But, no, it was great to be able to come play in the States and play all around the world. It's just an amazing feeling, and I'm only 25.

Q. Does that get you fired up because of the doubters?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah, it's like what I mean by that, it's not like it's doubts or anything, but it's just like typical high school and typical school.

It's just like everyone is wanting to -- they're busting to get into college and get a job. I'm like, no, I'm playing golf overseas.

It's something that not a lot of people get to go and experience, and, yeah, to be able to go over and actually do that, yeah, and play all -- I played in Europe, over here, played in South America, played in New Zealand, Middle East. It's like pretty cool once you think about it.

Q. And on the note of you being 25, sort of making this journey, are you where you thought you would be or do you think you're behind schedule, ahead of schedule? What do you think?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: I think there is no schedule, is but I would be lying to say that I would like to be on the -- playing on the PGA TOUR at this time. I mean, you can't press that.

You can't, because there is a lot of guys out there that get there later. You know, it's just everyone plays well in their turn. I don't know, maybe this week is meant to be; maybe it's not. I don't know.

But I think once you start kind of expecting where you should be instead of worrying about what you've got, I think that's what kills a lot of players. It's killed me a few times, too.

That's part of the learning experience of it.

Q. I hope to bring this up tomorrow, but is it nice being able to tee off a couple hours earlier? We're going to play threes.

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah.

Q. You don't have to -- it's going to be probably a little nerve wracking morning and night. Is it nice to kind of get it going a little earlier?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah. I mean, like I think weather is supposed to be a bit up there tomorrow, isn't it?

Yeah, so it's probably -- yeah, I mean, I don't care. I'm just glad I got a tee time. You know, I think that's -- I'm just looking forward to getting out there tomorrow regardless of whether I'm off at 3:00 in the afternoon or 10:00. Just looking forward to playing and can't wait.

Q. You mentioned you were talking to your coach tonight. What time was what going to be or there and is that like tomorrow over there?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Yeah, that will be around about probably 9:00, 10:00 in the morning tomorrow. I mean, who knows. I don't know if he's going to be at work or like playing with the kids. I've got no idea.

I'll have to make a call. Yeah, just going to keep it simple. I know what my coach is going to say. It's just like hearing a record player go round and round. It's the same thing. Come out and play and hit your shots and trust it and whatever the result is, the result is.

Q. Who is your coach?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: I've actually got Mark and Ben Paterson. They're father and son back that Avondale Golf Club Sydney, Australia.

They've looked after me for quite a few years now since I was pretty young. No, they've been great to me. I'm definitely looking forward to having a chat with them tonight. Keep me sane.

Q. You think one of them will stay up and leaderboard watch?

HARRISON ENDYCOTT: Ben's got two young kids so I don't think so. I think he'll be in bed asleep. Get as much sleep as he can. They're great kids, but, yeah, I don't blame him if he doesn't.