BARRACUDA CHAMPIONSHIP

July 17, 2022

Chez Reavie

Tahoe Mountain Club

Press Conference

HALEY PETERSON: We would like to welcome Chez Reavie, the 2022 Barracuda Championship winner. You just captured your third PGA TOUR victory. What does it feel like?

CHEZ REAVIE: It's amazing. It was stressful out there today with the wind and missing some putts early, and was fortunate to make some good putts coming in and pull it off.

Q. Leading after the second and third rounds, a little bit slower start, but what was the mentality where you picked it up?

CHEZ REAVIE: I was hitting good shots early. Even today I had some good looks. Good look on 1, left it just short, three-putted 2 for par. So I had some good looks, and I started to get the urge to get impatient. I told myself, just relax, you're hitting good shots, just give yourself some looks, you'll knock some in, and it took a while, but I eventually did.

Q. This leaderboard was moving quite a bit today. Was that a conversation you're having with your caddie where you like to know where you are standing on the leaderboard or did you do any leaderboard watching?

CHEZ REAVIE: I didn't look at a leaderboard until I walked off the 9th green. I birdied 8 and 9, just took a look to see where I was at, and then pretty much on the back nine I looked every time I could, every other hole, every third hole. I knew where I sat the entire time. Yeah, just had to grind it out and make some putts.

Q. Are there any holes in particular that seemed kind of crucial to lock down that lead?

CHEZ REAVIE: I mean, it wasn't really locked down until I tapped in on 18, but when I birdied 16, I knew -- I figured Alex probably did, as well, but I knew I should still be a shot ahead. I watched him make par on 17, and then walking up 18 fairway, I saw him make par, so I knew all I had to do was make a par to win the tournament, so I kind of played that way.

Q. Beautiful tournament here in the mountains, had your wife here greenside to greet you and other friends here, as well. What was it like to have that support this week?

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, it was great. We had a great time. We stayed down by the lake. It was the first time I had actually ever seen the lake. I stayed at North Star last week and had no idea that the lake was 10 minutes away, so this year we rented a place down by the lake, and yeah, walked to dinner every night, walked around the lake, walked on the beach, and really had a great week.

Q. How would you assess your season so far going into this week? How were you feeling about things?

CHEZ REAVIE: I've been playing well the last couple of months. I just hadn't quite put it all together, but I started putting better and then I started hitting good golf shots and then I started missing putts. When I showed up at the Travelers in Hartford, I had a good week, a really solid week, finished eighth, I believe, and just wanted to carry that momentum.

Q. What do you think -- thinking back, this is years ago, but coming back from the wrist injury and you had to go back to the Korn Ferry finals, looking back years later, how would you describe what motivated you to put in the work? I know you had said at times it seemed 50/50 whether you would be back here. Now you've won twice since that.

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, the wrist injury was scary, having surgery and then being in a cast for that long, not knowing if it worked or not. That was pretty nerve-racking. Fortunately that was a while ago. The wrist hasn't bothered me in quite a while. I've been fortunate, and I can play and practice all I want, and it doesn't give me any trouble at all.

Q. What does it feel like coming down the stretch in the mix, kind of going back and forth? You've got Alex in front of you making birdies, just that whole emotion of being on the back nine of the PGA TOUR?

CHEZ REAVIE: It's so fun. I look forward to it so much. It's nerve-racking, it's exciting, it's frustrating, it's all the emotions, but I love it. I love the way that feels. I love it when my stomach is upset in the morning when I wake up because I'm nervous, and that's why I practice and play so much, just to create those moments.

Q. How did you spend the morning? I know you mentioned last night you sometimes get restless waiting for your tee time.

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, so I was up at 6:45 watching the British Open until about 10:30 and then I got ready and came out here and went in the trailer, worked out a little bit and got ready to go.

Q. Would you consider yourself a golf fan? When you're not playing do you watch tournaments?

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, I definitely do, especially when I have friends that are playing well, I want to watch them and root them on. Yeah, so whenever I'm at home and I've got some free time I definitely turn golf on.

Q. What does it mean to be a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR? Obviously every win is different, but in the context of your career knowing you've won three times.

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, it's exciting. It's always fun. This game beats you up so much, you really have to enjoy when you play well and when you do win, and I'm looking forward to the fourth.

Q. We talked yesterday, the fans are all going nuts about ChezFest on social. What's ChezFest for you and how are you going to celebrate ChezFest tonight?

CHEZ REAVIE: I don't know, the family is here. We were supposed to fly out tonight, but they've changed all the flights and changed plans, so they've got something planned for us tonight. I'm not sure what that is yet.

Q. Some sort of celebratory meal or --

CHEZ REAVIE: I'm sure, yeah. There will be a few bottles of wine, maybe some tequila and some dinner for sure.

Q. You said you looked at the leaderboard for the first time after the ninth hole; just wondering your thoughts seeing Alex who started the day nine points behind you, was only one point behind you at the turn. What was going on in your head then?

CHEZ REAVIE: You know, it's funny; I went into the trailer and started warming up, and Alex was in there warming up. For some reason I had a feeling, Alex is going to play really well today. I was like, it makes a good story; he got in the British Open and wasn't there and he was here. I was like, what a way for him to turn that around and be like I missed the British Open but I won the Barracuda. I just had a feeling he was going to play well, so I really wasn't that surprised when I saw his name up there.

Q. If you look at it in stroke play terms, you had the same score on the back nine. You bogeyed the same hole and you birdied both of the same holes, as well. On the broadcast we could see you looking at each other what you were doing; how was that?

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, I was watching him. I didn't see him birdie 16 just because it's over the hill, but I assumed he did just because it kind of fits his game perfectly and he was playing well. So when I got on 17 I watched him make par, and I got on the green on 17 and I knew exactly where he was and I was. I was watching him on 18 to see if he was going to make birdie or not, and I saw he made a par, so then I was like, okay, let's just fly it up there by the hole and two-putt and get out of here.

Q. With the partnership between the PGA TOUR and the DP World Tour, you are now exempt on the DP World Tour until the end of 2024. Are we likely to see you in Europe over the next few years?

CHEZ REAVIE: Yeah, absolutely will. I'll get over there. I had no idea that that was on the table until I finished. I'm excited. I would love to go to Europe and play and maybe go play in the BMW or something and get over there. I'd enjoy that a lot.