LIV GOLF TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

October 28, 2022

Harold Varner

Trump National Doral

Quick Quotes

Q. You've played well every time you've played this course?

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, it's pretty true.

Q. Different story today?

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, I played well, though. I think I would have beat a lot of people. It was good. You've just got to take care of what you can take care of. It just sucks we didn't make it as a team. I don't really have much to say because winning isn't winning if you're going home.

Q. Normally when you play well, it really does a lot for you.

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, it's normal, but you adapt to things, and we knew it was a team thing when we got here. We knew what we needed to do to win, and we didn't win.

Yeah, it just sucks.

Q. Is it tough to adapt?

HAROLD VARNER III: No, it's golf. Like if I play better than you I'm going to win 99 percent of the time.

Q. Have you talked to your teammates?

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, that's what you're supposed to do. It's called a team. I didn't really like how Piot handled himself. I think no matter if you're losing, you keep your head up and just take it on the chin.

I loved the way that Turk and Hudson competed. Went out and watched their last three holes that they played, two or three holes. They competed great. Just you want to win. Pretty simple.

Q. There's been a lot of camaraderie amongst players all season; how was it today when it's match play now and game faces are on?

HAROLD VARNER III: I think it's more. I think you know what's at stake. I think you want to make more money. If you play well, you're going to make more. I would love to be playing for another $500,000. That would be great.

We're not, so...

Q. You put your game face on --

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, but my game face is a smile. At the end of the day, I love playing golf. I love competing. Brooks and I have been friends for a while, so it's fun. It's healthy. But you just want to win. That's why you play.

It was a lot of fun. Yeah, nothing you can do. A lot of times you sit there and say you're in control, and you're not really in control. You just handle what you can handle, and I think that's what I did, and we lost.

Q. This ends your inaugural season with LIV. How would you sum up the experience --

HAROLD VARNER III: I could sit here all day and answer that, but I would sum it up, it's a lot of back and forth. I try to stay out of the weeds. I'm having a lot of fun, and I'm going to have a great off-season. I'm going to do a lot of hunting and I'm going to raise a lot of money for my foundation. That's all I've ever wanted to do. Nothing changes; I just have more time to do it.

Q. What are you going to do with your downtime after this?

HAROLD VARNER III: I'm going to go to some football games, do everything I wanted to do before.

Q. What about playing?

HAROLD VARNER III: I play golf all the time. I play an interclub this weekend.

Q. So you'll play four or five days a week?

HAROLD VARNER III: I'll play more than that. Yeah, that's what I do. I ain't crunching numbers. I won't practice, I'll play.

Q. Do you feel a sense of jealousy from anyone else in the golf world about the fact that you can take a month or two off?

HAROLD VARNER III: I think the media is doing a great job of making that happen, but yeah, definitely there is. I'm sure there is. Jealousy is human nature. You ain't ever going to get away from it. You could put half the money out and people would be jealous. People love to be loved, love to be cared about.

Q. I talked with James yesterday and he mentioned how you look at him and his role and him being a really young kid out on this Tour; you called him lucky. You see him being in a very lucky position?

HAROLD VARNER III: Him? I don't think he's in a lucky position; I think it's called the right time, and I think we all were in at the right time. So a little bit, yeah, I think we're all lucky, but I think if he doesn't make it on LIV, he's going to have to go work his way up on the PGA TOUR, and I think if you can tell him what's ahead, he can be prepared the best he can. That's his job.

Q. For really young kids like Eugenio and Turk and these guys, what can they actually benefit from out here?

HAROLD VARNER III: They're going to be loaded before they go play. I'm firing at every pin; what you talking about?

Yeah, it's just different. I'm so happy for them. They embrace it. They just need to know that it's not all shits and giggles. It's going to be different if you're not out here. It's just the way it is. It always loved it. It molded me. It made me really a great player.

But I just think there was a better opportunity for me at the time, and those guys just haven't seen it. Simple as that. They've had great amateur careers and there's a lot of guys that have had great amateur careers that haven't paid off on the PGA TOUR. So be prepared. You're playing against great players. Learn the most you can so if it doesn't work out out here you'll be prepared to be successful on the PGA TOUR.

Q. You're going to play all 14 events next year; have you heard if the schedule is really getting close to being finalized?

HAROLD VARNER III: I have no clue. Know nothing about it. I think we have to play all 14. If they gave us 20, I'd play all 20.

Q. You haven't heard when they might finalize it?

HAROLD VARNER III: I don't know.

Q. 2023 is going to be different (indiscernible)

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, our team is going to be awesome. We're going to be good. Just want him to be healthy. Yeah, we could have used him but you don't get to choose that life. It's called adversity; it is what it is.

I had a great time with the guys. They are awesome. Yeah, I want to see Turk and I want to see Piot progress. Those are two things that I care about the most. Hudson I could care less. He's won twice on the PGA TOUR. He's a great guy. He's good at golf. Those guys are just young -- those young guys just don't know. It's just the way it is.

Well, Turk has had some. He's played a little Korn Ferry. He knows what it's about. But I think he had a lot of fun out here. You enjoy it, you keep going.

Q. Speaking of fun, is it a different kind of fun than you had at the TOUR? Is it more fun?

HAROLD VARNER III: I had fun at the TOUR. I don't struggle with it whatsoever. I am a fun, outgoing person, so the situation isn't what everyone else makes it out to be. My job is to enjoy what I do. I know I couldn't work a 9 to 5 and make the same amount of money, and I love competition, so yeah, it's just the same thing, just more money.

Q. Looking back on this year, what would you call your best event?

HAROLD VARNER III: Best event? I'd say the one I played the best, so I'd say Bangkok. That's what I want to do; I want to play well.