LIV GOLF WASHINGTON DC

May 28, 2023

Harold Varner

Trump National Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Harold Varner III from RangeGoats GC.

Harold, you went wire-to-wire this week. Tell us about your week. You seemed very relaxed. Was it because your family was here? What do you think was it for you this week?

HAROLD VARNER III: I think I've been playing well. It just helps. I've played with my family well. I played terrible with my family there. So that doesn't bother me. They make the bad rounds better. The good rounds are just good rounds. 20 years from now, no one is going to remember who won this tournament, who won any tournament. They are going to remember how you helped them. I've always said that.

So yeah, it's good but at the end of the day, I really wanted to celebrate with the RangeGoats and that's my team, I'm hurting a little bit for TP. I know he's pretty pissed but he'll get better. It just sucks because I know he's super excited to play today.

THE MODERATOR: Going back to your family, it was special watch Liam take pictures. That must be special.

HAROLD VARNER III: Very special. I've never won in America. It's my favorite country -- don't kill me.

But yeah, it's very cool. I felt like I played well. I feel like I get to help a lot of people now, even more people, so that's what kills me sometimes because it costs a lot of money to help a lot of people.

THE MODERATOR: Can you elaborate on that, what you mean by helping more people.

HAROLD VARNER III: Yeah, we have a foundation and we are just going to get people in that -- you want to get people into golf but we started this mentorship and you know, I had two incredible mentors. I had more but two that were awesome, they are 91, 91 and 86 now. I went to breakfast with them a couple weeks ago.

Just I'm getting to the age where I have to enjoy every moment. Before it was like, you know, things they helped me out with in my life. So we are starting to do that in Akron. We are starting to do that in Charlotte. We are doing it in Charleston.

It's just a bigger picture, and I don't want to sit here and explain it. The greatest thing you can do is just go do what's right. I know those two people had such an impact on my life and I want to keep doing that for other people.

THE MODERATOR: That's amazing --

HAROLD VARNER III: Now don't be crying over there. That's why I don't like explaining.

Q. You won in college though, right?

HAROLD VARNER III: I did. I did. I think I did. I don't know. That's my whole point about what I just said. No one is going to remember. It's not -- I remember the team wins, those are fun. Any time you get to share success, that's when it lasts a long time. Just always have that bond. It's why I like the military, any type of police academy, they have this bond for the rest of their lives because they are done something that's been traumatic together and they just stick it out.

Q. So living in America wasn't something that's like, oh, my gosh, I need to post a win at some point in my career?

HAROLD VARNER III: No, never thought about winning. I just enjoy it. It's fun. I love playing golf. That's my favorite thing. I'm going to play tomorrow. It's going to be awesome.

Q. Does that ground you when you have some pressure going into the back nine, you're trying to protect the lead and you-know-that-it's-not-life-or-death, type of thing?

HAROLD VARNER III: I've always thought that but if you start protecting you don't win. I've been in that position. I've had enough losses to grow from and I think I had people around me to ground me. I don't think I need to do it.

Q. What was the conversation with Mito walking towards the 18th tee. You seemed pretty animated. You had your game face on most of the day but seemed like you let it loose a little bit.

HAROLD VARNER III: Well, this is very arrogant. I knew when I hit the green, it was on. Like you know, I just -- yeah, I'm cocky, I'm confident. I hit the green and I was like, let's go. I got this.

But I'll tell half of it. The other half I won't. But Mito looks at me and he goes, "Did you chunk that?"

I go, "For sure I chunked that."

We just laughed. It was good. Mito's caddie and I are -- not real close, but my first caddie on tour, they were really close. They are both from Australia. They talk a little differently if you've ever been around Australians, just saying.

Q. You came to the RangeGoats mainly because of Taylor. Was there a little bit of jealousy when he won two in a row there and he was getting the individual trophies did you feel like, it's going to be my turn at some point?

HAROLD VARNER III: I think jealous would be a strong word. If I'm jealous, I'm not capable of winning. I've always thought that. Probably not right. Don't really care but it's right for me.

I think he was a catalyst to our team wins. Like I told you down there, I really want the RangeGoats up there. It's important to me. Doesn't have to be important to everybody but it is what it is. Like it was cool. Like I smell like doo-doo right now but it would be cool to have three other guys up here to enjoy success.

No, I came because Bubba flew to Charlotte, and he's like, "I want you on my team."

I was like, "Perfect."

Talor and I are really close. I was like, word. We'll leave it like that.

Q. I want to ask you about a couple of shots, obviously holing out from the bunker was --

HAROLD VARNER III: Oh, no, 100 percent. Like you said, I was protecting the lead supposedly and I get it over there to the left. I hit a bad shot, but I've been chipping it well. I've been just grinding it out and trust that like something good is going to happen, I've always believed that, and it did because if it wouldn't have hit the hole, it would be off the green. I have no clue, no one does, because it's at the bottom of the hole.

Q. 1 and 17 and 18, the tee shots there?

HAROLD VARNER III: Best tee shot was 18. Those were good on TV but 18 was the one because I had been hooking it the week before and I got up there and just did my job, and that's what you expect from any person that you hire, that you're around, people in your family, do your job.

Like my wife does an unbelievable job taking care of Liam. If she doesn't do her job, it makes my life harder. I just am so pumped about it.

Q. Nice to see you up on the podium. You're in the middle of the fairway on 18. Can you see the leaderboard? Can you see that Brendan just went to 11?

HAROLD VARNER III: No, but I knew.

You look at the scoreboard in every sport, yeah, I look. Yes, that's why you play, to know what's up.

Q. There was no question?

HAROLD VARNER III: I knew exactly what I had to do, when I had to do, it how I have to do it. I love that. That's why you play, that moment. You don't get as many in golf, like those types of moments but that was mine.

Q. How do you grind down like that and hit a shot like that and just hit it on the green and know, I've got to 2-putt and I'm out of here?

HAROLD VARNER III: You grab a 6-iron. You talk about how confident you are in doing what you said you were going to do, and you focus on what you're going to do, and then you chunk it, you get a little lucky and it rolls up there perfect and then while you're walking, all you can think about is you're laughing but you're like, hey, man, this is all me.

And you don't get many times in life like that because tomorrow it won't be about me. My kid will be screaming. There won't be anything about me.

Q. And where are you playing tomorrow?

HAROLD VARNER III: I think I'm going to play the muni. I'm going to play with these two mores on.

Q. One thing that triggered for me, and your caddie, Chris Rice, you have an incredible relationship and you were able to share that moment at the Saudi International with that incredible put and able to share this together. Tell us about your relationship with him and what this win means for the two of you.

HAROLD VARNER III: Results-wise, it means nothing. But we will forever have a bond. Like I said, success with another person is something that's undefeated. But Ricey and I are -- he's like an older brother. He has gone through some stuff in his life that I haven't yet but I just like being there for him.

Same way, if anything, I'm going through, and we talk very honestly in front of people. Sometimes people don't like that but that's the best friendship in life is to be open and trusting, like, hey, man, I really don't like that.

So there's things that happen in life and you need those people in your life. Like I said, mentorship. But he just happens to be five years older so he pisses me off more than does he help me.

I gave him a wink when the ball went in. Made him happy. Just it is what it is. We are totally opposite when it comes to life but when -- achieving to what we want to do, we are very common. It's just very cool.

Q. You mentioned this earlier, you're on the green on 18, you had 40 feet, two putts to win, what's your thought process there and standing over a tap?

HAROLD VARNER III: The guy that taught me how to play golf, he always said, if it's meant to be, it's up to me. It's not great but it's exactly what you need to have to be successful in life and in golf because there's no one else you can lean on. That's why I'm super happen add did ament about the team aspect because I grew up playing team sports. You always have someone that can pick up. In golf you do not. Not even your caddie. Yeah, I hit the green. I was like, I don't want anyone else to have it.

Q. And the final putt to win it, just your thinking there as you step up to that?

HAROLD VARNER III: Don't f---ing miss. No, I'm joking. But that creeped in. Those are the battles of golf. It's like, I want to go home. If I make this, I get to go home sooner that. Went in there and I was like, shut the f--- up, just make the putt.

Q. And last night when you were sleeping on, after 36 holes and coming into the morning, do you just -- do you have a strategy?

HAROLD VARNER III: I woke up. I thought I was going to win and then I started thinking about how I was going to execute shots, where the pins -- I slept in with my kid so I really didn't think about s--- overnight. I was like, please don't move, dog, please. I'm super fortunate he didn't wake up. Had a good rest. I do the same thing. I ate with Thomas. We were talking about the RangeGoats winning, you know. That's our deal. We eat breakfast together every morning. Kind of weird, like old-man-type-esque. But I enjoy it.

Q. Know you're pals with Ron Rivera. Any words of motivation this week?

HAROLD VARNER III: I have yet to look at my phone. I've left some stuff in his locker. Man, he's been a great friend, him and Stephanie. I don't think you guys know who you have as a coach. He's a mentor. He builds people, which is kind of hard to do when they are making $200 million, and he's just been by my side for, sheesh, since I shot 81 at the PGA, maybe earlier, and I always really appreciate, so every time I'm in the area, I try to get with him.