JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 6, 2023

Grayson Murray

TPC Deere Run

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Grayson, off to a great start. I know the one blemish there at the end, but still a 7-under 64. Just a few comments. Did you feel a round like this coming? How have you been feeling heading into the week?

GRAYSON MURRAY: You know what, I've been playing really good on the Korn Ferry TOUR and got a win about a month ago and a third place out there.

I'm in a good position out there to lock up my card here soon, and I felt like coming out here with an opportunity to kind of double-dip, as you could say, and play a little more free knowing that my card is pretty much locked up out there.

Yeah, I've been playing great. My caddie keeps giving me the confidence that I need out there on the course. Yeah, it's a good start. I would like to keep it going the next few days and hopefully be in a position on Sunday to have a chance.

THE MODERATOR: Speaking of confidence, I've obviously seen you for years and years. You look great. You're obviously in great shape. You're obviously taking care of yourself physically. How much of an impact do you see that translate out on the golf course?

GRAYSON MURRAY: A lot. I've been working really hard on just a lot of things off the course. It makes my golf just seem easier. When things are in place off the course, you can tell a guy that has his mind in a good spot off the course by his game.

It's a tough lifestyle that some guys -- that a lot of people don't realize. You go through up and downs out here on tour.

I'm trying to make it where it's not my life; it's just kind of what I do and put things in perspective. I've got a good support team around me that's encouraging me. Yeah, I'm doing a lot of good thing off the course that's translating on to the course.

Q. Following up on that, how difficult is it to separate Grayson the golfer from Grayson the person when a lot of your life is wrapped up in golf and you are spending so much time around the game? How difficult is it to have that separation?

GRAYSON MURRAY: It is, it's tough. I try to fill my time with some positive things off the course, whether it's going to the gym or hitting up a movie. We have a lot of downtime, and I would say I was not good at prioritizing that in the past.

I'm 29 years old now. I've been out here a long time, and I kind of had a "coming to Jesus" moment a little bit and said, hey, look, I have an opportunity here. I probably haven't reached my prime yet.

You know, I can get on a good solid ten-year run, and that's what I plan on doing. I'm in such a good spot right now where I don't want to change anything I'm doing, if that makes sense.

Q. Coming back off that crash that you had last year and the accident in October, do you still have anything kind of still weighing on you from there, or are you still dealing with anything from that, or are you feeling more back like yourself after that?

GRAYSON MURRAY: I feel a lot better than I did. It took a few months. My knee really took a beating. That was just adversity that I've dealt with in the past with other adversity moments. I think it's one of those things that that's part of my story now.

I still have knee trouble every now and then. Just the scar tissue hasn't really broken in yet. I'm still trying to break it through. Other than that, I feel great. My body feels great, yeah.

Q. Why do you think you've seen so much better results on the Korn Ferry TOUR than on the PGA TOUR when you have to go even lower on the Korn Ferry TOUR to score and produce there?

GRAYSON MURRAY: I think I take an approach out there like I'm the best. That's what type of approach I want to take out here eventually.

There are so many good players out there as well, but the top guys out here are really good. I think you see it with a lot of guys. If they get on a stretch where they're playing good and gaining confidence, they have that type of mentality.

That's what it is. You've got to see results out on the course before you can start having that confidence. You can't just have it in you at all times, I feel like.

I think everyone kind of goes through some ups and downs with their confidence, but if you see the results and believe in yourself, then I think there's no reason that I can't step on the first tee and think that I'm the best player in the field, without a cocky way of saying it.

Q. You went out in 31 on the back, which happens a lot around here, but then you come to number 2 and knock it in. Take us through that hole.

GRAYSON MURRAY: I pushed my drive on number 2, and we didn't have a great lie, so we decided to lay up. Actually kind of a little flier and big bounce to the left. Almost went in the water. Probably another yard or two it probably would have rolled down in the water, but had perfect angle, 50-some yards to the pin.

You know, those are just lucky bounces. It's one of those that I picked perfect, but it rolled in. Obviously that's a bonus. Yeah, we played that hole smart.

I think in the past I probably would have been a little impatient on a hole that you are supposed to birdie at least and maybe have gone for it with that bad lie and maybe walked off with six. So obviously walking off with three, you're probably picking up a stroke and a half on the field, but in my head I felt like I picked up even more just by laying up.

Q. When you get those bonuses, does that make you want to step on the gas harder?

GRAYSON MURRAY: Yeah. There's a tough few holes after that hole, like three or four holes in a row, five holes in a row where I would say that's kind of the meat of the course and you are just trying to make pars. If you make a birdie in there, that's a bonus.

I missed a loot of greens coming down the stretch. Probably didn't hit the shots I needed off the tee, the right clubs. We're going to change that a little bit tomorrow and play a little more conservative off of some of those tees.

Yeah, I mean, I think I would have taken 7-under before the round started.

Q. Did you see the 62 on the board before you started?

GRAYSON MURRAY: I did. I saw Jonas shot 62. There's always a low one out there. When you are in the afternoon wave, there's someone that's going to go low. It's nothing that you can control. You can't control it. So I know that it gives you confidence that there is a low one out there.

Yeah, he is a great putter and great player, and he has won out here before. I don't see him coming back to the field at all the next three days. So I just have to keep the pedal down. I have to keep doing what I'm doing and not look ahead.

Q. Did that at all change your approach to this round?

GRAYSON MURRAY: No, not really. Shoot, I started off the round missing two 5-footers in a row for birdie. It was, like, is it going to be one of those days, you know?

Q. Yes, it is (laughing).

GRAYSON MURRAY: Ended up being a better day than I thought after the second hole, but yeah, obviously seeing a 9-under will give you a little bit of confidence that, hey, there's a low one out there to be had.

But no golf tournament -- you can't win it on the first day. You can only put yourself in position going forward. I just want to put a good number out there in the morning and have a chance to play well on Saturday to give myself a chance on Sunday. That's all I can ask for.

Q. Bouncing back and forth between the tours, when you do get an opportunity out here on the big tour, what's your approach? I mean, does it change? Do you think, okay, I've got to get it done? I finally got an opportunity out here, I have to get it done. Or what is the mindset when you get a PGA TOUR start?

GRAYSON MURRAY: With my status out here this year with the past champion category, it's kind of tough. You don't really know what you are going to get into.

Luckily, I had pretty good success right off the bat when I started playing out on the Korn Ferry. I pretty much have locked up my card out there, like I was saying earlier.

I think that right there gives me a little more freedom when I do get into these events too knowing that, hey, I'm going to be all right for next year. Now this is just kind of bonus.

Obviously I teed up this week to win, but anything will help me going forward, whether it's the top 10, a top 5, whatever. I think I'm just going to keep the same approach that I've been keeping out on the Korn Ferry, which I've been doing really well on, so...