PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 16, 2024

Jeremy Wells

Valhalla Golf Club

Flash Quotes

THE MODERATOR: 2-under today, how would you summarize your opening round.

JEREMY WELLS: Really solid golf. I hit it great today tee-to-green. I missed maybe three or four greens, and just felt really comfortable with the way I hit the ball. Pretty stress-free overall. Besides just trying to get it in the house and get it over with.

Q. How would you term Oak Hill, not as stress-free?

JEREMY WELLS: Oak Hill was my first major championship, PGA Championship, and I thought the course, the tee balls were a little tighter, and the rough was more penal. That was the difference for me.

Several years of experience under my belt, playing in front of hundreds of people last year and getting used to it. Might be just a touch more room off the tee, and it's a little soft here. I would say those are the two biggest differences so far.

Q. What you do you feel are some of the highlights?

JEREMY WELLS: I birdied down the hill there, No. 13, my 13th hole. Hit it to like three feet and made it.

Q. What did you hit in there?

JEREMY WELLS: I had 80 yards. I hit a wedge that landed behind the hole and spun back. Almost went in. Made the putt.

Followed that up with a great par from 255 on the next hole on the par 3, and then down at the bottom of the hill, No. 14 -- excuse me.

No. 15, I don't know how it didn't go in. I hope it's on camera but the ball -- I hit it to this indicating and made birdie. A nice stretch of 3, 3, 3 down there at the bottom of the hill, and that's when I kind of knew it was a special day. It's great. Longest putt I made.

Unfortunately was about eight feet for par on the fifth hole, I feel like that was probably the longest putt I missed. So just tee-to-green kind of had a good thing going today.

Q. What did you hit in at 15 to hit it so close?

JEREMY WELLS: I had 144. I hit like a smooth pitching wedge and I just missed it the right amount and it almost -- I was trying to hit it like five yards past the pin and caught it a little low and it was close.

So that would have been really cool. For me to hear the noise and reaction from the crowd doesn't happen in my normal life. So it was great. Loving it out there.

Q. You talk about comfort level year over year. Having done it once, do you have an approach this year that you were going to know what to expect or be a little bit more comfortable?

JEREMY WELLS: Yeah, so the biggest thing this year, I wanted to be ready to play good golf on Thursday morning, or afternoon. Last year felt like a lot of extra things.

You know, I did everything possible before last year's event, right. It was my first year as a PGA member. It was my first PGA Championship and I was probably fairly tired when I showed up at Oak Hill last year. Four full 18-hole practise rounds later, I kind of -- maybe I overdid it. I had a blast, but for us when you come to one of these, you never know if you're going to play in one again, right. No regrets from that.

This year was more systematic. I had a plan. And best thing that happened to me this year was yesterday I was on the 10th tee waiting to tee off and snuck my way in with Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler's back nine practice round. So I'm on the first tee today, got like 12 people watching and I know them all, right.

Yesterday, it was the real deal. To have that experience yesterday, to be so heightened and so nervous in a practice round, and I hit it fine. I survived. And that made today feel a little bit -- so thanks to those guys. They were super welcoming and kind, and that was -- I think that was a big deal for me.

Q. I'll ask you, finally, from me, talk about being a first-year PGA Member a year ago, is that right?

JEREMY WELLS: A little over a year. I mean, that was the first year I was eligible for last year's event and that was the first one I was eligible for.

Q. Were you in the business before that?

JEREMY WELLS: I did. I taught golf for a handful of years now, and then I just did my levels, PGA work, over a few years and became a member a couple years ago.

It's funny, I'm mentoring associates now who are kind of slow playing their book work just like I did, and I sent out an only like three weeks ago, thought about it. Got to motivate this group, right. Zero responses.

So hopefully they see this interview. And I'm going to craft a really good e-mail next week when I get home and see if we can get it going because this is one of the very cool perks and opportunities as a member.