CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE

May 22, 2024

Ryan Palmer

Colonial CC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Ryan Palmer to the interview room here at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge. This is your 21st appearance this coming week. Just talk to me about the history of this place and going into the renovation and just the pride that you have seeing it all to fruition this week.

RYAN PALMER: Yeah, 21. I heard that a lot this year, it seems like. What a ride. No, this is always a special week, there's no doubt about it. Been a member here since 2010, and just the relationships I have with the members here, the tournament staff, and then just this golf course, what it means to me. Yeah, it's been a crazy year for Colonial, obviously, but the restoration, Gil Hanse and his team did, I mean it's unbelievable how fast it came together. I know that the membership has been very excited about it. It took some hoops to jump through to get it approved through the membership, and it's pretty cool to kind of be a part of a lot of the conversations we had. Sitting at a table with Gil and going through it all, answering questions. So to finally see it, and for the guys on TOUR to be here playing it, I heard a lot of great positive comments, so that's good to know. I was a little nervous, to be honest with you, for the course and for the club, but, yeah, I just spoke with Gil outside a few minutes ago and he said he's heard a lot of great things. So I'm excited to see how it all unfolds this week.

THE MODERATOR: What's your favorite part about the renovation?

RYAN PALMER: Mainly just the redo of the greens as far as the grass and the systems underneath the hydronics, because we are here during the summer playing, and the greens are spongy, soft from all the moisture, because they don't want 'em to die and burn out. So to be able to use the system with that heating and cooling, I feel like we're going to have great greens throughout. In the wintertime they can heat 'em, summertime cool 'em off. The greens right now are rolling perfectly. I'm so excited for the golf course that Gil's out here seeing now. A lot of changes that taking some bunker play out for us to make it a little tougher, that was a big thing we talked about. Making it more playable for the membership as well, for the everyday golfer, not having to play out of the bunkers. Yeah, it's going to be, it's going to still take a year or two I think to really see how this golf course plays. This year it's going to play firm and fast because it's so new and immature, but it's going to be a, to bring back a little bit of history of this golf course back when it played and when it was first designed. You hear Gil talk a lot about the course Ben Hogan played. So it's cool and nice to see that kind of come back to life. I'm excited about it.

THE MODERATOR: Any questions?

Q. If you could, just kind of elaborate on what your involvement was with the renovations of the course and how exciting that was to be a part that have process.

RYAN PALMER: Yeah, you I wouldn't say I had a lot of involvement, I think it was more just conversation. I'll never forget when this first started they asked if I would be interested in sitting down and giving my two cents, I guess, from a TOUR standpoint and, I mean, I couldn't have said yes fast enough. So we sat down for a long, four-hour lunch it was myself, Gil, our superintendent, Rich, our Tournament Chairman, Jim Whitten, Chris Cotten from our Greens Committee, our general manager, Frank, and then James Evanson, who caddied for me for 20 years, has been a long-time member here as well, good player. So we sat there and had a long lunch and went through every hole, listened to what Gil's vision was. I was able to give my opinion on what I wanted to see, what I didn't want to see. Because we have obviously seen some redesigns that have not gone the right direction. That was the biggest thing we kind of talked about it is making sure we kept this golf course similar to the way it was, because every player I talked to said, Don't touch it. Don't touch it. But I feel like we kind of kept the same golf course. He lasered the greens and tried to put 'em back with the same slopes, which is pretty cool to see. And, of course, the redo on number 8 was fantastic. That was my little part, just kind of trying to speak on behalf of our TOUR membership and the players that love this golf course. And I hope, like I said, a lot of guys have had a lot of great comments.

Q. Have any other players come to you maybe thinking you might be an expert or a Colonial whisperer because of your involvement, and what have been the conversations you've had with some of the other players?

RYAN PALMER: I'm definitely no whisperer, that's for sure. But a lot of guys are saying, Hey, they did an awesome job, it's really good. I tried to ask the guys what do they think and there was a few spots obviously that you may see some tweaking here in the near future, but overall I think most guys have been very positive, very confident about it and excited about it. Like I said, it's going to take a year to get it grown in and really see how this course will play next May. I think everybody's in for a treat to see the work they did. But, yeah, it's been positive so far.

Q. I've heard players talk about different ways. How do you treat a tournament at home? Obviously when you're on the road you don't know a lot of people, you're just focusing. This week you know everybody and you're sleeping at home. How do you balance those two things, playing kind of anonymously and then playing when you know everybody?

RYAN PALMER: Yeah, through my years and the history of playing this tournament I learned that when I leave the golf course I go home. I don't allow anybody to come over and hang out. My mom's in town. I try to keep it as normal as a tournament, but also I'm dealing with -- not dealing with, but doing stuff at home. I was at home until noon today waiting on some sound and video guys for our house, plus waiting on a couch to get delivered, so that was my home activity this morning. But mainly just being home and relaxing. Trying to do the same routine I would do if I was anywhere else. But when I'm done, it's nice to be able to go home, relax. I go out to Vaquero to use their cold plunge and relax out there as well. But it's hard, it's difficult. A lot of friends and family show up and you want to go see 'em all after each round, but I keep it -- because, like say, when I'm done and I'm leaving I go home and I'll see you tomorrow is kind of how I've kept it.

Q. I was wondering, as I'm a player as well, and I obviously don't play professional or anything like that, but I have had days where after the many years of playing I've gotten like stuck or in a rut. What would be your advice to getting out of that or like anything like that?

RYAN PALMER: I'm trying to get out of one myself, so... The biggest thing for me when I've had those moments through my career is I've gone back and tried to think about moments I had, what I felt, what I was thinking, what I was working on, and just get out there and grind it. That's all I've been doing this past month, I would say, has been really hitting the range hard, harder than I want to, but they say just try to go out and find it in the dirt, and just get out there and grind away. Then I always look back on putts I made or shots I've hit in certain crucial moments. I seem to draw on those a lot just from my history. Just continue to know how much you love the game and enjoy it. Don't let it beat you down. I tried to make sure this game doesn't wear me down. I never treat it as a job, it's always been fun. My love for the game is what's kept me going this far. Those are the things that I have done throughout my career.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thanks, Ryan.

RYAN PALMER: All right. Thank you.