KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 23, 2024

Brian Gay

Quick Quotes

Harbor Shores

Q. Brian Gay is with us now at the 84th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Brian, a nice 67 for you today. Summarize your opening round.

BRIAN GAY: Really good start this morning. Got off a few under really quick. I think I was 5-under through 10.

Missed, gosh, wasn't more than two to three feet on 13. Missed a little par putt there and made a couple good saves coming in.

So two different stories on the round. Easy early and a little bit of a struggle late.

Q. With your game coming in here, what are you kind of waiting to see in it?

BRIAN GAY: Played well early in this the year. This last little stretch not quite as good as I wanted. I felt like I played nice in Birmingham Hamm at the Regions. Finished good on Sunday with like a 66.

Last week I pretty much -- I've got a little injury in my arm and didn't practice at all last week. Just rested, so I didn't really know what to expect today really.

Played the pro-am Tuesday. Been trying to rest more than anything with my forearm. So I was pleased with the round.

Q. Yeah. What was the key to that really good start today? Hitting it close?

BRIAN GAY: Yeah, hit some nice shots. Missed a couple other makable ones. Knocked it on the par-5, what's that, No. 5?

Q. 5, yeah.

BRIAN GAY: Hit a little pitch shot on three. Hit a nice shot on 1 in there like ten feet.

Yeah, just took advantage of the par-5.

S, birdied 9 and 10, all the first three par-5s.

Yeah, so made a couple kind of easy birdies early and had it perfect on 15 off the tee and hit a 4-iron right in the trees and made a good par, and then a couple good up and downs to finish.

Q. You've played here before. What's your feelings of this golf course and how does it suit your game? Talk about the conditions that you had out there today.

BRIAN GAY: Yeah, the conditions were good. A little cool this morning but not too much wind. I like the course. It's a lot of variety. A lot of guys are not crazy about the greens but I think they're fair. They're rolling nice.

I guess they were really firm earlier in the week before the rain, so got a little bit of bounce back today I thought compared to Tuesday. They were pretty soft.

So it is starting to dry out again. I don't know how much rain we'll get later, but it's definitely drying out. It'll play a lot different if it continues to dry out because the balls will run around a lot out there.

Q. You mentioned an injury. What did preparation look like going into this tournament?

BRIAN GAY: None. (Laughter.) I barely hit a ball last week at home. I had treatment on my arm a couple times and just took it easy. Hit a few balls when I got here Monday, but wasn't feeling good at all. Played the pro-am. Little better yesterday and luckily felt a little better this morning.

Good thing is it doesn't hurt too much when I swing. It hurts just little things, grabbing my head cover. Maybe some tendonitis or something. Just little things that I do without knowing it. Always holding the club in my right hand and that motion is just painful I have painful.

Just try to manage it.