KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 25, 2024

Chris DiMarco

Quick Quotes

Harbor Shores

Q. Chris DiMarco with us now at the 84th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Chris, even 71 today. How would you summarize your round?

CHRIS DiMARCO: You know, it was the first time I've been kind of in the mix, especially in a major. Last group on a Saturday on a perfect day, you know, it was really -- I'm hitting the ball great. Putter feels good. It's just a matter of me controlling me.

I had my wife out there which helped. Her caddieing for me we can talk about other things, which is great. It was really just -- only thing was it was an inner battle with me. Just letting it happen, letting your game happen, letting your swing happen, letting your ball striking do what it's doing, what your putting has been doing, and I was able to do that.

When you see some putts go in it kind of unnerves you a little bit or let's the nerves go a little bit. Again, hitting the ball for the most part where I was looking. When you're doing that it's pretty hard to hit bad shots. Hit a lot of really solid shots out there.

The greens were a little tough. There were some good pins out there. I just didn't really make any 15-footers today. Made a couple short birdie putts, but nothing really 15, 20 feet. Got to make a couple of those to get under par.

Q. What was the challenge today to hold your ground? It was tough out there.

CHRIS DiMARCO: We had 36 holes starting today so my mindset as we went forward was, okay, now we got 35 holes, 34 holes. I was just trying to stay in the moment of one hole at a time, one shot at a time, give myself a chance to have a chance on the back nine tomorrow, which is what you want to do in a major championship. You want to be in the mix when you make the turn.

I hung in there pretty good on the back. The 10th hole could have been a disaster and I hung in there and made a 6. If there is any good 6s on that hole, that's a good one. I didn't know if I was ever going to get out of that rough.

Just the fact that I was able to get that up and down I guess calmed me down again and I hit a lot of quality shots coming in; just didn't make any putts.

Q. As you look at a round like this, look at 10, like you say, could have been really rough. At least you're holding some momentum going forward.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Absolutely. Hit a wayward shot and we're looking at 7 or 8 at best. To walk off with a 6 kind of feels like a stole a shot to tell you the truth. Yeah, it did. It kept the momentum going. Any time you make a six, seven-footer for bogey, played a cup outside break and hit it right where I was looking and it went in.

It does, it keeps momentum, and then hit a really good shot the next hole and got right back in the mix again.

Q. What's your wife's name again?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Amy.

Q. A --

CHRIS DiMARCO: A-m-y.

Q. What do you guys talk about?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Grandkids.

Q. Okay. Anything but golf?

CHRIS DiMARCO: I've had some great caddies in my career. She's the best because she's so positive. I hit it in the fairway, she's like, all right, knock it on the green. I can ask, what do you think? She goes, I don't know. Just put it on the green. Then I get it on the green and she goes, knock it in.

So it's pretty simple math. Hit it on the green, make the putt. If I don't make it she goes, that was a good putt. We'll get the next one. She's just really positive and keeps me in a good state of mind.

Q. What was she saying to you on 10?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Let's get it in the fairway. Stop hitting in the left rough. But once I got it in the fairway she goes, we'll get this up and down. Let's just go up and hit another good shot. She's really positive. If I were to get down on myself and get mad, she has no problem telling me.

Sometimes you need that. Not many people that can, on the golf course, tell me what to do. She's one of them for sure.

Q. Take her over to Point O' Woods and have a nice meal.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Exactly.

Q. Chris, I interviewed you in '88 when you won at the Western Am, and I know that was just a couple years ago, but is there anything you can draw upon there, one of your first big wins as you go for the big win tomorrow?

CHRIS DiMARCO: You know, I said it yesterday, when you seem to play good in some area it kind of breeds over. You just have good vibes. Obviously I played really good there on Monday in the U.S. Open qualifier. Didn't make putts but shot even par.

Really great to go play that course again. It really has withstood how much technology has taken over the game of golf. It was still pretty long and the greens were really good. It was a tough test of golf.

Obviously 2-under par made it in some of the best players in the world, so it's just nice to have vibes somewhere you've had success. Doesn't matter how long ago.

Tomorrow I have nothing to lose. Going to go out and I haven't won out here yet and haven't won a major in my life, so I could knock two birds with one stone tomorrow and get it all done and finally get some people off my back.

Tomorrow would be a nice fun day to go out and shoot a good score.

Q. Your wife obviously probably plays golf with you on occasion, right?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Yeah. She's about a 20 handicap. She knows the game. She's watched a lot of my golf over 32 years of marriage. When started out she was my caddie early on in my career when I played the Hogan Tour and the Nike Tour and the Canadian Tour. So caddied for me, so she's well aware of caddieing and how to do it.

She knows when I'm hitting the ball solid just to point me in the right direction.

Q. So outside tournaments, is it nice to have more fun with the game of golf if you go out with your wife for just a casual round?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Yeah, usually a couple High Noons included when I play with my wife, because we call it s*** and giggle golf.

Yeah, it's fun. You know what? I enjoy playing with her because I know how much she enjoys the game. It's nice to have that camaraderie to go out and do that. We do play quite a bit in Denver.

Q. What percentage of the check will she get?

CHRIS DiMARCO: The question is what percentage am I going to get? That's the real question. I hope I get something.

Q. Ten.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Ten maybe. That would be nice.

Q. Where in Denver do you live?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Right in Cherry Creek North.