ROGERS CHARITY CLASSIC

August 18, 2024

Ken Tanigawa

Canyon Meadows G&CC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, Ken, thanks for joining us. 2024 Rogers Charity Classic champion. How does that feel? It's been a while. Just were sitting here talking about it. Has it sunk in yet?

KEN TANIGAWA: It's not sunk in, but it feels amazing to know I pulled this off, right, to be standing here talking with you with this trophy here next to me.

Yeah, amazing.

Q. Take me through your round today. Were you leaderboard watching? Did you know when it was just a back and forth between and you Richard Green, or were you just locked in, focused, like I'm not going to pay attention to the hoopla of anything and just do this job?

KEN TANIGAWA: I really didn't leaderboard watch. I don't really like to do that unless coming down 18, being the par-5, you may, may not be able to get home in two.

Yeah, the round went well. I was maybe 3-under through the first four. I know Padraig birdied the first three, so it's no surprise.

You know, I figured the scores might be low, but it was a bit more windy and coming from a different direction, so the par-5s weren't as reachable as the days prior.

So, yeah, it was a good day.

Q. Was it a bit different having finished already and just having to wait to see if you won?

KEN TANIGAWA: Yeah, I mean, I was just one group in front, so I was told that Richard bogeyed 17, so needed to eagle 18. I knew it was hard to get home in two.

So yeah, you never know, right? Weird things happen in this game. Yeah, but it was nice that it was over.

Q. Sounds like such a weird question, but what do you do better than everyone else here over the last three days?

KEN TANIGAWA: Doesn't sound weird. I shot two shots lower maybe. I just probably made a few more putts I think. I mean, it always comes down to that, and that's always the separator, right? Anybody who wins an event obviously putted really well, so I probably just holed a few more putts.

Q. I think five plus years since your last trophy.

KEN TANIGAWA: Right.

Q. Did you wonder if you would win another one of those?

KEN TANIGAWA: Oh, for sure. Every year that goes by and you're not getting any younger, right, you kind of wonder, sure, if you'll ever win.

You sprinkle hope out there. You hope you can and you keep working at your game, and you never know. And, jeez, here I am talking to you and you never know.

Q. Just wondering, the headspace after matching the course record yesterday, 61. You know you had to go out and shoot another low round up. What was the headspace like this morning?

KEN TANIGAWA: It was just on 18-hole event, right, after yesterday. It was fine. I didn't go in with any expectations. I played an amazing round yesterday, but you just let it go. You're starting all over from scratch again today.

I didn't think about it or carry on. Expectations to shoot low weren't there. Not to play good nor bad. Just go out and you do your best from the first shot on and see what you can shoot.

Q. Two quick fact checking things.

KEN TANIGAWA: Yeah.

Q. In 2018 were you an amateur in '17 and then turned pro again?

KEN TANIGAWA: Yes.

Q. And got your card back?

KEN TANIGAWA: That's exactly right. So '17 is when I went to the Q-School as an amateur in December. Once I got my card to be able to play in 2018, I turned pro.

So that is correct.

Q. Okay. And last week, you had mentioned your wife gave a bit of a kick in the pants after the Saturday.

KEN TANIGAWA: Right, yeah.

Q. Anything specific, or, hey, the good play is around the corner?

KEN TANIGAWA: I'm probably that typical golfer, right? We all kind of grumble out here. Things don't go well you feel like you're on the ledge, right? It's never as bad as we make it out to be.

Yeah, just hang in there. Hey, you're obviously a pretty decent golfer if you're out here playing, so just keep your head on, stay patient and just forge on and plug away.

Jeez, here I am.