SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 2, 2024

Davis Riley

Country Club of Jackson

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We start off every year with what it's like to play what you call, quote-unquote, your fifth major and home tournament.

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, it's always nice coming back to a place you're familiar with. Obviously growing up not too far from here, it's really cool coming back to a place I've played a bunch. To play in front of a Mississippi crowd and some friends and family will be really fun.

Q. Also a lot of players that don't have Mississippi ties say it's a favorite of the year due to the greens and Steve Jent. Why do you think that is?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, Steve does an amazing job. I feel like he comes on the road quite a bit, so he's built a good relationship with a lot of players, so it's always fun to come to this tournament. Like you said, it's always in really good shape. The course is awesome. It's a good layout. Yeah, Jackson Country Club does a really good job of getting this place pretty prime and really good for the tournament.

Q. We haven't seen you since Wyndham Championship. What have you been up to with those off few weeks?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, like you said, since Wyndham it's been, give or take, seven weeks, so I took a little time off. Obviously finishing 71 was pretty tough, missing the playoffs by one spot. So took a decent amount of time off, went on vacation, went and saw friends, did some things I can't normally do while I'm playing a busy schedule during the summer and throughout the year. So yeah, just kind of relaxed and then I would say the last week or two been ramping it back up and trying to get prepared for this week and into some of the rest of the fall events that I'll play.

Q. Where did you go on vacation?

DAVIS RILEY: Me and my wife actually went to Italy for 10 days, so that was really fun. Go get some good pasta and wine, so that was a nice way to get away from golf and kind of take a chill pill and enjoy life a little bit.

Q. After putting the clubs down and picking them back up, what were some of the things you've been working on the past few weeks gearing up for today?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, just pretty much everything. Trying to get everything a little bit sharper. This last year I felt like my game was a little inconsistent. I wasn't driving it the best, and then the ball-striking was kind of hit or miss. I had a couple weeks obviously like Colonial where I felt like everything was clicking but I had a lot of weeks where I was trying to figure it out. I'm just trying to create a little bit more consistency so I feel like I spent a decent amount of time on the ball-striking, kind of making a tweak here or there with my swing coach. We spent a little bit of time during this break getting some good work in.

I actually had a really good putting year so just trying to continue to build on that, but just trying to get the ball-striking a little bit more consistent.

Q. What takeaways and confidence from your first individual title at Charles Schwab did you take away from that, outlasting World No. 1?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, for sure. That was definitely a big confidence builder. Obviously when you get into that position and gain that experience and obviously dealing with a guy who's the hottest player on the planet, definitely gave me a lot of confidence, and it just showed I was doing a lot of right things, not only to get up there, get in the final group, and then also to create some separation and win by a pretty good margin was pretty good. It just tells me I've got the ability to create the separation and compete at the highest level.

But my goal now is to create a little bit more consistency, not in the sense of like, oh, I have to play good every week. I would just like to see myself create a few more of those opportunities throughout the year than I have been previously.

Q. No. 74 in the FedExCup. What's the importance of these fall events to try and get into the Signature Events for next year?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, obviously the fall, pretty big incentive to play for. Luckily with the win this year and where I finished on the FedExCup, keeping my card is not of worry, but there's also a big incentive to play a lot of these fall events so I can play myself into Pebble and LA, the Genesis. Yeah, that's why I'm going to play probably four or five events this fall and try and capitalize on those opportunities and get in those 10 spots available into the first two elevated events. There's a lot to play for, and I'm excited to get going and hopefully make a push toward that and set myself up for a good start to the year.

Q. (On playing in front of friends and family.)

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, certainly, I feel like it can be a little bit more to juggle. But just playing in front of friends and family it's easy to put added pressure on yourself, but at the same time I've still got a job to do. I've still got a golf shot in front of me, a day ahead of me, hopefully four days ahead of me. I think really embracing it and trying to have fun with it, but at the same time I've got a job at hand and really diving into that and getting lost in the process of what I'm doing on the course and then hopefully put some good rounds together and good shots and give the hometown crowd a little bit to cheer for.

Q. Why do you feel like (indiscernible)?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I mean, I feel like just being in front of a lot of people you're close with, you just want to put on your first form for them because you know how hard they're rooting for you, so you want to give them something to root for. So that can be added pressure.

But at the same time, I've got amazing wife and family and they just want the best for me, and hopefully I'll have a chance to win this week, but they're going to love me either way, either way it turns out.

But yeah, I think just embracing it and taking care of the job at hand and then just enjoying being around a lot of close people that I'm close with that I'm not normally able to spend a lot of time with.

Q. What friends and family are we going to expect to follow you along this week?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I'll have probably some old high school buddies come. I think a little bit more maybe Friday and Saturday. One of my best buddies from home, he said he's going to make it out for the last couple days of the tournament. My parents and possibly my sister who actually just finished up her radiation therapy because she had been dealing with some stuff throughout the year, some health issues. So she hasn't been out in a while, which that would be really cool to have her come out, and her boyfriend.

Yeah, just some close people in Mississippi that I don't normally get to spend time with, and obviously if my sister and her boyfriend get to make it out, that would be pretty cool, as well. So we'll see.

Yeah, just being around people that I'm not normally able to be around.

Q. Going back to your sister, I know she was missed during your win at Charles Schwab. How is her health and what's she been going through?

DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, she's been good. She just finished up a five-week stint of radiation therapy. She finished up this past Thursday, so actually got to spend a little bit of time with them before coming over here, which was good. Yeah, it's a lot. Being away from home and doing the same thing and not being able to do much, it was pretty eye-opening going to the hospital in Houston. It's just crazy. We're out here walking around a golf course for a living and there's people that are suffering. It's pretty eye opening. Yeah, it makes you really appreciate what you have.

But they're doing really good. They're thankful that it's over, and my parents are back home, and my sister is back at her home right now. They're excited it's done, and she's continuing doing a chemo process, so she's having to do that for six months.

So she's doing that, and luckily she's able to be at home during that process. She's just excited to be back home and in a stable position.