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HP BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2011

Ryan Palmer

IRVING, TEXAS

THE MODERATOR: Ryan Palmer, your 8th start in this tournament, but you've only made one cut. Not to bring up anything bad, but what's different today?
RYAN PALMER: This is going to be fun. A lot of it is -- I'm getting a little better, working with Randy Smith, a little more mature, getting more consistent, which I've been excited about, and pleased with my game.
I've been more steady the last 6, 7 months. I think I missed four cuts since July and for me, that's -- my track record on TOUR has been play good, miss five cuts, play good, miss five cuts, but coming into this week, Randy Smith and James, my caddy, and I talked about it, and we pulled a page out of the Phil Mickelson book, and I gave James the reigns.
And they mapped out what they wanted me to do, Randy and James, and all I did is get on each tee and waited until he told me what to do. He told me what side of the tee box to get on, and what side he wanted me to be on, what target he wanted me to hit, and it was my job to hit the shot. I think there is something there because I was really relaxed and calm and at ease. It came easy, it seemed like.

Q. Is this the first tournament you've done that?
RYAN PALMER: First time, yeah. We started, probably, Sunday night, Monday talking about it, and I've never felt comfortable or positive about playing in this golf tournament, and it was a lot of fun out there to kind of -- I think James enjoyed it as much as I did.

Q. Were you apprehensive to start that and do it at this event in Dallas?
RYAN PALMER: I think it was perfect timing. I went to Sampson irons this week, new set this week, Randy said "Great time to put some new ones in, you don't play well here anyway, so it's a great time." (Laughter.)
It was a great idea to free my mind up on this golf course and James picked the line, I didn't think about it. He said hit this shot, there is the target, one hole in particular, 18, he made me hit a 5-wood instead of driver, and I made birdie so James has the reigns the rest of the week.

Q. Are you doing the same thing on the greens?
RYAN PALMER: No. When I get on the greens and putting, it's all me. I'll go to James if I need him in the putting, but I've been on the greens myself, he never gets involved in the putting until I ask. Inside 100 it's pretty much my call.

Q. This time of year it's becoming musical caddies, as it does on the TOUR, of course the biggest being Dustin, but talk about your relationship with James and why you feel so secure in doing this with him and how long you guys have been together.
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, it's been the caddy carousel, fun to watch this last week and a half, but I've known James since high school; we met at regionals in the high school golf tournament, and we kinda hit it off, and then he was at Houston playing golf, I was at A&M. And then we traveled together on the Hooters Tour for about a year and a half, and then he kind of got away from golf, and when I went to finals in '02, he caddied for me a little bit for fun, and I said "If I get to finals, do you want to go with me?" And he said sure. We made finals and got on the Nationwide Tour, and here we are 8 years later. It's been unbelievable. His daughter is a three weeks younger than my son, so they are like brother and sister the way they fight now. And it's been fun. We have never really had it out, and when we do, we have it out right there in the parking lot, and it's been maybe two or three times we've had it out, so I'm very fortunate to have something like that.

Q. Is this something you think you would carry on or is this just maybe a Byron Nelson thing to clear your head and you'll take that under advisement about tee box decisions going forward?
RYAN PALMER: Throughout the round I started thinking about it, getting away from the round itself just start thinking about next week and with the U.S. Open coming up. I figured you know what? When we get to the golf course we'll see, but if this keeps me this loose and free and not thinking as much, I'll put his name on the bag. (Laughter.)

Q. Ryan, were there times where you had to grit your teeth a little bit when you were on the tee, were you like, really? Is that where you want me to hit? Or from the get-go you never questioned it?
RYAN PALMER: The worst was -- one of them was 18. The tee was playing short, so I felt like the fairway was wider past the water, and there was one time -- I never said anything or questioned, I thought to myself for a minute and I thought, okay, no problem, went with it. And I was trying to think of the other one. Might have been 9, I think, I didn't like, but anyways -- it was No. 3.
He wanted me to hit 3-wood, and I was questioning it, and thinking the 5-wood was a good club, but I stuck with it and hit a good tee shot, and those were the two times I thought about it, for a minute, going, I'm not sure about this, but that was my goal, whatever he said I was going to hit it, just not to even think about it.

Q. Would you have done this at a course that you had done well at, where you didn't want to change things up?
RYAN PALMER: I don't know. I did it for this week because of the way I have played here, and the sight lines I've never liked, and it was the matter of getting over the fear of the tee shots and picturing spots where he wanted me to go, and I never thought about it. I never saw anything. One, being on 3, I'm usually thinking about the water and hitting the draw and it wasn't an issue; I wasn't even thinking about it. In the future, we'll think about it, the golf course depends, and this was a great way to start it because I've never played well here, so we will see what progresses.

Q. You talked about -- and it's always been your way of going low or missing the cut kinda thing. Do you want to become more consistent?
RYAN PALMER: There is no doubt. You can't win when you're packing your bags Friday. That's the hard thing -- that's what I'm enjoying the most, you can win golf tournaments, you can be 10 shots back starting Saturday morning and win the tournament pretty easy. Just giving myself chances and especially when you get on the harder courses you can go in with more confidence and believing in yourself instead of worrying about what's going to happen come Friday. So definitely I think it's making me a confident, stronger player, knowing I can go in there on Thursday and not worry about it and know I will have a chance come Saturday or Sunday.

Q. Ryan, are you surprised that you haven't done well here? I think we all tend to think if you grow up in Texas you're going to play well in Texas events and dealing with the wind you deal with that stuff. Have you been surprised?
RYAN PALMER: My record in Texas is not very good at all. I've had one top-10 in Texas and that was at San Antonio. Colonial I play all the time, and I'm still trying to figure that place out. I've played well there, decent, but I think it comes with added pressure, friends and family are here, they come into town, and I let things pull me in different directions when I'm not playing. Whereas with family coming in and friends, instead of just worrying about what I'm doing. So that part has some to do with it a little bit in the past, but maybe this is a good start, getting better in Texas.

Q. When you saw the numbers this morning if you saw them, were you surprised that they were not lower, and were you surprised that you had an ability to beat the morning rounds?
RYAN PALMER: I was. I guess we probably got the better wave, as far as the wind. But I was surprised when I saw 4-under was leading. Somebody usually comes out and shoots a low one, but I was thinking, okay, that's promising, and it's not playing easy, just go out and play a solid round, even par is a good start on Thursday here.
The greens probably have a little bit to do with it with the damage they received from the storms but they actually rolled okay.
I think it shows the golf course isn't that easy.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Ryan.

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