Ryan Gerard – 2025 Wyndham Championship – Press Conference
Awesome. I’d like to welcome Ryan Gerard here to the 2025 Windham Championship. Um Ryan, this is your first start since winning the Barracuda Championship a couple weeks ago. Uh I guess we’ll just open with what do you what have you been up to? How long did it take for the wind to sink in? Um thanks Preston. Um yeah, it’s been been a cool kind of weekish to celebrate and kind of let it all sink in. First week off in a while, so um slept a lot. um ate a lot of good food. Uh played played some golf with some friends and um excited to be back here competing and uh as close to where I grew up as the PJ tour gets on the schedule. So um really pumped to be here and uh as a PJ tour winner, it it didn’t really sink in for at least 12 or so hours. kind of felt it Monday and um kind of when I started going through some text messages and um talked to a couple people on the phone and just kind of rewatched some of the highlights from the round, it uh it started getting a little bit more real. It was really uh kind of almost surreal in a sense. It’s kind of something I’ve been dreaming of my entire life. And for it to kind of all happen um it was special. But, uh, I’m excited to hopefully keep keep it going. And, um, I I don’t want to be just a one-time winner. So, we’re gonna we’re going to keep the pedal down and, uh, try and make sure that we take care of business, uh, this week, but in the future as well. Then, uh, Raleigh native played at University of North Carolina. How special is this week playing uh, in your home state? Oh, it’s I mean, it’s it’s really special. Um, I remember being here in 2011, um, when Webb won his first event, um, he was a Raleigh guy. He was kind of the guy if you’re from, uh, Raleigh or just North Carolina in general, um, growing up, seeing him kind of put on a show for everybody and just being an absolute class act on and off the golf course. So, he’s kind of the blueprint uh, for uh, what you want to do if you if you grow up in North Carolina. And um, just being here that week was special. Um, getting to play some junior events out here was really, really awesome. And, um, to come back and play the PJ tour event, uh, as this is as close to my hometown as I’m going to get playing on the PJ tour, and I’m really excited to be here, and there’s going to be a lot of, uh, a lot of people out supporting, but, also just it it just kind of has a special place in the heart. Awesome. We’ll open up some questions. We can get a microphone over to you if you have a question. We’ll start with Kevin. Hey Ryan. Um, so kind of you started the year with in the cornfair tour category and now got to play in a few more signature events and in a good spot for the top 50. How big is it as a tour player to to be in that top 50 and have that signature event access? Um, it’s I mean it means a lot uh just the way that everything’s structured currently. You are losing opportunities if you’re not inside that top 50. Um, it makes your job a lot easier, uh, from a standpoint of setting your schedule, kind of being able to plan ahead, uh, pick which weeks you want to play, how you’re going to break things up. Um, just things like that become way easier from a logistical standpoint. But from a pure competition standpoint, I mean, they’re difficult fields. They’re the best of the best players on the PGA tour and you get to compete with them week in and week out which I think is what everyone out here strives to do is you want to play against the best competition and beat the best players. But uh you know it it does give you an opportunity to play more events than guys that aren’t in the signature events over the course of the season and gives you a little bit of a leg up on uh trying to get in the sign signature events in the next year and um keep your card and do the things that you need to do as a professional. I was kind of curious. Um, you you played two years ago as a special temporary member and played pretty much a full season, but is there anything that this year has felt like in what ways have you felt more comfortable this year? But then on the flip side, are there any ways that you did still feel like a rookie or was that pretty much all taken care of two years ago? Two years ago was really, really great and my learning curve as a professional. I kind of just got thrown into the deep end early on in the like February kind of early on in the season and it was just kind of go figure it out, try and make it happen. And seeing courses for the first time, not really having an offseason to prepare for it, just kind of going and trying to play golf and see what happens. Um, it was all kind of foreign but in a good way. I uh I learned a lot about myself. I learned about how to travel, how to deal with human interactions, how to deal with all the noise that kind of goes around PJ tour events. And um I think it’s allowed me to be more prepared um this year especially seeing some of the courses for the second time, but just being more comfortable in my skin walking around property um seeing guys that you look up to seeing on TV for years and years and years and kind of think of them as peers instead of like these uh just almost like TV figures that are now existing like in your dining sphere or whatever. But, um, it’s it’s been it’s been great to be out here for a full season from start to finish and kind of have the full experience, go through the grind, um, and and just really enjoy every second of it. Just go to Helen right here. Um, you mentioned texts. How many did you get, do you think? And did anyone stand out? Uh, I probably got five, six hundred texts and I still haven’t even made it through all like the social media messages that people have sent me. Um, I apologize. I’ll get to them eventually. It’s just I I I I need a little bit of a a break. But, uh, Coach Roy Williams, he’s been great to me. Um, he texts me a lot. uh sometimes like when I play bad, sometimes when I play good, but I know he’s always rooting for me. He’s been in my corner for years and years and years. And he gives me a lot of really good kind of like wisdom about, you know, it’s not always about the first time you get there. It’s not always about the second time. It’s about perseverance, trusting yourself, and uh continue doing what you’re doing because you’re on the right path. Um, so he’s been he’s been great to me, but it’s always it’s always nice when when that message pops up. And he always signs it. Coach Coach Roy Williams, like I don’t know who it is, but um no, he’s he’s been great to me and everyone in Carolina, but uh the golf team, everyone everyone that he comes across, he’s he’s truly the best of the best. And I guess you also got some encouragement from a former teammate before Barracuda. Did you talk about what that text? Yeah. And how close did you come to going to the Well, he decided to just walk in and crash the press conference here. Um, but, uh, yeah, Ben Ben Griffin has been awesome. Um, he’s been a great friend for probably 15, 16 years now. Uh, I think we played a a junior event at UNCC Finley Golf Course. I might have been nine or 10. He might have been 12. So, it’s it’s been a while, but just kind of knowing that I have someone who’s accomplished great things in my corner kind of like looking out for me um gave me a hard time in college, but you know, that’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to keep the freshman in check. And um when you get out here and you have like one of your best friends uh playing practice rounds with you all the time and kind of rooting for you, it was awesome seeing him win multiple times earlier this year and it was inspirational. And you know, I I can’t let him get too far ahead of me in the win column. So, we got to we got to rain it in here a little bit, but um just to see what he’s done all season’s been awesome and I hope he continues doing it and uh if he continues doing it, I’m going to keep keep on his heels pushing him. Go to Ron and then come up to the front right after. As you’ve gotten to this point, has the biggest change or adjustment been something technical like in your game or has it just been something within yourself? I think the biggest I mean the biggest thing is definitely mental. It’s a comfortility standpoint but it also it comes from a you know seeing things experiencing things learning learning how you feel when you get under pressure, learning how you feel when you’re trying to close out a golf tournament. Um the more times you put yourself in that situation um the more that you can grow uh as a as a person in that in that spot. I feel like my game’s gotten better um from a technical from a pure consistency standpoint. I’m I’m a lot more consistent of a player than I was two years ago. But I think, you know, when you get to that like contention Sunday afternoon trying to close out a golf tournament, um it takes it takes a lot of both experience, but just kind of like belief and uh you just got to go out there and really really trust what you have because um it’s you and your caddy and the golf ball and everything. Everyone else kind of bleeds away and it’s it is it’s lonely and it’s there’s a lot going on. Go ahead, Ben. Yeah. Um, Ben Griffin here, um, PJ Tour Comm’s intern. Um, just first first and foremost, great answer to two questions ago. Um, I know you’re probably super nervous here in the media center for the first time leading into a PJ Tour event. Just wanted to ask um, if there’s anyone you could like credit towards, uh, you know, your Barracuda Championship, first PJ Tour victory. Yeah, I’m actually sweating up here. I’m so nervous. Um, maybe it’s 100 degrees outside, but it also might be uh I’m getting It’s very comfortable in here right now. I’m getting I’m getting the light reflection off your sunglasses into my face. Uh, so you know, there there is someone that told me to play the Barracuda instead of uh going to the Open Championship and I’d like to credit him uh a great deal. uh he’ll remain nameless because, you know, on account of anonymity and, you know, protecting the field and stuff like that, you know, I think that’s the way he’d want it to be. But, um, you know, if if he’s so inclined, I I will treat him to dinner on a Wednesday night of his choosing. Um, so, you know, yeah, that that leads perfect into this next question, I guess, just about prep preparing for golf tournaments. I think you and Mikey do something. He’s going to ask you a question. I heard about a tradition that started earlier this year on Wednesdays you you might do with with somebody. Um can you can you talk about that? Yeah. Yeah. Um there’s a there’s a guy named Alex. Uh he he’s very redheaded. So he’s hard to miss when you when you see him on on property, but um no, Ben’s caddyy and I we’ve been doing we call it steak Wednesday, but it started I mean it started at the beginning of the season basically. Um he was staying at my house for the the Cognizant and started kind of eating steak on Wednesdays and ever since that event uh either Ben or I has basically finished top 10 every week that we’ve done it. So we kind of kept it going just out of superstition. And then we did it in uh Dallas and he won. I think we did in New Orleans too and he won. So, you know, I’ I think I’d like a little credit for making Alex wellfed. Who pays for those dinners typically? How does the pay structure? So, the pay structure is if if I make more money than Alex and the the given week, I pay, but if Alex makes more money than me, which unfortunately has happened twice now, uh, in a given week, he he gets to pay. So, you know, thank you for for a couple free meals um because you played so well. But, uh I think I was a little bit bummed at Memorial this year when you didn’t close the deal because I made like $4,000 more than him that week. So, then I was on the hook for dinner the next week. So, uh yeah, you know, try and win Memorial next year. We’ll go to Eddie in the second row here. Thanks for coming. You mentioned the win by Web Simpson back in 2011. What did that do for you as a young guy, seeing the Raleigh guy, Web win here on this stage. How did that help you as a young guy? Yeah, it was it was awesome. I mean, it was really cool. He’s been kind of the guy in North Carolina golf for um a long time. Um you know, obviously a lot of really good players before him and after him. And um when Grayson came out here and started doing awesome things, it was it was fantastic to see. But um Webb was kind of that that guy when I was 9, 10, 11, 12 years old. I remember sneaking out of my room to watch him try and close out that US Open at Olympic Club. Um stuff like that. So he’s been he’s been the guy kind of that I’ve looked up to. I know a lot of other guys kind of in the Raleigh area have looked up to, but for him to get it here and then um to win again a couple weeks later and really kickstart his career, everyone that kind of was around North Carolina Golf, that was that was as cool as it got for for for all of us. And um just to see him have awesome success for the last 15 years has been fantastic. What’s that relationship like with Web now? Um, we’re we’re decent friends. I wouldn’t say we’re we’re best friends, but we’re we’re decent friends. I mean, he’s he’s always gone out of his way to be nice to me. He’s always gone out of his way to um, you know, talk to me. We played a we played a practice round at uh, Duke for the US Open qualifier last year and um, I I gave him just enough pointers to help him sneak through that qualifier and play that US Open at Pinehurst. He unfortunately beat me by one, so maybe I’ll be less nice next time. But he uh No, he’s he’s he’s been fantastic. He’s one of the nicest guys um in in every sense of the word to fans, other players, board. I mean, he’s got he’s wearing a lot of hats right now. He’s juggling a lot and uh he’s he’s a dad to a lot of kids, too. So, he’s got 10,000 things on his plate, but we really appreciate him being out here and taking the time to say nice things to the young guys and really kind of um doing a lot for North Carolina, but just young guys in general. He he likes to make sure you feel comfortable around him and um give you some wise words of wisdom here and there. Go ahead, Luke. All right, Ryan, two Carolina related questions. Number one, how often in weeks when you don’t win do you hear from Roy? I mean, I hear from him almost at least once or twice a month. Okay. Yeah. He uh even if it’s, hey, you know, keep going. Dean Smith made it to four final fours before he won a championship. Or, hey, man, uh, I’m seeing a lot of great things. I love the way you’re playing. Like, just, you know, just do you. Trust yourself. Stuff like that. Um he’s he’s been awesome and you know he’s been a great part of UNCC athletics for a very long time, but uh specific to the golf team, he’s been awesome to the golf team at UNCC in general. Um our our host event that we play in, uh Wilmington at Eagle Point is called the Williams Cup. Um it’s for coach and Wanda and um they make sure that they they’re there, they take the time. He goes out of his way to be nice to everyone. I’ve never seen him uh not remember someone’s name. I mean, he he’s truly like in a class of his own. And uh just for him to be I know that he’s in my corner is awesome, but for him to make sure that I know he’s in my corner is really special. And he does that for a lot of a lot of people. He does it for um his former players. He does it for other golfers, but he’s truly fantastic. And then um you’d spent so much time playing with Ben just around Raleigh and then obviously you know around the triangle and then at Carolina. What did you think when he decided to walk away from the game? Well, he decided to move into my apartment building. So, we’re kind of giving him a hard time about that. But I think when you get into a spot where golf is is really difficult, it’s hard to see the the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. I think anyone that’s played this game at a at a competitive level has gone through rough patches and just knowing that it means something to you when you walk away and and you want it and when you’re given a second opportunity to make sure you take advantage of it. I think that’s that’s truly the measure of how how badly someone wants it and how hard he worked to get here because it wasn’t just handed to him. I mean, he he worked really really hard to to get back to a spot that he felt he could compete and I saw it almost every day in North Carolina in the summer when it’s 100 degrees outside and everyone’s sweating. He was out there more often than the entire UNCC golf team practicing, putting in effort, traveling, playing many tour events, getting ready for Q school, going out there and playing. And he had some awesome people to step up and financially put put themselves behind him and put him in a spot that he could go out there and compete. But, um, it it wasn’t just a fluke. Like, he he wanted it from the first moment that I met him. And he got to a point where I feel like it got difficult and there were a lot of decisions that he had to make. But for him to go out and earn it, really really dig his heels in and make sure that he he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in the way of him and his dream when he got his second opportunity. Um, second chances are rare and when you get them, you you want to take advantage of them as as as you can. Time for a couple more. Come back to Helen right here. Um, you’re in a great position with the FedEx Cup. Can you talk about Have you ever thought about playing East Lake and getting that far? And Yeah. Uh, you know, coming off the Cornferry tour from last year, I knew I wasn’t going to have a ton of starts and you got to play your way into more opportunities. And as the season’s progressed, I’ve played played my way into those opportunities. And the goalposts have kind of shifted from keeping your card to making the playoffs to top 50 signature events um to now I think, you know, getting to East Lake would be an amazing goal. There’s a lot that comes with it, but I think the biggest thing is when you play at the highest level, you want to keep playing at the highest level. you want to play against the best players in the world and see how it stacks up and and you you want to be there. So, the only way to really get to the pinnacle is to be the best. And um I think East Lake would be an amazing end to the season. I still have work to do to get there and, you know, we’re going to go out and do our best this next few weeks and try and take care of business, but um there’s no starting strokes this year, so it it would be kind of cool for someone to just squeak in and give themselves a chance at at that event. Awesome. We’ll wrap it up. Last question with Kevin. A little offbeat, but have you seen the clip of Ben Griffin chipping in to win the high school state title as a freshman? Uh yes, I’ve seen it. It it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but yes, I have seen it. He doesn’t react. And he talked earlier about how he thought he was like so cool not reacting, I guess. What’s your reaction to that? Have you ever did you ever have an error like that of like not wanting to react to a good shot? I think sometimes you want to just kind of stay in your own little bubble and you don’t want to show emotion because you don’t want other people to kind of react to it. Um, you know, sometimes it’s you don’t want to give someone else that you’re playing against an in feel like it feel like they are getting an edge on you in some way. But I think the biggest thing is you just want to be authentic to yourself in those moments when it when it means something like you just kind of naturally react how how you would. I don’t think anyone really rehearses fist pumps or celebrations or whatnot. It all just kind of happens organically. And I think that’s kind of the beauty of um of sports. You can tell when it really means something to someone. They accomplish something that they put a lot of time and effort in. And that raw emotion comes pouring out of people and everyone has a different way of expressing themselves. And uh to see different people do it in certain ways, um you can tell how much it means to them. And I think that’s what separates uh sports from some other things is you can truly see how much it means to someone to accomplish something that they’ve worked their whole life for. So what was going through your kind of I guess body as you were walking up to the final green at very well I wanted to make sure that I didn’t for putt. So I got in the hole but I think it was just kind of everything was a blur. I kind of felt like I was walking up to something that I’d only dreamed of. It was kind of like approaching kind of like a a goal that I didn’t know if I was going to ever attain. And um I wanted to make sure that that that first putt I hit close enough where I could, you know, figure it out. But once I hit the first putt, I kind of was trying to not look around too much, trying to not let it overwhelm me because I knew it meant something. And um it’s something that you work your entire life for. And uh you never want to get ahead of yourself. You never want to feel like you put the cart before the horse and then you let it slip away from you. But um walking up knowing that you were going to win a PJ tour event and I’ve spent hours and hours and hours on driving ranges and putting marines and golf courses and on airplanes since I was five, six years old with the goal to to win. Um kind of seeing all those moments kind of like flash before you to to end up culminating in a in a really special goal with a lot of people that have helped me along the way. It was It was pretty special. So, awesome. Thank you for the time, Ryan. Best of luck this week. Appreciate it.
