Chris Gotterup: Jersey Roots, Winning 🏆 On Tour, and Ryder Cup Goals 🇺🇸

Fresh off a trip abroad that saw him win the Scottish Open and place third at the Open Championship, Chris Gotterup joins Smylie Kaufman on the Smylie Show!

Chris details his journey from junior golfer in New Jersey to rising star on the PGA TOUR, discussing early influences, challenges faced during the COVID pandemic, and his transition from college golf at Rutgers to Oklahoma. Chris reflects on his stellar recent play, experiences at major tournaments, and his aspirations for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:50 Chris’s Early Life and Golf Journey
05:34 Transitioning from Rutgers to Oklahoma
08:22 The Impact of COVID on Chris’ Career
10:47 College Golf Experience and Development
13:36 Turning Pro and Early Challenges
16:30 The Importance of Mental Focus in Golf
19:11 US Open Experience and Performance
21:55 The Road to the Ryder Cup
24:35 Reflections on the PGA Tour and Future Goals

Big thanks to AHEAD for their support!

Check AHEAD out here: https://www.ahead.com/

#golf #pgatour #golfhighlights #golfrecap #smylieshow #smyliekaufman #rydercup

[Music] That’s Smiley Coffman for 61. Wow. I’m Smiley Coffman and this is the Smiley Show. Welcome back to the Smiley Show. And if you are watching this on YouTube, we hope you are. You need to look no further than the shirt that Smiley is currently wearing to tee up today’s guest. That is Chris Gotup. Super excited to talk to Chris. uh at the time of recording 20th in the RDER Cup standings playing some of the best golf anybody on tour in majors in the past couple months and the the presenting sponsor for this interview is our good friends at Ahead. We are talking trustbased relationships. Ahead builds and manages digital platforms that power the most successful organizations in the world. Their consultative approach, unmatched engineering, and innovative solutions combined to accelerate the impact of technology in every client they serve. Ahead’s long-standing relationships are built on outcomes and experiences with both their clients and technology partners. You can learn more about them at ahead.com. So, Smiley, this is I I got to sit in on this conversation as I get do all of them. It was a really fun way to learn about Chris. You we talked about the origin story in Jersey starting out at Rutgers going to Oklahoma. What part of this interview are you most excited for the audience to kind of listen to and or watch? Well, I think just getting to know Chris Gddard up. I think so many uh people that watch golf, uh he’s he’s obviously an upandcomer and a new guy for a lot of people. Uh for me, I’ve I’ve known about Chris for a very long time there. Why do I have a Ruters golf shirt? That should be your first question that you ask yourself is is why do you own one of these? Cuz typically I’m always in purple and gold if I’m going to be wearing a college and and red is not in our color wheel in this house with an Auburn wife and then an LSU guy. State state red doesn’t doesn’t sit well with me either. So yeah, it’s a departure. All right. So, uh my college roommate, teammate at LSU, uh Franco Castro, brother Roberto Castro on the PJ tour. Uh he played uh excuse me, he was the assistant coach at Ruters and uh was kind enough to send me a shirt so I could support the Ruckers program while he was the assistant coach there. And of course, Chris Gddard just happened to be uh playing uh under the Ruckers program at the time before he transferred to Oklahoma. So, Chris Gddard, big red guy. And even that part of the journey I thought was super interesting about the the factors that impacted the move in that co time and the way that even though he he really and truly loved his time there, the decision he had to make that kind of launched the rest of his career development. So, all stuff that we’re looking forward to getting you to to watch. And listen, we’ll waste no more of your time. Let’s get right to it. Smiley’s Conversation with Chris Gotup. Welcome back, guys. We got a great guest joining us today, Chris Goddarup. Chris, buddy, good to have you on. It’s been a great run. It’s been fun watching you have all the success. And I must say, uh I’m not surprised. Uh it’s ever since I played with you in Puerto Rico, I pretty much knew I need to find new career because I was going to be watching Chris Garrett play uh some highle golf for a long time. So, it’s so good to see the breakout. It was coming. Uh congrats, buddy. It’s been fun to watch. Appreciate it and thanks for having me. Yeah, buddy. All right. So, you are from New Jersey, which isn’t exactly the golf hotbed of of America. So, tell me about your childhood, how you got into golf, uh where you’re from in New Jersey as well, because I think it Little Silver is what I read. Is that little beach town in New Jersey? Yeah, it’s like there’s like an hour stretch if you just drove south from there of like all beach towns and and whatnot. But um yeah, I mean it’s funny. Everyone says it’s not like a hot bed for golf, but I mean when you think of golf courses and golf, you think of New Jersey and New York, but it just some for some reason there hasn’t been a lot of guys that have come out of there. And honestly, there’s been more in the last six years than totally than the last uh probably 50 before that. But um but yeah, I mean I grew up grew up there and you know uh played a couple different sports and um I really loved it. I I still go back in the summertime and try to catch the good weather when I can and um but yeah, it was a great spot to grow up and where I played at my club there. It’s it’s it’s just a great place. No other way to describe it. Yeah. Uh what uh what course did you grow up playing? Rumson Country Club. Rumson. All right. What’s the what’s the style of that that sort of golf course? Was it I mean you’re like you’re a bomber. So I kind of assume that you had to hit a bunch of drivers growing up as a kid. Yeah, it’s not very long. It’s probably 7,000 from the tips, but it’s like as wide open as you can as you can get. So I definitely grew up and not much not much fear of of anything. Um which was which was nice. I mean, who knows? Maybe that was the reason why I I hit it farther. Um but yeah, it’s just a great place. Like the flattest walk of all time. Oh, great. I grew up catting there. Um, and it’s just it’s just a good good hang. A lot of a lot of cool people there. You know, like when you see a guy like Gary Woodwin, Dustin Johnson, uh, you know, these two players when when I think of them, they’re like super athletic, both played different sports growing up, like some basketball. Uh, of course, both very long hitters, and a lot of times you see the translation for players that grew up playing another sport, find a way to hit the ball very far. Did you also grow up playing uh different sports other than golf? Yeah, I played lacrosse as a kid. That was kind of my thing and it’s that’s a northeast thing and all my friends played that. And I don’t know. I mean, I think there might be some correlation just with you know, you had to you got to have some good like torque speed and stuff like that and be able to rip the rip the you know, rip the ball on net. But other than that, I don’t I don’t know what the correlation would be. But it was just something else to take my mind off golf and you know honestly as a kid up until college really I didn’t take it seriously like kids do now. Um I hated traveling for it. I didn’t understand why and uh I was much more content just being at home and hanging out. All right. What was your ball speed with the wax stick? Were you were you a guy less on accuracy more on the on the strength and just putting it’s like the knuckle ball coming at you? Yeah, I played attack, which is like, you know, a a forward and uh other sports, but like I just uh sat in like the left corner and would just catch and shoot. I was like a black hole. Uh but I was I was I was pretty good at I mean pretty good being relative. I wasn’t going to be anything, you know, in college or anything, but like I could shoot it pretty hard. And um yeah, I don’t know. I can’t remember what speeds we were getting, but like I could get I think it was in like the 80 to 80 range, give or take. I don’t It would hurt if it hit you. I I’ve gotten hit in the neck before and it does not feel good. Well, when did you stop playing in high school? Cuz in New Jersey, golf and lacrosse were the same season, which was fall. Spring. Oh, really? Golf was in spring in New Jersey. I imagine that was not great. No, not ideal. Who made that decision? I feel like that’s the wrong call. someone that’s someone that doesn’t play golf. I mean, is that have everything to do with just golf in the fall being really pure and the golf courses don’t want to give up like tea times? Maybe, but we played a lot of like county courses, so I don’t know. I don’t really know. I’m sure it was just someone said it back in the day and they’re like, “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” H Yeah, probably an afterthought. I can’t imagine. I mean, cuz when would you start? March. Like March and up in the Northeast, honestly. Maybe. Yeah, maybe even before. Like I don’t Yeah, it was a lot of like 42 degrees and and not fun. Oh my gosh. I mean, all of our stuff like New Like I talked to the guys in Oklahoma and whatnot and everywhere like New Jersey high school golf was, you know, a joke compared to like everything was nine holes and other than like the major tournaments were 18, but like it was not a very, you know, big thing. Well, so like what what junior golf did you play? Was there mostly local stuff or did you play much national events? I played like I played like two AJAS. Wow. Like two or three? I really did not like there was only one in New York I think at the time and I was like I’m doing that and that’s it. Like I don’t like like I went to like Texas once and I shot a million and I was like I’m not that was not worth my time or my like I hated the idea that my parents would spend money on me to go like travel and I’d play like you know. So you had like that added pressure. So you just Yeah. So you wore it a little bit. Okay. Yeah. And I wasn’t like, you know, I wasn’t like a world beater as a kid, so I wasn’t I didn’t see like where it was going. Yeah. Um but I just played a lot of like I mean we were lucky too with New Jersey State Golf Association and MGA, which is the Met. Like we played amazing courses and they had great stuff and I played like New Jersey, Metam, the junior stuff. Um so that was kind of my like circuit as a kid. I mean, you kind of strike me as a player, Chris, probably as like a junior that was either hot, like you were either on or you weren’t on. Is this true? Like I I just see like a lot of 8368s in tournaments. Is that kind of what you were doing in junior golf? Yeah. I would play good and then I would lose it. Like it’s funny. I have some swings in my phone from high school and like it’s amazing how What’s it look like? Just ungodly long. Like driver going back to my knees. Like the fact that I was even able to square it up is is crazy. But um yeah, it it yeah, I definitely was not like was not a very um like I would hit it nice some days and I like you said I played good, but like when I was hitting it bad, it was it was ugly. Did uh was there was there a certain coach that kind of entered enter entered your uh uh in your golf career that kind of helped with just basic fundamentals to kind of get you to a point where you started to get more consistently to realize okay um not only can I do this maybe in college but I can dream about doing this uh maybe for a living one day. Yeah, there was there’s definitely levels to my like golf. Um, at Rumson we had a pro Brian Gaffne who was like at the Whistling Straits he made the cut like uh I think it was it was the PGA. Yeah. So he was like he was a very good player couple US Opens. So like he was the guy that I would play with after work and you know he we would practice and whatnot. And there’s actually a funny picture, my mom has it of like I was practicing and my brother’s like asleep on the mat next to me as a kid, but my coach that I work with now, I’ve been working with him since high school. So Oh, wow. He’s been he’s been, you know, we’ve had a slow kind of progression and and both my college coaches too were very, you know, instrumental in in the stepping stones that I took. Yeah. And and so you’re obviously only playing, you know, local regional type of golf for you. Uh you obviously ended up uh going to Ruckers, but did you have any other schools that were dream schools that were in mind or did you always kind of want to stay a little closer to home? You know, I I didn’t really I don’t I can’t even really remember other than like I knew I was limited in my like my decision to play. Not that I was like going to be able to go wherever I wanted like a lot of these kids now. But like the way I played and where I played like I was limited to the Northeast for the most part cuz that’s just you know where people looked. But I really only had an offer from Ruckers and Lyola Maryland. Those are like the two schools that I talked to really. Um and you know I I love the Ruckers just joined the Big 10 at the time. I really liked coach and like I he I could see myself there and doing well. But like it’s funny I I my family’s not Ruckers fans now they are. But like you know we never grew up being like I’m going to New Jersey State school. Like that’s just it just kind of happened. I I really don’t have like a good reason other than I liked it and I had a great offer and and coach believed in me. Well that’s awesome. And I’ve I of course uh became a Rucker golf fan when I guess this would have probably been your junior year. My college roommate Franco Castro, brother of tour player Roberto Castro uh joined the squad as the assistant coach and he actually told me that he had a couple different offers of where to go be an assistant coach and he mainly chose Ruters because or really just have an opportunity to coach you. So, I’ve I’ve known about you for a very long time. And luckily, because I know Franco, I also get a couple of inside uh tips on what to ask Chris up in an interview. So, one of the things one of the things he told me to ask was, how was Hammock Beach coming off of winter break freshman year? This is a golf course, I believe, that apparently maybe didn’t quite go so hot coming out of winter break. Yeah, I was always uh like growing up, you know, I didn’t touch my clubs until after Christmas usually from who knows when, October till and like I’d always go down to Florida. I remember playing medalist and like as a kid and I’d just be like I’m never coming back here. Like I’d lose 10 balls and I was like this is hell. But yeah, I’ve had a couple there was a couple. The Hammock Beach is where we played the Big 10 match. But Oh, it is. And um and it’s it’s a cool course, but there’s, you know, there’s some water holes and and some houses and uh yeah, I I I’ve struggled there. And then there’s this other place. I don’t think Frank was a coach when we were there, but um we went to like the Slammer and the Squire. Yeah. Yeah. Down in like St. Augustine, right? Yeah. Yeah. It’s kind of an open course though, isn’t it? Yeah. But we did a training trip there and I shot a 100 three days in a row. Stop it. Swear to God. Like actually 100. Yes. Like oh man. It was coach was probably like this is my life’s over. Like oh my gosh. Like you were supposed to be the diamond in the rough like the guy that hits it really far. You’re going to figure it out, you know? Yeah. And I was It was funny like looking back on it now. I know. I think they play the cornfairy event there and like in co and I saw the shot like 30 under and I was like holy crap. Like it was crazy. It was like what was going on? Yeah. What was going on? I mean, I was just hitting it all over the map. Like any water, I’d find it. I can’t even remember. Like, I can’t I can remember one T-ball I hit. It’s like the ninth hole. There was like a pond that was 50 yards and then trees and I’d hit it like into the trees, right at the pond. Oh, man. I got that shot. I got that shot. Yeah. So, it’s just like there’s funny stories like that like where like you just look back and you’re like, how did like how is this even possible? Yeah. I mean, a lot of players uh especially at a young age would would uh put a lot more pressure on themselves and lose a lot of confidence and uh apparently that didn’t happen with you. So, so what was the uh the key for you to kind of uh get back on the horse, keep at it, you know, not lose the faith and uh eventually kind of get to where you started playing some better golf over the next couple years? Yeah, it’s probably, you know, a little bit of what I said before where like I went down to Florida knowing like this is not going to be good. Like it was really just knock the rust off like sometimes more rust than I’d like but it would take it would take it would take me a couple weeks slash months to get out of it cuz I really like you didn’t touch a club for how long it I mean 3 months probably two three months and like in college we started to practice more inside and like and I got better coming into the spring but like it was really just a you know I don’t have like a good answer as to why I, you know, figured it out kind of, but like I really just kind of stuck with it and I really liked the grind of it and I would always go like I would always go after class or whatever and just go to the range that we had on campus and I would just hit balls and and go like not knowing what I’m doing, but like I just I loved going there by myself, hitting balls and like figuring stuff out whether it was made me worse or better at the time. But like there was definitely that aspect of it. just a lot of, you know, hours just spent hitting balls. And, uh, and my junior or sophomore year into my junior year, I lost like 40 lbs. Oh. Um, and that like for some reason kicked a lot of stuff into like the right gear. Uh, just got what was Yeah, a mix of everything. I mean, I was definitely I was very out of shape. um which help which made it easier to lose some weight. But like yeah, I just started I just for some reason I kicked it into gear and um everything just kind of started clicking from there. Man, that’s interesting. Too many man sodas, you think? Or what? I I in high school and like my freshman year, I we would play in high school, I’d play Call of Duty with my friends till like 2 a.m. Okay. Eating all sorts of crap and you know, and it just probably just it didn’t probably it caught up with me. So it’s a little bit it sounds like to me just a dedication deal like you realize okay if I want to play this at the next level like or just be a very good college player. I got I got to put the time in. Yeah. And it was more you know I didn’t go into school being like I’m turning pro after school. Like I just went in and like see how it goes. Let’s see how it go. Yeah. See how it goes. Really? And I think I started to see like all right you know I played good. I won like I played really good in the medam one summer like my sophomore year and I was like all right you know I just beat some like good players. Yeah, maybe I am all right like pretty good at this. So then I like once I started seeing some results on top of it definitely helped me like take it seriously. Was one of the keys potentially that you realize that if I don’t use the Velcro on my glove that could be a that could be a huge key. Is that something that you figured out or what’s the deal with that? That’s such an honor. It’s amazing. It’s amazing how fascinating how fascinated everyone was with the glove. Like it really was like as a kid like I have a super strong left grip and as a kid it would always come up when it would always crunch like the Velcro would crunch and I hated it. I hated the sound of it and I was probably just cupping the out of my wrist and but I hated the sound. So, like I just I would always chip unstrapped and then I just eventually half laziness just would throw my glove on and and just hit balls and I just, you know, it’s not coming off when it’s when it’s on the club. So, I mean I mean even Frankie told me that like you don’t even like to tie your shoes like you would prefer uh to not have your shoes tied. So, there’s some there seems to be some form of looseness factor that that definitely suits you. Yeah, I’m I’m a big like just sweatshirt guy and gym shorts and uh chain. Throw the chain, man. Chain gang. Yeah, exactly. What’s What’s on the chain? What is it? One chain. How many chains we got? Uh I have two. I I have one like um white one and one yellow one. I there’s I just I wanted to get something and that was that. It’s a jersey thing, right? I guess I don’t know. I I guess I need to get one. How do you think I would do pulled off? Yeah. I mean, everyone’s everyone’s got one, whether it’s, you know. Oh, man. Well, tell me about just the end of your college career at Ruckers because I think one of the things that I thought happened was that you spent three years at Ruckers, then you transferred to Oklahoma. But what I figured out was that you did four and then you had a COVID year, then you transferred to Oklahoma. So, I I guess the where I want to go here is leading up into your senior year, you finish uh your fourth year at Ruters. Obviously, you’ve had some success. Um, was there a decision to be made for you on on whether you wanted to turn pro or were you thinking about, man, I got unfinished business left in college? No, there wasn’t a thought of turning pro. I was not ready at the time. So, um, it kind of was very COVID related decision. Um, but my junior year at Colton River, we played it was like whenever CO like whenever that day everything got shut down. Yeah. It was like two days after that event. Um, but at that event, I woke up one morning at like the the day before the event and I I swear I thought I like banged my hand on like the headboard and my hand was killing me. Um, and I literally thought I broke my hand in my sleep. Like I was fine. I played a practice round and then so I played the event and then I get home and uh I had like a torn ligament in my thumb and I had to get like a bone graft on my like I had like a cyst on my thumb. So, I was shut down for the whole summer and then with COVID and everything, Ruckers or the Big 10 didn’t play in the fall and then the spring was still kind of iffy. But then I saw all these schools in like the South being like, you know, they were all playing and they didn’t, you know, so I was like, I don’t know if this is going to keep going for another year. Like, who like who knew at the time? So, I wanted to finish out my four years. Like, I committed to Yeah. four years and I I loved it there, but there was just too much like a lot of uncertainty and and I was at the point where I was like I was an all-American. Um I had my stuff like I did cool stuff at Ruckers and I was like if I’m going to do this for real like turning pro at some point I got to go somewhere far away and so different because I I kind of had like not mastered but like I knew the courses we were playing. I was gonna qual I was gonna play every event like not that it was easy but like I was very comfortable and I wanted to go somewhere where I was going to be challenged. Yeah. When you and I had dinner right before the US Open which was a great night by the way. Uh it was right, you know, kind of right at the beginning of this run you’ve gone on. So I have to take a little credit here. Maybe you need to go you need to go to more dinners with me. But the thing that surprised me, Chris, was that when I asked you about Oklahoma, which is uh obviously a great school, but it wouldn’t be the first place that I would guess a guy from New Jersey would go to unless he just liked the color red. How did you end up at Oklahoma? And uh you know, obviously Ryan Hibbles done an incredible job there. So, you know, how tell me how you ended up there. Yeah. um you know that year when I was transferring I think them and Pepperdine both played in the national championship and I knew Oklahoma was losing you know three guys that were were very good players and I knew I could slot myself in nicely there but I went and visited there Pepperdine and Auburn all in the same week. Um, and I I I known like people told me like, “Hey, you got to check out Oklahoma. Like Hibble’s amazing.” Um, and the type of coach he was was similar to my Ruckers coach. Um, you know, more of like almost like a football guy kind of like he’ll he’ll get on you if if you’re doing something wrong. Um, which I liked. Like I knew I wasn’t perfect and didn’t I needed some tough love every once in a while, but um, yeah, I went there. Uh, I never thought I would end up there and I went up that was my first visit and I loved it. Uh, and I went to the other ones and I like I went home like I’m going to Oklahoma. Well, Frankie told me you have a New Jersey tat. So, did you get an Oklahoma tat when you got there? No. No. We had the we had the New Jersey state logo on our shirts at school. Yeah. I was like, that’d be cool if I tattooed it on my back. I don’t know if I’d do it again. Yeah. It’s like right right here. I don’t know if I’d do it again, but it’s cool. Like I I have good reason for it and uh it it it’s a conversation piece. Not that I have my shirt off around people that often, but Well, oh, tell me about Ryan Hibble and just y’all’s uh or just your development over that year. You obviously make a great move and it worked out amazing for you. Basically won the Heisman Trophy of golf for that for that one uh that year you ended up at Oklahoma. So, obviously things could not have gone better for you. Yeah, it was just like a weird it was a weird time where like everything seemed to be working in my favor with like with COVID happening, everything being shut down. I was, you know, recovering from my surgery and it really took me like a full year to get back to like no pain and no like weird feelings in my hand and it kind of just like parlayed right into that year and I really just kind of hit the ground running. Um, you know, I remember the first qualifier everyone was probably like, you know, screw this kid. Like, and then I ended up winning by like a bunch. Um, and I think like I think there I was like I I proved to myself. I was like, you know, coach coach told me first first day I got there, he’s like, “We know you’re good. Like, but you’re going to have to earn it and like you have no guaranteed spot on the team other than being on the team.” So, I was like, “All right, I got to go.” Like, this is not a joke. Um, yeah. And so it I just I just kind of figured it out a little bit. I had played good. And it was nice, too, because I had already graduated, so I didn’t really take many classes. Like I took what I needed to take and I was going there for golf, so I practiced all day. Um, and I really just I really just liked the grind there. And um, wait, what class you take? Oh, I don’t even know. There were I all I had to do was be eligible, so that was that was what I did. Did you take classes on like riding the horse into the stadium like the the whole place? That probably would have been better. That probably would have been better when than what I was taking. Um I remember I went to one I had one in person each semester and I went to one and I I don’t know if I should say this but like I went to one I’m like I’m done. I’m not doing this. And so I just You’re like I’m I’ve already done my four years of school. Yeah. Exactly. I I you know I got good grades at Ruckers relatively speaking and I was like I did my part like I give I gave up. I did my time. I love that coach was like just be eligible you know we know you’re not here for uh you know academic boosting. Um but yeah I just I don’t know. I really liked like qualifying. I really liked it was very intense like coach said like qualifying is going to be hard and you know I think it helped like going into tournaments knowing that I earned my place. Mh. Um and then I kind of just put some good tournaments together and sure you know I I kind of just started getting confidence. That was really kind of the it wasn’t like I was a different person than at Ruckers. I just Yeah. You know I kind of just put things together. I I have two questions that come to mind. One is the the weather obviously you experience in New Jersey is going to be a lot different than theuh conditions you’ll have in Oklahoma. You know, the the wind is what what comes to mind really in Oklahoma. You’re a very low ball flight hitter when I played with you and it’s I noticed that on tour as well. Was that something that you’ve always had or did you kind of develop this over time? Did you develop it a little bit more at Oklahoma? Just just curious about that. Kind of always had it. I but I never I do it way more now than I ever did. Um, and it’s probably because of playing in the wind all the time. Um, really not a day where it’s not windy here, but it’s I don’t know like you know I don’t know like when it happened or I always liked um moving the ball like I when I was growing up like I loved just like hitting a 30 yard slice even though I could hit it dead straight like so it was kind of just one of those things and then once it started getting windy I had to do it. So I kind of just it kind of fit my eyes nicely. I always liked working it with the wind and um you know it it was just kind of one of those things that I never really thought of it but now when I go play places I’m just hitting like flighted shots everywhere. Um so the it sounds like to me like you like to play the golf uh game very creatively. And so the the second part of the question would be was there a part of your game that needed work? Uh or maybe that something that you were able to hide a little bit in the college game that maybe you kind of realized over time, okay, I needed to kind of develop more uh shots or or or more better technique in a certain aspect of your game. Yeah, when I got to school it was like 120 yards and then um like that was going to be my like wheelhouse. Like I’ve always been a good driver of the ball. Um except coming out of winter break. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, except down in Florida in December and January. But like I always I always like putting has always been my like not nemesis, but like I need to be you can never be good enough at putting one and two I was not good enough at putting. Yeah. Um so we always worked on that and coach is one of the best putters you know of all time. So that helped getting to his advice just picking his brain a little bit. Yeah, exactly. And it’s just like you being around people that see things differently and asking questions and like picking things that you liked that you could use and it was just it was stuff like that. And I and it was more the like a lot of time that I put in of like I had these facilities and I could get be could get better and I had the time to do it and I wanted to do it and I think it was just kind of like a good it was a good place at the right time for me. It’s like Joe Burrow coming to LSU. It was just business. It was just business. I mean, it it like I was going there for golf. It was kind of my like it was my year to see what I can do. Was there anything or any advice that came from from Ryan or or another teammate that’s that stuck out as something that you still use today? Whether it’s technique or u you know how you play certain shots or putting is there anything that sticks out from that time? No, not so much in like that sense, but there was one thing that coach said to me one time in qualifying and I was like, “Holy, that makes so much sense.” Like he was like, you know, it never hurts to go put three, four unders or like four three unders together in like qualifying. Like you’re going to earn your spot and like I think a lot of times in qualifying you’re like, I got to go shoot a seven under today. Like you know, I gotta get off to a good start. And I think it’s like the same on tour too where like you know cornfare tour maybe not you need to go shoot six under every day but like on tour if you go put if you go shoot three under every day you know you’re going to be in a good spot and you go get hot one day. Um and it was just like it simplified it to where like there wasn’t as much pressure to on every shot of like I have to execute or else I’m falling behind. It was like just kind of stay the course and uh and you know hope to get hot at the right time. When your senior year started I guess or going into this year at Oklahoma where where were you on the PGA Tour U standings? Because obviously when you finished the year as the best player in the Fred Haskins award winner when I was surprised to go back and find that you were seventh at the end of the year on the PJ tour you stand in. I was kind of thinking that I was like scrolling down. I was like looking for your name and I was expecting you you to be either one, two or three. Uh, did you just start too far back? Like what what Yeah, I don’t know where I started. I I It was outside the 30 range for sure. Um, but honestly, it’s funny you say that. It like finishing seventh was the best thing that ever happened because I didn’t like I think if I finished I don’t know what would have happened, but like I think if I finished top five, I would have gotten cornfy for the summer and I would have gone and played cornfairy. But I finished seven and I had a bunch of sponsor exemptions lined up. So I went and played like Travelers, John Deere, all that and I played well in those. So that got me cornfairy status for next year. And so like kind of worked out nicely in that sense where like I could have gone and you know gotten a couple 20ths or 30th and then I would have been at you know first stage of Q school where like I finished in a spot where I got automatically the final stage from my points for the year. So it kind of wor like it funny enough worked out that way. What did you think of the whole cord fairy tour season? It’s always it’s so interesting talking to players that have never traveled and and I mean not to say that you haven’t traveled but literally traveled for your job week to week. It’s it feels like the traveling circus and you’ve never played that much golf in your life and you’re just trying to figure out how to to shoot six under every single day like you talked about. Yeah, it honestly the travel part for me wasn’t like because cuz I was like I played 12 events on tour that summer so I kind of got the feel of like sure but I was you know we were getting courtesy cards every week and you know I definitely got spoiled. Um and then I’m back to you know in the Bahamas and and like and figuring it out. Um, but the thing that surprised me with Cornfair was like, you know, I had a lot of people tell me like especially after my start on tour, like they’re like, “You’re going to be here and know like we’ll see you back here next year and like you’re going to, you know, you’re going to breeze through this.” And it was really hard. Like the amount of good players that play good every week on that tour is I don’t think people understand like like you have to go shoot 20 under to get a top five every week. that might be 20 under might be 18th one week. You got to wedge it good and you got to putt it good. Yeah. And and like like I said, like that was my, you know, stuff I needed to work on and I definitely got better as the year went on. Um but like you said, it was just such a long like it’s such a hard grind of like you have to make it all the way to October from you know, January, whatever. And every week is stressful, especially the last like I wasn’t in a spot going into the finals where um Yeah, you finished 23rd, man. Like you were right there on it. Well, yeah. I went into the I went into it at like 26. So like I needed a good week. Um it was not a shoe in, you know, finish. Uh and that course, the final course is not one that What? Was it Omaha? No, it was Victoria National. Oh. done that. Not the place won there. Not the place you want to be playing. And I actually played there in cornfairy cornfair tour finals the year before and I’ve shot a million. So I was like been there done that too. I have my demons there. I really don’t even know if I’ve shot in the 70s at Victoria National. I’ve either shot in the 60s or the 80s. I I really it’s boomer boss for me there. The first the first year I was playing all right and I dunked like three in the water on 18. Easy to do, man. You’re just staring it right in the face there. Gosh, it’s a hard tail. And uh and yeah, I just kind of, you know, I toughed it out that week, but it was not easy. Oh, man. Uh All right. So, when did you make the decision to move to uh Edmund, right? Is that where you were? Yeah. So, what like did that decision come right after your time at Oklahoma or did you move back somewhere? I went back to New Jersey um because I was kind of gone. I I hadn’t figured out like it all happened so fast. Like I finished I got I won the Haskins and then went straight to Canada to play RBC like 3 days after. So I didn’t really even have time to like do anything. But then I moved uh here the first like in the first week of the new year after that and I lived with my buddy Logan for like three months. He was counting for you, right, Logan? No. No. Oh, no. Um, Logan Mallister. He’s on Cornfair. Okay, never mind. We’re roommates at OU. Who was counting for you in Puerto Rico? Uh, my buddy Ryan. Ryan. Gosh, I don’t know. Felt like Logan. Felt right. It fits. Um, but yeah. So, I moved I moved here. I kind of just said I’m going to move to the place where I know the most people that play golf that are my age. And Oak Tree National. Is that the golf course? Yeah. Is it hard? Very. So you you basically can play a golf course that’s going to test you every day and you have players to compete against like what is it? Uh is Victor’s there, right? Uh Max McCree, Austin. Yeah, Quaid Cummins, Logan, and then there’s a couple other cornfair guys like Josh Creel, Re Gibson. Uh Reene Gibson’s there. Wow, I didn’t know that. Yeah, I played on the cornfair tour with them. Great guy. Yeah, there’s probably there’s probably 10 guys with status out here, which is for, you know, kind of middle of nowhere Oklahoma. Oh, Taylor Gu is here. What’s All right, so what’s the game? What’s uh what’s the standard game you guys? It’s usually It’s usually banker or Wolf. Banker. Yeah. I’ve never played Banker, but I’ve heard it’s a good game. It’s good. It’s It’s the game where like if you play good, you’re going to make money. There’s nothing worse than playing good. Yeah. and you play, you know, Wolf and then the last three holes you lose $400 and you were up $200 and you were playing good. It’s like, man, why the hell did I even come out here? I can’t stand when you play good for the first 15 holes, then the order switches up. Next thing you know, you uh you get doubled up on the wrong side and you’re Yeah, we have like a perfect finish for like chaos here, too. So, it’s like it’s, you know, the classic Pete die. Five, three, four, and brutal brutal three and four to finish. What’s a good score out there? right now it’s like if you go shoot four under like you feel good about yourself. Um but like when I first joined they just switched to Bermuda and we were shooting like three four over and you were winning just so firm and it’s windy too. I imagine that that doesn’t help. Yeah. No, but I imagine life is is kind of on the slow side. I would imagine Edmond on the slow side. It’s not quite a fast-paced style like maybe New Jersey could get or at least or New York could get. So, what’s uh what do you guys do on on a weekend? Is is somebody cooking? What’s the deal? Yeah, it’s it’s it’s not it’s perfect place to come for like when like this week I’m off this week. It’s like the perfect place to come for a week off cuz I I mosey around. I get my stuff done and you know I cook here and I’ll go to the court. Like the range is literally like 50 yards right there. So like you were just fishing right before you came on. I was just I drove the golf cart out and was fishing. And so we have we have stuff and then OKC is like 20 minutes. So if you want to go to a nice dinner Oh, okay. Go downtown. Um but usually like Austin lives right down the block. Quaid lives right down the block. And then Logan lives across the street. So like we’ll someone if we’re all home together, we’ll we’ll cook. And um Quaid’s usually the barbecue guy. So Okay. So Quaid’s the cooker. Yeah, Qu’s the barbecue guy. If we’re if we’re around, you just show up and eat. That’s your thing. Yeah, I mean, I try to bring something, but Yeah, bring a potato salad or something. Yeah, a storebought. Yeah, there you go. Maybe some of the storebought cookies, too. Just a a nice added touch. Well, your rookie year is interesting because I mean, how would you rate your rookie year? You you of course won on the PGA Tour. You won at Myrtle Beach. in the rest of your year, it seemed like you had your moments, but also maybe had some learning uh to do throughout. So, how would you grade the season? It it seems like an interesting one to me. Yeah, it was an interesting one. Um, now knowing what I know, um, I don’t know. I don’t know even know how I would rate it. I mean, I won, so it like Yeah, winning always it plays you, you know, you feel like uh, you know, it accomplished the goal of of security, right? Yeah. Exactly. And I think that was that was a big thing cuz it was a very stressful year in the fact that like you know the first eight event like on my number for cornfairy I didn’t get into Sony I didn’t get into um like I had to get a sponsor exemption into Honda and so like stuff that you would normally get into like every week I didn’t know if I was playing I was always kind of right on like the cusp so it was like and I was 23 I thought I was going to be in a great spot. Yeah. Um that sucks man. So you’re just like already kind of pushing and and maybe just feeling like you’re already behind the eightball. For sure. That Yeah. You felt like you started the year, you know, you played half the events that the guys were play. Um but, you know, then I go and win and obviously that’s like, all right, I’m I’m I’m here and then and then I go miss felt like every cut after that. Um or finish 40th and you’re just like and you still don’t have it. But I I learned a lot in the fact that like I thought I had to play everything, you know, and and I really wore myself out, you know, and I got back from Japan at the end of last year and I was like, I’m done. Like my hand was hurting me and I was like, so I thought I was going to be back on the IR with my hand and I really just was like, all right, I’m taking three months or like three months and I’m and I’m done. Like, and then I kind of got back into this year and I was kind of doing the same thing. I I’d play good every once in a while, but I really didn’t figure it out. And I really I really just learned a lot. Like that’s it was a year of like you said, a year of learning. I I sure obviously you win you’ve Yeah. Everything’s great. But it’s like there’s a lot of there’s a lot more downs than ups last year. Oh, after your three months off, you didn’t go down and play the Slammer than Squire, did you? No. No, no. I was trying to be in Florida in the winter and and pre- rip the band-aid off. Oh man. Oh gosh. That is too good. Well, I mean, winning obviously uh gets you uh in that security blanket of not worrying about status quite as much and you definitely elevated to that different category, so you got better tea times. Life on tour is just much cleaner when you don’t have to worry about that. Um, and so let’s kind of talk a little bit about this year leading all the way up until the US Open because it seems like you were right on the cusp so many weeks really to like kind of getting into contention but not really getting into contention but not playing bad enough to consider it a bad week if that makes sense. Like tons of like 10 to 25th. I had a lot of like all right that was a good week but you know where like I’d finish 18th and it’ be like you can’t really complain about an 18th but you also like man I feel like I’m playing better I feel like I’m playing better than this like you could almost go and find like a shot or two like go like I I know I can can handle like that simple thing I should have done for sure and it’s it it was a lot of now that looking back on it too I talked with like everyone that I you know as a part of my team and it was like I was like I played three good rounds and I just couldn’t there was always a fourth round that like and I it would always be you know whether it be Saturday, Friday or like shoot one under and you know or even and be like damn I just like I lost my footing in the tournament a little bit and then I’d go bounce back with a Sunday and and you know play good and you know finish 18th but it was like I just couldn’t put it together but I knew I wasn’t doing stuff wrong either. here. So, it was like a funny you’re at the line where you’re like, do I switch it all up or do I just keep hammering at it and hope, you know, hope it breaks through? So, how crucial was it for you to qualify for the US Open? By the way, I love that you went old school and went back to the Ruters bag qualifying up in uh was it New Jersey? Is that right? Yeah. Yeah. That’s where I got through my first time. Um, and so I I like I like just going back home for, you know, for the weekend before and um, I know those courses and, you know, I think my game, you know, is built from those courses. So, I knew I could play well and if I go play good, I can qualify. And it was nice where it’s like, you know, last two years ago, my college coach, Caddy for me, I puted 18 to miss by one. Ah, and so I was like, all right, I’m going to get it back this year. And um yeah, and I wasn’t going to make my caddy carry the staff back. And so how how crucial was it though? You you make it into the US Open. And uh it turned out to be really just a crucial week for you. I mean, anytime you get in a major championship and you feel like you’re like part of somewhat of a storyline. I know those four guys were out in front, but yeah, you you played you had a good enough week to where you felt like, man, I’m I’m not that far off from contending in major. Yeah, for sure. And I think I shot a couple over the first round, but I really didn’t feel like I even played that bad. Um those are long rounds Thursday, Friday, US Open, man. And then Friday I played amazing. Um I think I shot like two under or something on Friday and I was like, “All right, I’m right back into like you go shoot the under part at one of those and you’re right back into it.” Totally. And so I And then I followed it up with another one under or two under and I was like a tenth or something. Um so I was like I’m playing like I was I was playing really good. like I was hitting great shots and, you know, not making mistakes. Like I don’t think I made a double all week. Um, which is key that week. That was a key. Yeah. And and I I just played good. I really didn’t have much stress like in my rounds. And then Sunday was Sunday was just a weird day. Like I felt like I played fine. I hit some wacky shots, but it was also like crazy weather. It was wild weather. And I really I really didn’t feel like I played that bad. It was just kind of one of those rounds that like I was like just hang in there and you know and and it was just I played good and I just didn’t you know I didn’t get it all out but I I walked out of there being like all right that was a that was a good week. Did you have to play after the rain delay? Yeah, I had to play like uh eight holes or nine holes. So what was your opinion of the uh the conditions? I mean, it was crazy, but like it was it was one of those where it was like so wet that you wouldn’t get mud balls or anything, but it was just so like it was so wet. Every step I took, it felt like I was stepping in a puddle. Yeah, it was it was it was very strange, but I don’t know. It’s just one of like you were just trying to grind it out and and hit in the right spot and hope to, you know, hope to make it work. So, all right. So, you you hop on. Do they do a charter still from the deer to uh over to the Scottish? So you hop on the charter going to the Scottish. Where’s your mind at on that on that long fight heading over to the Scottish? Are you in a frame of mind ready to win? Are you feeling um any as he any hesitencies about about your game at all? Um not really. I mean I I it was funny. I I was actually first alternate for Scottish that week. I didn’t know that. Holy moly. Um, and I I ended up being like three in, but still like I was debating on what where I’m going and but I I had a good week at the deer. Like I I played well there in the past and um and played good. You know, I like you said another one of those like T20 played good. You know, one day kind of I think the last day I didn’t play great. I think I three putted like the first hole and and I was like, “Ah, here we go.” Um, but yeah, I mean it was a solid week and I had I’d had I don’t know, eight or nine top 25s in the last like 10 11 events. So, I like I knew I was in a good spot. Um, and I had good vibes from like I liked the Scottish tournament. I thought it was fun. Like there’s a couple of us going over there and we’re going to go hang out and uh we were playing North Barrack on Tuesday. So, it’s just like one of those it was very like casual, laidback, you know, fun week. And what’ you think, North Peric? I played last year as well and it’s very cool. Like I love it. Yeah, it’s just so much fun. It’s so different. Yeah, it’s hard to believe that when they designed that place that they could look that far ahead in advance and like so many of the template holes we use in modern architecture um is from that golf course. It’s just bizarre to me the whole experience. Yeah. Yeah. It’s funny. It’s just like it is golf course. Like how do they know? Yeah. It’s but it’s so much fun to play. Definitely. So, it uh what is it? The hole with the the little uh rock wall. Is it 13? I don’t remember what it’s called. It’s got a certain name. Uh did you drive it up there next to the green and just like Yeah, we hit it like next to the wall and just popped it over the wall and knocked it close. But it’s such an It feels like you’re almost like in a putt putt putt situation like Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It’s so odd. Well, so you had played so you had played the Renaissance Club the year before, so it wasn’t your first time around that track. That that had to be helpful showing up to a Lynx golf course knowing how it was going to play. For sure. I mean, I missed the cut the year before, but um but I I I thought it was an awesome course. Like the whole thing is cool. The the event’s awesome. Um and it’s just like a fun golf course. I I know everyone says it’s not like true lengths or whatever, but I don’t mind it. Except the 10th They need to blow up They need to blow up golf course to play. Blow up the 10th green. Yeah, that one’s a little funky, but it worked out well for me that week. So, I’m sure it did. Um, a lot did that week. It was unbelievable watching watching you play. Didn’t you have like a 62? Was it a 62 like a 61 on Friday? Okay. So, you’re heading into the weekend and you got to be thinking to yourself, I could not be in a better spot. But where were the nerves at just heading into your Saturday round? Like did you feel comfortable heading into the weekend? Yeah, I mean I knew I was playing well obviously trying but trying to follow up at 61 is always hard and um like those rounds are always seemed to be the hardest following up a good round and it was weird like I was the last group off and we teed off at like four which was like it’s so hard like that’s been the hardest thing of like playing well honestly is like those rounds are so hard to like be ready for because you’re trying to kill time all day and try not to do much and then it’s like bang 4:00. All right, here I go. Like I got to go play and your day’s almost over and it’s just like it’s just getting started at four. Yeah. So, like it was it was it was weird in that sense, but I played good. You know, I I was very nervous, but I also felt good about my game and I think I shot even or something like that. But it was like it was one of those where I if I birdied like 16 coming in, which is the par five, like I would have been like, “All right, that was a good day.” like and I still walk off the course being like, “All right, I’m still in a great spot.” You had a great cushion heading into uh into that Saturday round. So, I got to ask you about Sunday. How how difficult was it uh kind of keeping in your own lane that day knowing that you’re in this the final group with Rory Moy and that every single person uh at that place is going to want to see Rory get the job done. So, was that difficult for you feeling like it was an away game or did it kind of heighten your focus a little bit more? I think it heightened my focus a little bit um in the terms that like in the fact that it was very it was it was it was very nice to play with Windam as well like I’ve become friendly with him and and his caddies really good friends with my caddy. So we were talking all day and and honestly we talked with Rory too for the for most of the day and then it was very like I felt good. I was honestly less nervous Sunday than I was Saturday for whatever reason. But I got off to a decent start. You know, I was a couple under through, you know, six or seven. And and I like I was in a zone where like, all right, I’m going to play good today. Like, as long as I don’t mess up and let the moment get to me. Yeah. It was going to be a good day. And once I got to like 13 and 14, it was very it started like the crowd started turning to where it was like we really don’t want you to win. Um like openly rooting against me like but and you hear you hear the chirping for sure. It’s hard not to. Um yeah. So that was like but I still felt good like you know at that moment you know like all right I’m doing something right like you know I’m I’ve got a lead like people don’t want me to win like I’m in a good spot and then the whole rules official thing happens. Yeah. Um and that was that was interesting. Um that’s for the people that uh didn’t get a chance to watch what exactly happened. So, we got we were waiting all day and then we had a long 11th hole. Like Roy hit in the trees, had to punch out. Like we were all grinding for pars and uh and it took a while and then they warned us on 12. They were like part three. Yeah. They were like, “Hey, like just you know, here’s a pace warning, but pick it up.” Like so we have six holes left and we’re like, “All right, we like we got it.” And then we get to 15 and they’re like, “We’re individually timing you, Chris.” And I was like, are you kidding me? Like, would you consider yourself to be a slow or fast player? Where would you find yourself? You think I’m not I, you know, I think I’m fast, but then once I get in like the moment, like when I know it’s like crunch time, like I definitely am not fast, but I’m not like I take my time because it’s important. Yeah. Um, but like at that point, we have four holes left. And knowing what I know now, the TV coverage didn’t matter because they reran it for another like two hours after. So I was like and then and then we were off the clock on 16. I was like, “What the hell was that?” Okay. So it was like very Stilling some home cooking, huh? For sure. For sure. Um, and so I knew like I felt like it was honestly a great day where like I was so comfortable and I was playing well and like you knew something had to go wrong like that day and that was that was like the curveball that like that you never could prepare for mentally like you could do every bit of mental training to start the day of like I want to prepare for every bad situation that could happen just so that when you get into that uncomfortable situation you can handle it but nothing sometimes can prepare you for the unexpected. So, how were you able to like kind of click in? Was it a uh It was more of like, you know, screw this guy, I’m gonna go I’m going to go win this thing now because of this guy. There you go. And it really turned to like it changed my whole focus of like trying to take down Rory to like screw this guy. Like Yeah, honestly, it did. Um but it was just very like it it kind of like I was in a comfortable spot. thought I was probably just cruising along and then I got to like all right, you know, like this is it. Like this is my time to like if I’m if I’m not going to let this rules official like take this away from me kind of thing. Well, you obviously go and get the job done and it was it was so fun to watch you uh win and especially in a group like that. It just has to add to the confidence and you always wonder going into the next week which is a you end up qualifying obviously getting into the open championship and so most people would think okay the tank is empty like the guy just had you know his first really big win uh the expectations for for Chris of the open championship are well we don’t know he hadn’t played in open so heading into it were you like all right I I’m playing really good golf I think I’m ready to uh contend in this major championship or did you just kind of let the week come to you? I tried to do a good job of letting the week come to me. I I took Monday all the way off. Um I like early travel day and I you know I I didn’t sleep at all. I you know how could you? Yeah. Like I didn’t even do anything like no partying or anything. I just like you’re just sitting in your bed and you’re like how the hell do I fall asleep after all that? So wired cuz you just cuz the tea time’s at 4, man. Like it’s Yeah. And like I got back to the hotel at like 10:00 and I just sat in my room for like four hours and just tried to like process what just happened. But yeah, and then get up there Monday and really just took it easy knowing that, you know, my game’s in a good spot. Um, and just try to try to see the course, you know, a little different conditions but not crazy different and just go out there and be ready for Thursday. Yeah. Well, you were and it turned out to be a really great week. So, how would you sum up? Uh, I was really most impressed, I think, just with how well you played on Sunday. Just seemed like, you know, a day that seemed to be very, very important for many reasons. Um, that you really stood up and and answered the bell. Yeah. Um, it was at a point where like, you know, I’d put a two good rounds together before that on Friday and Saturday and I was getting comfortable with the course and what was coming and I don’t know, I I I knew I was playing well and and you know, there’s no real reason and I knew I was in a good space and controlling my like my mental um with the week past and and that current week and yeah, it was just it was fun. I you know we were the group in front of Rory over there which was bananas and Sure. Um and it was just like it was it was fun. I you play with it much more No, you play with Harris. You play with Harris. Yeah, I played with Harris which was great. Like he was very we talked all day and he actually had my old putting coach Raone catting for him. So it was just like a fun fun pairing. He was playing well. I was playing well. We were kind of going back and forth. Uh and then he snuck he snuck bomb in on 16. Oh man. I was sitting there watching that cuz I was thinking like, you know, if if Chris is able to to squeak out a like a solo second here, how big that would be from a point standpoint. And I’m sitting there watching and then Harris makes that putt. I was like, oh man, they got like a this is a mini match going on up here. They’re both need points for different reasons. Like Harris is trying to get inside the top six. Chris is obviously talking about Rder Cup points trying to get it, you know, further in to where he’s uh inside the top 12. So I I imagine like that’s going through your head too trying to get Yeah, for sure. Like it kind of got to the point where it was going to be one of us like finishing second or tied second or third like Yeah. And I really I didn’t do much wrong. He just made, you know, great he made a bomb on 16 and then he made a great birdie on 17 and I I kind of got a little unlucky on 17 where I think my ball like hit the right side of the fair and rolled all the way to the left and I had an impossible angle and he made a great putt and but I mean if you told me Monday morning with how I felt and like you know you’re going to finish you’re going to finish third I would have been like done going home. Was it kind of annoying though that you, you know, that Scotty Schaefer didn’t give you guys like just a chance to like feel like it was close, you know, like when he starts out birdie in the first and uh and and really just kind of shutting down the golf tournament in the first like five holes. Yeah. But it it it made it it was also never going to be like I don’t know. I didn’t really care if I w like I didn’t really care if I won, but I wasn’t in a spot where it was like much pressure either. Yeah. So, it was kind of nice like just playing golf, having fun. Yeah, we were just playing and and I was trying to trying to finish as high as I could and I knew like at that point I think I was like 38th or something in FedEx and I was like, “All right, let’s try to like solidify top 50 this week and and put a good week together.” Um, and then Yeah. Yeah. You’re up in the low 20s now if I remember if I’m Yeah, I think I’m 20 now. Yeah, 20 now because you’ve had a good week at 3M. That’s right. So, you That’s the other one too. the the 3M one cracked me up because uh that there is somebody that put out that that Chris God’s not going to have a good week at the 3M and then you clap back pretty quick after the week. Uh which that’s what Twitter’s all about. Like if if you can’t if you could write an article if you put it out there and you say that and if I see it I’m like but also I totally expect if I say something someone someone out there will be like hey you suck this week like totally goes it goes both ways for sure. And you could understand the argument man like you you’ve been on such a great run and Oh yeah for sure. Like the tank has had to be pretty pretty empty exhausted all week. Like I had uh like Monday I was Monday we kind of got stuck. I got stuck one more night in Ireland. Oh man. And then um and then I uh Do you think Yeah. Did you think about withdrawing at any point? No, cuz I knew at that point I wasn’t going to play Windom. Okay. So I was like let’s just tough this week out. I’m playing good. Like let’s go put a good finish together and and get out of here. Um but then our proam got cancelled on Wednesday which was like the biggest blessing in disguise. Uh and then just watching Netflix just for an afternoon just chill. Yeah. And then um and then I uh Yeah. And then I just I mean it was a really a grind of a week. Like I was I played great on Thursday but then I like I really was just trying to like survive the week. It was hot and I definitely wasn’t playing as great as I was at previous weeks, but to be expected, it was hard to hard to keep it up and I felt like I had a really solid week to to cap off the three weeks. Yeah, I imagine if you even had all the energy, you probably could have given it just a little bit more there at the end. Uh it it of course was a great week. But as we head and flip the page to the end of this interview, you have a lot of course uh on the docket coming up. three uh playoff events uh talking Memphis, BMW, and then hopefully Tour Championship. You’re in a great spot obviously at 20th and FedEx Cup. And then at the end of September, of course, the RDER Cup, and all of a sudden, uh you’re kind of the darling that’s that’s kind of earned its way into position to have a chance to make that team. So, are you a are you a person that of course acknowledges what’s in front of you, but also isn’t like a big goal setter? Is that something that like you you write on a whiteboard on your front door before you head out uh to work in the morning? What’s what’s kind of the way you approach? I’m not a big I’m not a big goal guy. Um I very I really just try to take each week as its own kind of thing, which it is, but you know, I’m I’m not starting the year being like I got to make East Lake, you know, or else my you know, or else my season’s a failure. Like I really just want to try to focus. And now I’m at a point where like all right, Eastlake is my goal, but like if if I go play focus really good on Memphis and play a good week at Memphis, then it takes care of, you know, a bunch of other things. So, right. Um yeah, I mean I’m not, you know, at this point like if you like three weeks ago, we would be having a totally different interview as well. Like I’m just trying to make the playoffs and Yeah. Um, but now I’m at a point where like I’m playing I I feel like I have nothing to lose where I’m at now. And but I’m not going to go out there and play like a maniac. Like I’m going to go I’m going to try to take take the course how it how it gives me. And um but I’m trying to look forward to these next three weeks and and make my way to East Lake hopefully. Oh, have you allowed yourself at least to, you know, picture yourself, uh, whether it’s at the Tour Championship or playing in front of a crowd at the Rder Cup that obviously would feel like a home crowd to you being a guy from New Jersey. Is that something that you’ve allowed yourself to get to uh just mentally just to try to picture yourself in in a position uh to be at that spot? I mean, I’ve I’ve I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about it, but it’s human. It’s human nature. Yeah. But but I’m also in a spot where I have to go play good these next couple weeks if I want any chance of even being considered. So, um there’s like I said, but I have nothing to lose. Um, I’m I’m hopeful that I go play good these next couple weeks and I, you know, throw my name into the mix, but if I go play okay and, you know, hopefully make it to East still, but like if it doesn’t happen, then I still had a great year. Yeah, it’s been it’s been a great year. That’s a great way to end this interview because it it has been uh fun to watch you Chris because uh watching you go on this run at the end of the summer and for in Winkx golf which is uh by the way I I’ve found that the open championship I think is probably my favorite major. Gosh, it’s it’s just so fun over there at the golf courses and um and of course watching you do well was was a lot of fun. Yeah, I appreciate it. It it’s been fun and uh yeah, the the open’s a special one. Well, I’m sure you got to get to dinner, too. And uh best of luck maybe catching some uh some fish outside over at Oak Tree National. And hopefully you’re not on the wrong side of any of the Wolf games before you head over uh to Memphis next week. Yeah, luckily no one’s home this week, so I can uh I can avoid some losing. Good stuff, buddy. All right. Thanks, Chris. See you soon. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate it. You know, I listen to this podcast. He’s really cool. And all of our local fans and subscribers, but make sure you like and subscribe. It’s cool to see what you guys are doing. I know golf fans appreciate it, but we we do too. So, please keep it up. For all the good people at YouTube, like and subscribe. You guys have some good takes, so I’m happy to come on and and shoot the