Ryan Gerard opened the Rocket Classic with a brilliant 7-under round despite arriving with seven or eight new clubs in his bag.
Gerard admits that he struck the ball poorly early in the round and became increasingly frustrated. His putting kept the score together before a conversation with his caddie on the ninth green changed the direction of the day.
The message was simple:
Lock in. Become more positive. Start committing to better golf shots.
Gerard responded with a much stronger back nine and completed an excellent opening round while still learning how almost half of his new setup performs under tournament pressure.
The equipment changes were not impulsive. Gerard and his team had been testing different options throughout late spring and early summer, but did not want to make major changes during the heart of major-championship season. With the FedExCup Playoffs approaching—and a possible run toward East Lake in mind—they decided this was the correct moment.
If the experiment fails, Gerard still has the old clubs ready to return.
The interview then takes an unexpected turn.
After competing at The Open, Gerard took his mother to Paris because she had never visited the city. They completed the usual sightseeing itinerary, but Gerard also created a very unusual personal mission: find the worst statue in Paris.
After spending approximately two days studying questionable sculptures, he believed he had found the winner inside the Louvre—a statue that appeared to show a child applying a full rear-naked choke to a duck.
His mother knew about the side quest.
She simply thought it was stupid.
Watch Ryan Gerard’s complete opening-round interview after his 7-under start at the Rocket Classic.
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