Matt Adams goes through some highlights from the press conferences given by top players heading into the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Scottie Scheffler (1:35)
-talking about course conditions
-having momentum coming into this week
-trying to stay present on the course
Xander Schauffele (2:42)
-Discussing State of mind when you are in contention
-thoughts on Quail Hollow as a venue
-thoughts on making golf more global
Bryson DeChambeau (2:12)
-excited about challenge of Quail Hollow
-Reaction he’s gotten since winning at Pinehurst
-about contenting consistently in majors
Keegan Bradley (1:55)
-what type of captain will he be, use analytics?
-the dinners in advance are important
-no one cares PGA Tour/LIV…I want the best team
-my main job is captain, I don’t of myself as a player
Jon Rahm (3:14)
-don’t have to be perfect to win a major
-would love to win the Grand Slam
-why haven’t you had success in PGAs
Justin Thomas (4:16)
-Feeling comfortable right now with my game
-Do you feel your game is better now than ever
-do you have competitive jealousy?
-Rory is best driver I have ever seen this place is perfect for him
Jordan Spieth (5:03)
-thinking about the Grand Slam?
-what is your mental prep like for a major vs reg event
-driver has really gotten better
Now for Scotty Sheoffller who coming into the week ended up dead tied with Rory Moy as the odds on favorite to win this PGA championship. Coming in he was asked about trying to stay present on the golf course. Be where your feet are if you will. Having momentum coming into the week of a major championship. And he was asked about because of all the rain the course conditions. I think a lot of times at majors you can almost overprepare. Um, so coming in this week, making sure you’re rested. It’s a big golf course and it’s pretty wet out there, but the greens are still staying pretty firm. You know, they’re still fairly new and when you get that new Bermuda, the greens greens can stay firm and so golf course will play long. Um, but it should be a good test. It’ be silly to say that I can’t ride the positive momentum from a good week like that. I mean, to finish off the tournament the way I did and have it not not really be too close on the back nine. And I mean, I played some really nice golf and um, you know, I talked a little bit about how I felt like my game was trending and so it was nice to to see some results from, you know, a lot of hard work to start the year and um, I feel like my game’s in a good spot and so I think it’d be silly to say I can’t ride a little bit of that momentum going into this tournament. Well, I just felt like my swing was coming around. um felt like my ball striking maybe held me back a little bit at the beginning of the year and um you know I kept the ball I drove it really nice uh last week at at the Byron and hit some really good iron shots and was able to give myself a lot of looks around that golf course is what you need to do and was uh able to hold some putts as well. I think it’s always a battle to try to stay in the present. I think when I was in college my my college coach did a really good job of helping me kind of learn that skill. You know he he really preached on when you’re at the golf course you’re at the golf course. When you’re in class you’re in class. And you know, when I’m out with doing stuff with my friends, like I don’t want to be at home hanging out with my wife thinking about my golf swing. You know, I don’t want to be out here at the golf course thinking about being at home. Like we have certain time throughout the day and I think when you’re in the present, you try to make the you’re able to make the most of those situations, whether it be, you know, enjoying them to the fullest or getting the most out of the work um that I put in when I’m at the golf course. So, I think it’s a constant constant battle. Really interesting stuff there from Scotty Sheffller because and and in particular, I’ve noticed it in 2025 that Scotty Sheffler seems to be getting more comfortable with opening up with all of us. I’d say with the media, but it’s not really with the media. He knows he’s speaking to the world of golf and he’s giving us more than what he used to. And that idea of mindset, when I’m away from the golf, I’m away from the golf. And when I’m inside and devoted to the golf, I’m 100% where I need to be. I thought it was fascinating stuff. Bryson Dashambo is also always obviously fascinating coming into the week and again with this philosophy of why we do this. Uh he was asked about contending and contending consistently in major championships. Who is he today as a competitor uh in in that regard? his reaction uh that he got from and since winning the US Open last year at Pinehurst. Has it kind of changed him, redefined him or just revealed him from that standpoint and how excited he is coming into the week about Quail Hollow? Well, I remember you’ve got to drive it well and so far I’ve been driving it well this season. Hopefully, it continues. Um greens are tricky. Got to have great irons. I mean, you got to come in with a full complete set of clubs that you can you feel comfortable with attacking flags at and um you know, just strategizing your way around the golf course. So, it’s got to be a full it’s a full test of golf this week and I’m certainly excited for the challenge. Yeah, I I think that it’s it’s been quite special for for me seeing everybody um give me praise and whatnot. Although I don’t, you know, feel like I always deserve it, I I’m just very blessed to have that type of following now and continue to grow it. I I want to do more than just the game of golf. I want to grow outside of the game of golf. I want to bring other golfers that have never seen the game of golf into golf and YouTube’s been a great platform to do that. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to have partners at YouTube and um Google now and I’m super excited to see uh what the future holds because there’s a lot more room to grow. Yeah, I I feel like I’ve always had the capacity to play well in major championships and contend consistently. A lot of things have to go right in majors for you to play well and your whole game has to be on. And so I felt like at Vajala, especially after Augusta, that was the second time that I’d play well played well in in a major. And it kind of gave me that confidence I could just keep moving forward with that at every major. And uh keep hammering down on on majors and and besides the open championship, which I feel like is something I’ve got to continue to work on, which I am rigorously working on, I feel like I’ve I’m I’m moving in the right direction with with giving myself a lot of multiple chances to win these major championships. So, I felt like at Baja last year, it was more of an assurance of saying, “Hey, I can do this and I can do this for a long time, uh, God willing.” Um, so I’m going to continue to just try and play my best golf. Hopefully that expresses itself positively this week and in future weeks at different majors and even at live events, but my goal is to play the best every single week I I possibly can. But Baja definitely gave me some confidence for the rest of the majors last year and then even this year. really interesting to hear from Bryson Desambo because as I I enjoy seeing from young athletes is to watch them mature right before our eyes. Watch them become who they eventually are going to be. And we can see that with Bryson. Even though I feel a lot of our perception and understanding of Bryson as a person has been a what I led into his sound with a revelation versus a change. There is a maturity factor that’s that’s there too. I think it’s a self-awareness that Bryson has become better with and we’re getting to see the Bryson who he is who is a very very generous person willing to give of himself in a way that kind of stands alone honestly amongst the players at the top of the field. So many eyes of course were on Justin Thomas coming into this week. Uh and he was asked about a number of different things. He was asked in his press conference about you know what he thinks about Rory as a driver of the golf ball. I I love the question he was asked about whether he possesses a competitive jealousy. Here’s Justin Thomas. Definitely. I I feel um especially Hilton Head. I mean, I I and Tampa, too. It’s I’m just more patient, I’d say. I don’t feel like I’m forcing the issue as much. Um just just trying to trust, you know, my game and myself um quite a bit more. I feel like it, you know, some of the events maybe earlier this year or last year where I had a chance to win, I just felt like I maybe pressed a little too much, but um you know, it’s um we all want to win and and I’m no different. I just think sometimes you’re you’re in a a better headsp space than others to um to to try and capitalize or or to give yourself a chance. And I feel like that’s kind of how it’s been the you know, the last couple events. Uh it’s it’s tough to say. I mean it’s um I think that the thing you have when you’re young is not that I don’t have any fear now but you just I mean I was very fortunate to have success at a young age but when you’re 23 24 years old I mean it’s just like you know what you you don’t have anything else to think about or to to have to worry about. You don’t have any scar tissue. You don’t have any you know experience. It’s just like hey you know the PGA that I played here in 17 like it was just my like third PGA I’ve ever played in. So it’s um you know I I the only really time I had a chance to win I was in the final group at Aaron Hills earlier that year. So it’s like it’s just earlier in your career you you it’s it’s a different it’s similar mindset of obviously we want to win. We have a lot of fire and and and we work hard but it’s just it’s a different kind of thing. But um I mean I I feel yeah I feel great about my game. I would like to think and hope I’m a more mature person and golfer. Um, but you know that I don’t think it’s fair to play the comparison game and and I just you know I I believe and and I hope but firmly believe that you know some of my best is still ahead of me and I know that I have that in there. I just have to kind of you know go find it and prove it a lot. It’s um you know it I just I remember that a lot from you know my first couple years on tour and Jordan having a lot of success and playing well and um it is I mean over your course of your career you’re obviously it it’s not like the you know when you’re in college and you have someone that turn turns pro early and they’re winning tour events and you’re like you know I’ve beaten him before or kind of thing. It’s like I we obviously all beat each other quite often, but it’s um you know I I have a lot of faith and a lot of ability and and or trust in my ability and and feel like I can I have confidence and I feel like what I can do. So it’s I I told Jill uh after watching the Masters, it was like of course and and obviously I knew I’ve always wanted to win the Grand Slam, want to win all the majors. Um, but for some reason like watching somebody do it firsthand, it reminded me almost of like, damn, yeah, I forgot I, you know, I really do want to do that kind of. It’s just, it’s weird. It’s, it’s something I think all of us, it I’m sure certain people maybe hit us a little different ways in terms of jealousy or drive or whatever you want to call it. But um yeah, anytime someone wins that isn’t me that I’m, you know, if it’s a friend, I’m obviously happy for him, but there’s always going to be a part of me that’s jealous and wishes it was me. I think you’d be kind of crazy to say otherwise. I would argue he’s the best driver of the ball I’ve ever seen. Um and that is extremely important here. But I think his shot shape I I I think this golf course fits a high draw really really well. Um there’s a lot of T- shots, you know, whether it’s holding fairways or or fitting dog legs. Um you know, taking bunkers out of play, whatever it is. And then I mean, he just has when he’s on, he has such control at that driver. It seems like he can hit it, you know, in a window and an area that you’re, you know, some guys are trying to hit short irons. And um I mean that’s a tremendous advantage or threat at any golf course, but I feel like a place like this where it doesn’t necessarily require a lot of thought or or strategy off the tea. It’s generally, you know, pulling out driver and I’m just I need to hit this as far and straight as possible. Um and he’s really really good at that. So I think it you know that’s that’s something like I said is an advantage in any golf course. But I think just the shot shape and and that is a good combination. Rory uh is the person that JT was just talking about there with the driver and the proficiency and power of the driver on the golf course. He also mentioned about his aspirations to win a career grand slam which causes one to think could we be seeing the first generation of golfers where we have multiple players talking about maybe three or four or five players that have the uh chance to and perhaps even accomplish the career grand slam within the same era because there’s a lot of players that are starting to knock on that door. That’s a good place to start with mindset coming into the week of Jordan Spe who was asked about how much he’s thinking about the grand slam this week. I don’t think so. It’s it’s been more um I’ve been surprised it you know there’s been a number of years I’ve come to the PGA and no one’s really even asked me about it and there’s been some years where you know where it was you know a story line I guess. Um and I it’s funny I think if Rory didn’t then it wouldn’t have been a story line for me here necessarily. I mean, it’s all I mean, it’s always a story line if I work my way in. But at least ahead of time, I’ve just felt like I’ve been asked about it more than, you know, other years, including years where I’ve come in, I want to say 22. I came in after winning and then finishing second back to back. Um, which I would have thought would be a, you know, a time where, uh, that would have been one. So, it’s I’ve kind of been surprised by the dynamic a little bit. Um, but, you know, it’s always circled on the calendar for me. U, you know, I guess if I could pick one, if I could only win one tournament the rest of my life, I’d pick this one for that reason. Um, and obviously watching Rory win, um, after, you know, giving it a try for a number of years, uh, was was inspiring. You know, he had to, you could tell he was fight it was a harder win than most of the time. He makes it makes it look a lot easier. Um, and so that that obviously was on the forefront of his mind and um, so something like that has not been done by many people and there’s a reason why. And um, but I’d love to throw my hat in the ring and give it a chance come come the weekend this week. Um, I think it’s more about the golf courses than it is anything else. you know, they they’re just going to present a little more of a challenge in a different way. And each one’s each major is different from the next and what that challenge is, but you know, whether that’s, you know, side to miss on on the fairway that you might get away with in a PGA tour event that you don’t get away with in a major. Um, just it’s just a little bit of an extra level of course management and it’s ahead of time. It’s a lot of the the course management preparation that’s that’s more of kind of the mental side, but you know, I mean, the crowds are bigger, the grandstands are bigger. Um, that over time kind of just becomes a blur. Um, we always have huge crowds at this event. It’s one of the I think one of and a lot of amphitheater type seating um here at Quil Hollow. So I don’t think it’ll look as different as maybe when we go to an unfamiliar place with huge, you know, like Valhalla last year with huge setups, but we don’t know the course very well. So it all just, you know, is a is a is a big thing. This is this is normal um for here things, you know, obviously they’re not triple decker, they’re maybe double-decker, right? Um the PGA, you know, always throws in some pretty incredible grand stands, whether it be the PJ Championship or the RDER Cup. So, um it’s uh it’s just a everything’s just a little bit more heightened. Um but I think as you it’s more ahead of time and as you start to get into it, I think it’s actually a little easier on the mental side um to not easier than um than it is ahead of time. It just kind of settles into more of a normal tournament. Um as you start to contend on the weekend, that changes. You know, you sleep a little uneasy. I mean, majors have that, you know, historical um you know, presence to them. um you know, they mean more to every every player that’s playing this week. Um we’ll tell you if there was they were going to win one of four tournaments, they’d probably pick one of the four majors. So, um that settles in, you know, as you work your way into contention and then that becomes a little bit of a different animal, just sleeping a little more uneasy and anticipation. And I think it’s it’s all it’s all the off the course stuff that’s harder to handle mentally than on the course. Not necessarily. I think the longer lever and the more full shots last year were better for me with where my mechanics were off. Um, and that would that would be um, you know, I I was I was not in a place that I played very good golf from, but because it was a longer lever, the timing was just easier hitting full shots with a driver. Not to mention, I mean, the drivers that I have now are just incredible. I mean, my the improvement Titus has made in in their drivers, like the mish hits being just as fast and just as straight. Um, I think the technology has a lot to do with it. Um, but you’re looking at strokes gained, so that’s relative to everybody else having better technology, too. I was just more comfortable in full hard shots and um and yeah, it was more it was less of it was um coincidental that the driving was better and the approach wasn’t. I mean, um, I I wasn’t mechanically sound, um, to to hit, you know, all the all the shots needed to have an approach game that was, you know, up there with the best of them. So, um, it pushing drive, I didn’t try to become a better driver by any means. I was just, uh, it just kind of happened. Um, and this year it feels pretty good. Um, and luckily I think, you know, I’m on the right path to to having everything kind of follow it right behind it. Isn’t that fascinating? I mean, isn’t it great when we get a chance to hear directly from the players to hear what’s in their thoughts, hearts, and minds. And I love to hear from them and their mindset and their thinking at the start of a major championship week. Yeah, we have the the luxury of looking back and having the ability to have uh you know retrospect on on whether their mindset, their approach, their strategy was correct or not. But I’m but the bigger point that I’m trying to make is I think it’s great when we get to hear directly from the players instead of just hearing from pundits with all due respect that are trying to impress you with their interpretation. Why not hear directly from the players and let them speak for themselves? I love it. Uh speaking of which, Xander Schoffley last year got it all started with the PGA Championship. An absolutely historic season for him. And he starts with this sound talking to us about what his mindset is like when in contention. I mean, I think when you’re in a position to win, you sort of forget um you don’t really hang your head on anything that that can kind of bring you down. You know, I think when, you know, like I look coming back from injury earlier this year, um I’m nitpicking myself around every corner versus when I’m in sort of mid-season form, I’m hitting the similar similar quality shots or bad shots or good shots, you know, um across the board. And the difference really is when you’re in the moment, you know, I think you you don’t nitpick. You’re just on a mission. You’re on a mission to do one thing and that’s to win. And it’s sort of a whatever it takes mentality and you’re not sitting there nitpicking yourself on sort of the small things or if you mishit it or you miss your line by a little bit. Um things of that nature. So, it’s been a process for me to get back to that point where I’m I’m okay with, you know, hitting bad shots or, you know, hitting it out of place and and just making making the best of it and and sort of moving along from there and and allowing myself to get a good nine-hole stretch in um and go low. So, that’s been a process coming back and thinking back to the 72nd hole there. Um I was just in in a in a good state of mind. I was all I was trying to do is win that tournament and it didn’t matter if you know I had to hit a shot lefty on the last hole, I wasn’t going to be rattled. I think when you look at just the statistics that way, you know, I think you’ll just point there’s probably an emphasis or a certain weight that driving carries if you’re able to hit it in the fairway and hit a certain distance. But shoot, I mean, you can hit in the fairway all day and miss a lot of greens and you’re going to have a really tough go around. So, um, you know, you know, I think it’s, uh, it’s a really tough golf course. You I think everyone knows what they need to do. There’s no sort of trick to play this golf course. You a lot of people will hit it to the same spot. Um, a lot of people will miss it to the same spot as well. And it’s about who, you know, it’s not bad because it’s like who who can get up and down better when they’re out of position and then who can capitalize when they’re in a good position. So, it it seems to be pretty fair and and yes, maybe it does air, you know, or you know, if you do hit it far, it does help. But, uh, for the most part, you know, I think it’s a pretty fair property. I think in terms of growing the game at some point, you know, making it global, it’s always been a little bit global, but making it a global uh uh sport, you know, I’m sure that’s something uh that the tour is looking at. I I would be shocked if they weren’t. So, um you know, m you know, having having big events in, you know, in Ireland or in England uh or in in somewhere in Europe or in Asia um or in Australia, you know, I think there are certain markets for it. It just needs to make sense and the timing needs to work. Um, and then I think if you make it make sense for everyone, then I think you’d see a lot more players doing it. There’s a growing murmur in the game, whispers really about the idea of taking a major championship such as the PGA Championship, a concept that was originally floated by Ted Bishop when he was president of the PGA of America. So, credit where it’s due with with Ted and his vision. Ree said, you know, maybe once a decade you take the PGA Championship and you move it outside of the United States. You go someplace globally. And he initially suggested Ireland as a great place to bring it. I think it’s a brilliant idea to take the PGA Championship and make it more of a global major instead of three or the four majors just be anchored in the USA. I think it’s just a brilliant brilliant idea with all the great golf courses that are around the world and the ability and the impact that it would have uh to grow the game in in these different areas. Speaking about an international player, uh it is certainly that of John Rom and he had a really interesting answer when he was asked about what he’s learned about skill set mindset uh in contending in majors. You always feel like to play the to win the major, you have to play perfect, which is not true, right? I remember uh the RNA did this this 20-minute little documentaries with open champions and Pre Harrington said, I think it was in Murfield in O2 when he played about as good as he could play and didn’t win and he got to the point where he thought he had to get lucky to win a major championship. I think that’s a little bit of part of it, but at the end of the day, it’s just a lot of it is, you know, keep playing golf, keep playing solen golf, and take advantage of the of the good stretches you’re going to have throughout the week. Uh, but by any means, you don’t have to play perfect. It’s funny, a few times I’ve gone back and seen reruns of some of my rounds, like both Sundays, and especially the one at the US Open, I thought I played so good and I didn’t realize how many fairways I missed and how many shots that I considered that weren’t good and but did all the things right to minimize the damage, right? So, it’s funny. I think nine 10 years ago, I was thinking I had to play my absolute best in every aspect of the game. And I think if anything, you just have to have full faith in all aspects of your game and and just learn how to manage the golf course that week. Yeah, of course. I mean, only what is it, six people now in history that have been able to do it. Yeah. I mean, I would love to do it. Uh obviously it’s not easy and I think obviously it would be a lot more in my mind if I were to win a third different one uh kind of like Jordan has been able to do but as in right now if I ever had a thought I would focus more on quantity of majors rather than which ones right obviously um in a sense of let’s say I never achieve it I rather have a situation like like sick where he has six of two of them instead of having maybe three different ones, right? If that make any sense. So, uh, now if we get all four of them, if you want each one once, I think it’s so significant that you might take that over six, right? So, uh, but as in right now, I rather just think more about number three. And if it happens to be the open or the PGA, then I’ll focus on on a possible grand slam. But as in right now, I don’t want to think about it too much. But yeah, of course, it’s I think it’s a goal of all of us who who play the game. I’m aware it’s been probably the one I’ve been haven’t been my best at. I think my best finish was was Bel Reef. I think uh and I think it’s possibly because of the versatility and and variability of this event. Like when you go to Augusta, you know what you’re getting. Same course every year, too. The US Open, nine out of 10 times you know what you’re getting depending on weather. And same at the Open, right? It’ll be firmer or less, but you know what you’re getting. is is this championship that would change venues and drastically change the way they set it up. Like the way a Southern Hills might play to the way this week might play to the way a Beth Page might play, they’re all drastically different, right? So, it’s possibly the the the difference, which is more about, okay, it just your game needs to be a very high level as opposed to uh possibly the other three that you can adjust a little bit more knowing what’s coming. uh at that point that’s just to be speculation. I think it’s just more coincidence that I haven’t played good. I love hearing from the players like this. Absolutely fascinating to me. It is obviously always fascinating to hear from a captain of the RDER Cup. Keegan Bradley is Team USA’s captain, but Keegan is of an age and of a game such that his name is actually in the mix to be on the team, but he’s captain of the team. So, the questions start with what kind of captain will you be? Yeah, I think uh we have to see how this how the team takes shape here in the next couple months, but we’ll definitely be using uh analytics to help us make the picks along with, you know, obviously the eye test of of who we think is going to be suited for Beth Paige. But I think I think when you get down to it, it’s they’re always really tough decisions. So, the more information you can get uh helps you with those. Um but we’ll see how the team takes shape in the next couple months. We we had that writer cup uh dinner the other week, but we’re working every day every week to for for the guys for for Beth Paige. But I think it’s important. I know for me as a player, I loved going to these meetings because it started to get real like this is coming and and you know, I really want to get on this team and try to motivate the guys to be excited to play for our captains that we have and get excited to play at Beth Paige Black. And I, like I said, as a player, I was always just so excited to go to stuff like that because it’s our dream to be on these teams. And even getting invited to a meeting like that is special because it means you’re you’re could make the team. This Ryder Cup and what comes with this, no one cares about what’s going on in this side PJ tour live. Like we’re we’re trying to put the best team together. And it could mean there’s one live guy, two live guys. That doesn’t doesn’t matter. We’ll see how this year shakes out. But it was really great to have them all together with the guys. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that. It’s different this year because my my main job at the Ryder Cup is to be the captain. Right now, I go about every day as the captain. I’m not I don’t even think about me as a player at this point. If I get to, you know, the end of the year and I’m in that conversation, I’ll I’ll change that. But for now, I have to I have to operate every day as if I’m the captain and make decisions as the captain.
