“I’ve got a taste for this now. This is where I want to be. I love it”
Won his first Major Championship in just his second start at TPC Harding Park, holding off some of the world’s best in the process
Emotionally, how are you processing winning the USPGA in just your second career start in a Major at the ripe old age of 23? I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve believed in myself since day one. I specifically remember at last year’s Travelers Championship, there were four of us young guys in the hunt – me, Matt Wolff, Viktor Hovland and Justin Suh. We all believed from day one that we could do this. I haven’t let up from that.
I’m on cloud nine right now. It’s hard to think about what this championship means. Obviously it’s a Major, and this is what guys go for, especially at the end of their careers, and we’re just starting. So I think this just brings me a lot of confidence, a lot of momentum, and it gives me a little taste of what’s to come. I’ve got a taste for this now.
It’s been a life goal, obviously as a little kid, kind of watching everyone grow up, and this is always what I’ve wanted to do. I felt very comfortable from the start: as an amateur, playing junior golf, turning professional last year. But to finally close it off and do it in San Francisco, pretty much my second home and the place where I spent the last four years, is pretty special.
How did you keep up with all that was going on, and what was the effect of a first Major without a crowd?
I think that without a crowd it plays very different. If there were thousands and thousands of people, I think everyone would have heard the shout on 16, for sure. Everyone would have heard birdies around the course a little more. So maybe it wouldn’t have been as bunched up. But whether crowds were here or not, I still had to get it done, so I’m really happy about what happened. I really do miss the fans, though. It’s been an adjustment not having them, and hopefully they will be back soon.
You mentioned in the award ceremony that you’ve got a taste of this now. Can you expand on that a little bit?
When I woke up, I was like, this is meant to be. This is where I feel very comfortable. This is where I want to be, and I’m not scared of it. I think if I was scared of it, the last few holes would have been a little different, but you want to be in this position.
And for me it doesn’t stop here. I’ve got a very good taste of what this is like, what a Major Championship is like. This is where I want to be. I love it.
The Majors are going to be circled in, just like everyone else, but I’ve got to focus on every single week. I’m trying to win every week. I’m not just trying to come out and win the Majors. I think when I’m playing really well, I’m able to compete, and when I’m playing my best I can beat these guys.