Media Center Interviews
April 1, 2022
Second Round Interview with Ryan Palmer
Q. Can you take us through your round today? What are some of your overall feelings on the performance you put together?
RYAN PALMER: Awesome. Bogey-free on this golf course is good any day, but when you throw in the winds we had, it makes it that much more special.
I'm excited the way I'm driving the ball again. I spent the last month and a half really struggling and my results have kind of shown. I'm able to take the left side of the golf course out of play now and I brought it here this week and it's showing. My driver's back to where it was a year ago, my game's where it was I feel like a year ago, my mind and it's showing.
Q. Can you take us through some of those changes? It sounds like not just with your driver, but with your putter as well, how have you kind of altered things recently?
RYAN PALMER: It was just more routine. I was getting the lines where I think is right, but then when I go to the ball, you see something different when you're over the ball. I took something from watching Berger putt throughout the years. He's such a good putter and I've watched him realign his ball while he's over it and then putt. So I incorporated it last week when I was at home playing and it seemed to work. It gets my line where I want it and then all it is is trusting it now and put a good stroke on it.
Q. As you alluded to, you just have one bogey through these two rounds. What's the biggest key to avoiding mistakes or trouble areas on this course in particular?
RYAN PALMER: It's just keeping it in front of you. I got lucky on 1 today, great break where my ball didn't end up in the junk. And it's a golf course, if you get it offline, you're going to struggle. I was able to keep the ball in front of me. When I've missed fairways, I've gotten fortunate breaks I think. So the weekend, it's a matter of just avoiding those big misses and you keep the ball in front of you on this golf course, you have a chance to play well.
Q. It seems like that was a pretty significant save on 10 as well. Can you take us through that hole?
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, I hit a good drive. That was a great up-and-down. I hit a great pitch shot to about seven, eight feet and I just come off two birdies in a row to get to 8 under to tie for the lead. To make that par, it keeps the round going, the momentum going and it takes you through the rest of the round. When you make pars like that, it's huge. And I made another great one on 16 as well, about a 10-footer for par, got it in and it's nice to sit on a lead.
Q. You have four top-10s here and you've played this event annually. Do you feel comfortable on this course at this point?
RYAN PALMER: I do. I love it. I like it because it's not easy. It's a ball-striker's golf course and if I'm driving it well, I feel like I've got a good chance. With the old driver back in the bag, I'm able to hit tee shots I'm used to seeing and not worry about missing in certain areas and it's showing off this week.
Q. Is there a particular reason you've wanted to come back to this event every year?
RYAN PALMER: I was born and raised in Texas and I lived here for about three years. Love the city of San Antonio. The guys who run this golf tournament, TPC San Antonio with JW here is unbelievable. They do such a great job hosting it.
And just being from Texas, went to Texas A&M down the street, it's always great to be home in Texas, for sure.
Q. This event seems to have a pretty significant place in the history of Texas golf. A lot of the great names have come through here. Is that part meaningful as well?
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, I think it's the 100th anniversary, second oldest golf tournament on the PGA TOUR. I was having lunch today and I look over and I see Hale Irwin, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson sitting there having lunch. When you see the greats like that come back, it means a lot to be a part of this tournament. You know, Texas Open, Valero has done such a great job with this event and it gets better and better.
