THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome our defending champion, Davis Riley, to the Charles Schwab Challenge. Davis, welcome back. We're at the site where you captured your second PGA TOUR victory and first individual title. What memories are coming back as you are here?
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, it's really cool to walk up and drive up and see your own parking spot there, past champion, see your face around a little bit more. It just brings me back to this time last year.
Yeah, really cool memories, like you said. Yeah, it's pretty surreal. I'm itching to get started this week.
THE MODERATOR: You're getting practice round in. Any specific memories from the final round on Sunday?
DAVIS RILEY: I did play the back nine yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget that shot I hit out of the divot on 17 to about five feet and made the birdie. At that time I knew I was a decent amount ahead. It kind of felt like it kind of wrapped up the tournament for me.
Yeah, that shot on 17 I'll never forget. When I walked down that fairway yesterday, it brought me back in time.
THE MODERATOR: One of the perks of being a champion here is you get a car. What have you been able to do with the Stingray this past year?
DAVIS RILEY: That's one of the unique parts about this tournament. We get the car that comes with it. Yeah, it's been a great thing for me and my wife. We love taking it out, getting coffee, getting lunch. It's been a super fun thing to have.
Yeah, I've already been eyeing that Defender out there out back on 10. Yeah, the Stingray has been an awesome treat, and we've really enjoyed it.
THE MODERATOR: And you have the plaid jacket.
DAVIS RILEY: I actually don't have it yet. I get it presented to me tonight at the Champions Dinner. I guess I'll let you know when I get it tonight.
THE MODERATOR: Entering this week, you have your best finish from a major last week at the PGA Championship, runner-up. What confidence do you have heading into this week?
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, last week was really good. Stacked a couple of nice weeks the past month or two. Yeah, I feel like my game is trending. I don't know why. For some reason I love this part of the schedule the most.
History has kind of repeated itself where I've kind of found my stride for some reason in this stretch. Yeah, last week was a great confidence booster for me. Like you said, it was my best major finish up-to-date. Then being in the second to last group Sunday, having a chance to win and compete and try to win a major and everything that comes with that, I was super proud the way I handled it.
Yeah, it was a big confidence booster. Obviously to be the week before a place that I love so much makes me even that much more excited for this week.
THE MODERATOR: With that, we'll open it up to questions.
Q. Yeah, coming to this event as the reigning champion, coming off the PGA Championship the way you did, is this kind of a "pinch me" moment? This is really the culmination of everything you've pretty much worked towards. To be able to walk back in here with that finish last week and then to come back as reigning champion at your first individual event, what's that feeling like for you this week?
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, it feels really good. Obviously last year the Colonial was my first individual win. Once I did that, I kind of changed some goals. I wanted to start contending in some major championships. To do it the week before where I got my maiden individual PGA TOUR victory was really cool.
It's a tournament that I mark on the calendar ever since winning it. I just love this tournament in general. I had a really good finish my rookie year. I had a really good chance to win it. It's one I mark on the calendar that I definitely want to have my game trending in a good direction for. I feel like I've been that way the past couple of years.
To get my best major finish the week before this week like I said, makes me even that much more excited for this week.
Q. When you guys came in here last year, the renovation had just been finished. Now you get to see it again. It's had a whole year to mature. What did you notice different? How is it playing compared to what it was last year?
DAVIS RILEY: Like you said, it was really firm because it was brand new. A lot of the fairways and -- more so the fairways I feel like were a little firmer, had a little bit of run on. Had some really dry spots where you could get some crazy bounces, and it was just really firm.
It softened up. I think the fairways are a little bit -- maybe a little bit softer, more grown in, but the greens are already firm. So they're going to be firm and fast just like they were last year.
Even today I was 8:50 in the morning in a pro-am, and I was landing wedges 15, 20 feet from the flag. Especially with the hot conditions that we're expecting the next couple of days, it will be very firm. So as opposed to last year, you might not see quite as much run out in the fairway maybe.
Then I would say the rough is a little bit up, but I think the greens, the quickness and the firmness will be very similar as to what we saw last year.
Q. Quick follow on Haley's question. If the Defender is in your driveway next to the Stingray, which do you drive? Which does the wife get to drive?
DAVIS RILEY: The wife gets to drive neither. No, to have both of them side-by-side would be pretty special. The Charles Schwab has that iconic baby blue, so it's really cool. Yeah, the Defender would be a really cool one to add to the collection.
Q. I don't know if you saw this the other day, but Bryson DeChambeau was commenting after the tournament that he said, I just need to get a golf ball that flies a little straighter. Sounds a little odd. I'm not asking you to speak for him. In this day and age is there that much difference between these golf balls that part of your responsibility is to find that ball that fits your game? Is the technology that good?
DAVIS RILEY: I've been a Titleist player my whole career, so to be quite honest, I haven't tested around with my golf balls.
Yeah, I mean, there is a ball fitting process for every player. I believe there is a particular ball for every player, but I don't know. I feel like that could be the Indian more than the golf ball.
I don't know. I don't know what Bryson -- I mean, he plays all kinds of -- he's been known to play some crazy equipment, do a lot of crazy equipment changes. All I really know is the golf ball that I have fitted for me, when I hit it how I want, it goes just as straight as I want to.
Q. The other question is, two years ago the PGA TOUR announces a potential -- well, not a potential, but a merger with LIV Golf. Two years later it doesn't feel like we're any closer to that. Are you guys any closer to an agreement to potentially getting you guys to play more consistently together as opposed to just four or five tournaments a year?
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I'm not on the board or anything like that, but I trust our leadership and the players that are kind of leading those roles and weighing in on a lot of those decisions. I trust they're doing everything in their power to bring to the best possible outcome for everybody.
Obviously maybe we would like to have it sooner than it has, but at the same time I trust the people in front of us that they're doing everything they can to make sure whenever that does happen, that it's happened properly and whatever the conclusion they might be.
All I can do is trust my superiors and the governing bodies of the PGA TOUR.
Q. You're a player. Do you think it's had a negative or drag effect on the state of professional golf in the country, the existence of two tours?
DAVIS RILEY: Sorry. Can you repeat that?
Q. Do you think it's a negative or a drag affect on the overall state of professional golf in the country when you have two professional tours like this that are split?
DAVIS RILEY: I think competition is healthy in a certain sense, but at some point, like I said, I just trust the governing bodies ahead of me to do what is going to be the best for our game. Competition is good, and it makes you check and see where you're at.
At the same time we have good leadership and a good board and everything that makes those decisions. All I can do is trust them at that point. That's really all I have to say about it.
Q. As you pointed out, you played well here your rookie year. What is it specifically about this course you feel like suits you?
DAVIS RILEY: I think it has a lot of similarities to the golf course I grew up on as a kid. Kind of old-school golf course. Bermuda all around. Fast, firm greens. I think just a lot of similarity to what I grew up on. I'm very comfortable around it.
Yeah, I just love Bermuda grass and firm and fast greens. Yeah, I think I'm just really comfortable around it, and it brings back a lot of memories of just my childhood growing up playing golf.
THE MODERATOR: We have a special guest here from Children's Flight of Hope. Zeke has a question.
Q. If you could have a job other than golf, what would it be?
DAVIS RILEY: That's a good question. I mean, I don't know. I have a passion for the game, so if I wasn't playing, I feel like I would be coaching. I don't know, maybe a college golf coach or something like that or a club pro or something like that around the game.
I just have a really big passion for golf and sports in general, so I feel like it would be somewhere in the sports arena and probably somewhere in the golf world.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports