Q. Doug, great opening round. You mentioned you know you have to go low. What's the mentality heading into tomorrow? How do you keep it going for three more rounds?
DOUG GHIM: Honestly, any time you can get to 20-under or better you're going to have a chance. Last week the scoring was really low as well. 22 ended up you being the winner. After the first day it looked like 29-under could be the winner.
It's still golf. It's still a challenge. You have to hit fairways. I hit a lot of them today. So just trying to shoot forwards of 6-under every day and see where that puts me.
Q. Seemed like a lot of things were working; maybe the putter is a little bit one of the issues? Just looking at your stats I didn't see everything. What was working really well for you today?
DOUG GHIM: Hit it close. Hit a lot of fairways. Didn't miss many greens. I had to chip it off a green on 17 so probably hurt the stats. Didn't get it up-and-down because I had to come over the corner of the bunker.
So obviously statistically it will look worse than probably it was. Honestly, hit it so close all day. I probably didn't gain much any time I tapped in for birdie. I two putted for birdie a couple times.
That's just the way the stats go sometimes. I hit it really well. Holed out a wedge. Yeah, I mean, honestly, anytime you can shoot 9-under and not really make a putt it's always a good sign.
Q. You mentioned a little bit about patience on the radio. Has that been an acquired trait for you? When you come to a track meet like this is it hard to stay patient?
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, I mean, you learn. There are times like earlier in my career that you try to go out and shoot a 62. Not to say that we're not trying to shoot 62 every day, but you kind of have it let to come to you.
Obviously on Sunday if you're behind the pack you're going to have to try to. On a Thursday you're just trying to keep yourself in it. If you shoot 5-under, even if someone shoots 59 today, you know if you shoot another 5-under tomorrow you'll be somewhere along the pack.
You're just trying to keep yourself in it, and then when you have your run hopefully it's at the right time and you might win.
Putting yourself in pack is the most important thing. Today was a good start for that.
Q. When did that really come to mind for you? When did you catch on to that?
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, it comes and goes. There are certain times I do it really well, and I would speak for the rest of the field and just any professional golfer, sometimes it comes easier; you're hitting your shots. Scottie Scheffler is making it look really easy right now.
In Vegas last year played well and almost won and was patient all week. Didn't try to knock the grass off the course the entire week and almost won that week.
Sometimes it's just a little harder and you see guys shooting 8- or 9-under every day and you try to keep up. Really just trying to stay in your own bubble. I think that is something that every year I've gotten a little bit better at that.
Yeah, hopefully we learned a lesson before this week starts so we'll have a chance at the end.
Q. Doug, you make it look easy today. Can you talk about the characteristics of this course? Everyone comes here this time of year. They know they've got to score low. If you're not playing well you get found out quick, too, don't you?
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, there are still challenging tee balls. It's still golf. Still an outdoor sport. Could hit the fairway, be in a divot, and have to manage that.
You still have to play very good golf. There is long par-3s. There is some challenging tee balls. Even the scoring holes you could easily end with a five-, six-footer for par.
All of them had to have about four and a half feet to six feet for par, and that's how quickly it can happen.
Q. What goes through a player's mind, in particular yours because you can speak to that, when you see guys shoot the way you did today but you're struggling out here with black numbers?
DOUG GHIM: Just, yeah, I mean, think at the end of the day it's always tough when you're not having a great start, but you have to keep telling yourself that first of all, 1-over is better than 2-over when finishing your round.
The next day you could shoot 59. You don't want to be 4-over and shoot 59 and barely make the cut.
So just trying to play your best as always. Just like a swimmer. Swim as fast as you can. If you spend time looking at the other swimmers you're not going to swim as fast.
Just stay in your own bubble. Obviously if you're shooting over par on a day like today, that's tough. You're going to have to do some Herculean efforts like Spieth did I think in 2015 and go really low from there on out.
Q. Is there a comfort level for you here playing in the Midwest in particular, also playing here where you had one of your first starts?
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, no, for sure. Any time I come to the Midwest in general it's the style I am used to. I grew up playing tree-lined and bent rough, bent greens.
It's always a welcome sight to come to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan. Last week was also a very familiar feeling golf course for me.
Yeah, always look forward to coming back to the Midwest.
Q. Do you still have family in Chicago?
DOUG GHIM: Yes, both my parents and you know skulls and cousins and aunties.
Q. Didn't have a huge gallery today, but that might change over the weekend.
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, absolutely, for sure.
Q. 24 first-time winners here. Most of any event on TOUR since 1970. You've never won. What would it mean to win here not only your first win, but like we just said, in the Midwest?
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, obviously any win on the PGA TOUR is amazing. To do it here would be awesome. There is a lot of golf to be played and I probably won't even be leading by the end of the day. We'll see.
Q. How important was it for you to change your team and bring in new people, year and a half ago or so now? Did that really make things different?
DOUG GHIM: Yeah, changes happen a lot when we are doing what we're doing. It's a high-pressure environment we put ourselves in every week. You're trying to beat the Scottie Schefflers of the world, Rory, all the guys. Everyone is trying to find the perfect formula for that.
You know, seeing different perspectives and even the coaches and the help that I've had in the past that are no longer on the team have tremendously helped me get to a place where I needed to get another perspective. Happy with the team I've had in the past and very excited about the team that I have now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports