Q. Can you talk about how difficult that golf course is? It apparently wasn't very difficult for you.
DAVIS RILEY: It's a tough golf course. Especially in the afternoon because the greens get really firm and bouncy. I can think of a wedge shot, like number 7, I got 118 yards and I'm landing it 10 yards short of the pin, 30 feet short, and it's skipping all the way there. And the wind was up.
So I think I hit 11 greens. But, yeah, I just had a couple up and ins on some par-4s to save par that kind of kept the round going, and then when I was on the green I felt like I had a good look.
Q. You've played some difficult courses this year. Where does this run rank?
DAVIS RILEY: This one's up there, especially this stretch. You play Colonial last week, single digits win, I mean, all the Florida swing, like Bay Hill, Honda, PLAYERS, all those courses are really difficult, but this one, I would say this is probably one of the more difficult ones all year.
Q. What was the highlight of the round?
DAVIS RILEY: Oh, gosh, I would say probably the up and in I had on 2. It was a par save. I hit it left right behind a tree, had to pitch out sideways, and then I hit a wedge to about 3 feet. I felt like that was kind of a momentum keeper shot and hole and, yeah, that kind of kept the round going. I feel like I still had the momentum on my side.
Q. Obviously being just Thursday, do you even notice that like your putt at the last hole is to be the first-round leader?
DAVIS RILEY: No, I didn't. Obviously you see the scoreboards out there. There's 3- or 4-under, and I didn't know if there was a 5- because they only have a handful of people on the leaderboard.
But no, I didn't. I just tried to keep hitting the shot front of me and try to give myself a look at birdie and I thought that I left the last one short and thankfully it fell in on the last roll and it was a good way to end the day.
Q. What did getting a W do for your confidence?
DAVIS RILEY: Sure, yeah, it was huge. To get that first win and then everything that comes with it, the Maui, two-year, all the kind of stuff that comes with it is a big reliever, a big monkey off the back.
But I wouldn't say I haven't played the golf I wanted to since then. I think that's just because I've been so eager to get back. Once you get a taste of it, you want to get back there as soon as possible, and I feel like I've been getting in my own way a little bit.
I hit a really hard reset at the beginning of this week and said to my caddie James -- he helped me out a lot with that and he's like, look, you just need to keep doing your thing, good golf is right around the corner. I know it's weird saying that when you win, six, seven weeks ago, but it's just one of those things to try to kind of get that consistency part, I feel like I need to be a little easier on myself and just keep playing my golf.
Q. You did decently here last year, I think, didn't you?
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, I finished top 10 or top 15.
Q. Good enough for me. I was curious if you could just compare playing the course last year compared to this year.
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, obviously, it was my first time around it last year and obviously a course like this there's a lot of stuff you're learning every single day. I don't think you can learn everything about this place in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of your first year here. So there's things I'm picking up on and ways to attack holes and just seeing how it plays out throughout the week when it gets firmer, different clubs you're hitting off the tee. Like, 9 you get there Monday it's softer hitting 3-wood and now you're hitting iron or hybrid, so it just changes on the go and you have to realize that and adapt on the go.
Q. You hit iron on 9?
DAVIS RILEY: No. I hit a hybrid, but I've seen guys hit 3-iron there.
Q. What did you have left?
DAVIS RILEY: 121.
Q. Flip wedge?
DAVIS RILEY: Yeah, a little flip wedge.
Q. What would it mean to you to win at Jack's place?
DAVIS RILEY: It would mean everything. Obviously, Jack, arguably the best to ever play golf and all the history here and just the guys that have won here. Yeah, I'm just thinking about all that in my head.
No, it would be really special, just a guy that I've looked up to and one of the best to ever play the game, and to win his tournament would be really special. It's day one. I got a lot of work to do and hopefully I can find myself with an opportunity Sunday and that would be pretty amazing.
Q. You also led here I think last year after the first round.
DAVIS RILEY: I think you're right. I think I was tied for the lead. Yeah. I shot 5-under the first day last year. Now that it comes to mind. Yeah. I didn't have quite the last three days, I still had a decent week, but still hopefully I can draw back on some things and improve on that through the weekend.
Q. Which was the better 67?
DAVIS RILEY: Oh, I don't even know, I couldn't tell you what I did on holes. I think I had an eagle on 15.
Q. I don't need hole by hole. But conditions obviously were a little bit easier, not easier but they --
DAVIS RILEY: I want to say I played in the morning first round last year, so I think the afternoon 5-under was a little bit better.
Q. Did it feel hard out there?
DAVIS RILEY: It was hard, yeah. The wind is swirly in the trees and it's difficult. With the firmness of the greens and the wind -- I mean you got such small windows to land the ball in to get close to have a reasonable look inside of 20, 25 feet. So you got to be precise. Luckily I hit some good drives, I left myself some good numbers where I could attack it.
Q. What was your smallest window?
DAVIS RILEY: One of the smaller ones, I would say 8's really small right now how firm that is. You got about 10 feet to land that on. I saw Lucas Herbert land it perfect, 15 feet short of the hole and it goes over the back of the green. Yeah, I mean there's a bunch of 'em like that. Obviously 16 and 17 are tough holes. 18. I mean, that front right pin is firm. You land it just up top it can go through so easy. I mean, there's, you can name a million of 'em.
Q. Well there's only 18 holes, Davis.
DAVIS RILEY: Right. Right.
Q. Do you treat yourself to a milkshake after a round like this?
DAVIS RILEY: Oh, I'll probably be up to it --if I have a milkshake, since I got to get up at probably 5:00, so I might have to -- if tomorrow goes well I'll probably have to have one tomorrow.
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