THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome two-time defending champion Patrick Cantlay to the interview room here at the BMW Championship. Patrick, obviously not at the site of your two victories in the BMW Championship, but if we could get an opening comment on being here at Olympia Fields as you seek your third consecutive title.
PATRICK CANTLAY: Thank you. Yeah, it's a great golf course this week. We played it in 2020 during COVID. I think it's a really good golf course. You have to basically be on top of every part of your game, drive the ball in the fairway.
It's a difficult golf course if I remember right. Winning score was barely under par. Might be a little lower this year with the weather, but in general, a great golf course, and one that I really like.
Q. Last week finished runner-up in the first leg of the FedExCup Playoffs which moved you to No. 5 in the FedExCup standings. Talk about how that set you up as we wrap up the FedExCup Playoffs here, TOUR Championship next week?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Sure, obviously improved my position, and going into the finale with the way the TOUR Championship is set up now, it's really important to be up there as close as you can to No. 1. Happy to put myself in a good spot and hopefully improve on that spot this week.
Q. Jon was in here earlier and he referenced the idea of having an off-season and how that's something he wants to have to make it comparable to other athletes across the world. Is that something that you seek, having an off-season?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I've taken historically a lot of time off in the fall. For me, it's important to feel ready and excited to practice and play again, and so I think that nice couple-month break should be really good for that.
Q. As a member of the policy board and in that way a representative of the membership, do you think the membership wants an off-season and maybe what that off-season should look like?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I've heard a number of guys say that they'd like some time off over the years. Definitely in the last -- since we went to that wraparound season with the fall getting FedExCup points and with so many events on the schedule, guys feel burnt out definitely by the end of the year.
Not all guys feel that way. Some I'm sure like playing as many tournaments as they can. But yeah, always good to hear feedback from the members and try to do our best on the policy board to serve them.
Q. What would entice you to play after the Ryder Cup?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Probably not a lot this year. I feel like with the way the new major schedule is and with all the elevated events or designated events --
Q. Signature.
PATRICK CANTLAY: Signature events, it feels like there's a lot of big tournaments, so I feel like it's easier to gear up for those and stay on for those if you know you have an off-season coming.
I'm just going to rest after the Ryder Cup and then get ready probably for Maui.
Q. You've always done it seemed a pretty reasonable job spacing yourself. What did you find as you looked back on this year in terms of the compacted schedule? There was a couple times that you might have done three in a row. Did you ever do four?
PATRICK CANTLAY: I didn't do four. I probably won't do four if I can avoid it. I know Jordan had a big stretch this year where he maybe played five or six in a row, which is impressive.
I think there's going to be more spots in the schedule where I might play three in a row. I think that's just the way it's going to work out after seeing the new schedule released, which is fine. That's kind of the trade-off for getting an off-season in the fall.
Q. If there was ever a time where the TOUR shut down completely after the season was over, what do you see as the positives and the pitfalls, not for you but for the entire membership?
PATRICK CANTLAY: You mean if there weren't any fall events at all? I mean, obviously one of the negatives, if guys like playing in the fall, then obviously if those events didn't exist, that would be a bummer for them.
I don't necessarily see the harm in having the events if they're economically viable and guys like to play them.
I don't know if there would be too many benefits. Maybe you could make people miss golf if there were no events for a little while.
Q. I was just wondering, watching you guys from the outside, it's harder to get into the Playoffs, it's harder to get into this event. The guys who did get into this event have their season pretty much set up for next year, getting into the signature events. What does it feel like? It looks more competitive than ever, and it looks tougher than ever from the outside. What does it feel like or does it even feel any different from the inside when you're actually in the middle of it?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I think it has definitely made the end of the summer more competitive. I think some of the fields have been better and guys have had to play those events if they're near the bubble cutoff.
I think ultimately, the more pro competitive you can make it out here, I think the better it is.
For me personally, I don't think it's changed too much. I'm still trying to go about it the same way I've gone about it and not really worry about FedExCup points or anything like that.
But I can imagine if I was near the bubble or even not happy with my position, maybe adding an event or two in the summer to try and improve my position.
Q. Do you breathe a sigh of relief that the temperature has gone down a little bit, and did last week take something out of you?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, especially with next week around the corner. It's going to be a hot one in Atlanta, I'm sure.
Q. When you're coming back to an event as the defending champion when it's a different course than where you last one, do you still feel like the defending champion?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I dealt with it last year okay. I like the golf course up here. I like all the bentgrass golf courses, very traditional back-to-front greens. I think this golf course this week is excellent. I don't worry too much about being the defending champion or anything like that, just go out and do my best, fortunately this week on a golf course I really enjoy.
Q. Do you feel like this course lends itself to a draw or a fade, one more than the other?
PATRICK CANTLAY: No, I don't think so. I think there's plenty of room if you want to turn the golf ball either way on both holes.
Q. With the Ryder Cup kind of coming up, are you a curious observer as to how the team gets formed and who's playing their way on, and what's your position as that drama unfolds next couple weeks?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Definitely interested. I know Zach is keeping a close eye, and he obviously has played a ton of great golf out here, so there's no one more capable of making educated picks than him, and I trust him, and he'll do a great job.
Q. Brutally hot week in Memphis last week. What do you usually like to keep in the bag? What do you eat, snack on throughout the round to keep yourself sustained?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, normal snacks. I'll do some protein bars and maybe a peanut butter and jelly or a peanut butter and banana and then just hydration, trying to get enough salt back in the system with how much you're sweating last week.
Q. Just the way the schedule works out and the tournaments that you need to play, how many courses do you think on average do you play a year that you really don't like?
PATRICK CANTLAY: A handful.
Q. What do you do? How do you deal with it? Do you have a good attitude that week?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I mean, I try to -- I don't think it really affects my play necessarily. I like to geek out a little bit on the architecture, so some courses I really like the way they put it together and others not so much. But if you're executing and figure out a good strategy for a golf course, I don't think it necessarily affects the play one way or the other.
I've played great on golf courses I don't like, and I've played poorly on golf courses I really enjoy.
I don't think it makes too big of a difference.
Q. We're not getting any names here, are we.
PATRICK CANTLAY: I don't think so.
Q. If you haven't already, do you expect to have some conversation with Zach about filling out the Ryder Cup team, and do you have any sense of how difficult that might be, given some curveballs that have occurred here this year with a couple of guys we might not have expected and obviously got Lucas Glover emerging here lately? Do you think you'll have some opinions on that, and how hard is it?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, if Zach asks me, I'll definitely give him my unfiltered opinion. But like I said, I trust Zach. He's very smart and very equipped.
This go-around seems like it's maybe tougher than years past. There's a lot of horses for a limited amount of slots. It's going to be a tough pick for him or tough set of picks. I trust him. He's going to do a great job, and I have full confidence that he'll pick the best team possible, and we'll go over there and do a good job.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports