THE MODERATOR: Morning, everyone. We would like to welcome PGA TOUR rookie Trace Crowe to the media center. Welcome to the Myrtle Beach Classic and welcome back to Myrtle Beach. This is a place you grew up coming for family vacations. Talk about what it's like to be back.
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, no, it's great to be back. I haven't been here since I was 13 or 14, but always had some memorable vacations with the fam and played a lot of golf down here. This is the first time I've been back to the Dunes Club since I was about 13 or 14, and it's just as awesome as I remember, so excited to be here.
Q. You were telling Kevin Price this is a place you really turned into golf, were here with baseball and that's when golf became of interest was here because of Myrtle Beach?
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, so I was playing travel baseball growing up and all that, and then we went to PGA Superstore down here when I was about 10 or 11, and my dad said, do you want to try it out, and he got me a little set of clubs, and been hooked ever since.
Q. I'm sure the course has changed a lot since 10. You were able to get a practice round in. What are you seeing from the course this week?
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, so played 18 yesterday. The golf course is in great condition. I think if the wind gets up, it can play tricky off the tee, having to drive it straight. I think it should be a great setup and test for the week.
Q. Handful of starts into your rookie season, what have been some of the big learning curves and takeaway now that we're almost halfway through?
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, I think seeing golf courses for the first time, again, can be tough on trying to prepare and maybe overpreparing, and I'm at that stage now where I'm trying to save energy. This is the fourth week in a row. Just kind of moving forward, not trying to make the weeks longer than they need to be. I'm just trying to get my work in and be as rested and ready to go on Thursday and just treat it like any other tournaments.
Q. As a Carolinian we have Bill and Jay Haas coming in later. You're a recipient of the 2013 Jay Haas Award. Do you have any specific memories or interactions with Mr. Haas?
TRACE CROWE: Yes, I remember him just being super nice and gracious with his time when receiving the award. He hung out with us for 30, 40 minutes just talking to a 15-year-old me, which is probably tough to talk to.
But no, it's awesome. All the South Carolina guys we have here this week. I think I was counting, it's over at least 12, I think.
It's just going to be cool, and hopefully one of us can win this week. That would be awesome for South Carolina, really.
Q. What did you learn about yourself the week of Torrey? You put yourself in the third to last group heading into Sunday, kind of the first time putting yourself in contention. How much did you learn that week that you've tried to use throughout the rest of the season?
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, I think that being the second event, the second-to-last group, I was right there. I was 1-under through 6 and started pressing a little bit, feeling the nerves trying to win on the PGA TOUR for the first time. That was everything you dreamed about doing.
I had a chance down in Dominican, near the same thing. I was one or two back making the last nine holes on Sunday.
I think just trying to get comfortable and realize you've always wanted to be in contention on the PGA TOUR, and then not being as nervous, just understanding it's just another golf tournament.
I think between those two, I've struggled on both of those, and I think the next time I think I'll be ready for it.
Q. You mentioned courses, so there's a little level of uncomfortability showing up at every venue not having been there for a TOUR event. Just the day-in, day-out kind of TOUR life, have you found yourself getting more comfortable as we've gotten deeper into the season?
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, 100 percent. I think just being more comfortable being myself throughout the weeks really. What I mean by that is not trying to be a rookie and overprepare and show up really early and stay out here all day. Just kind of conserve energy and do what I do that got me here and just try to be ready to go on Thursday through Sunday, and that's the most important thing, not trying to overprepare.
Q. Any piece of advice that any longtime player that's been out here has given you over the course of this start to your season?
TRACE CROWE: I've played with a few guys like Mackenzie Hughes back home. I think a few of these guys have said the same thing. It's so easy to just not listen and just stay out here all day. You're on the PGA TOUR, you're here and you're so excited. They just said, just do your normal routines, and that's what I'm trying to do right now, get back into that mode.
Q. What would you explain your strong suits are in your game?
TRACE CROWE: I would say I drive it generally pretty straight, and I drive it well and I putt it good. I've been struggling a little bit with approach play. Coming from the Korn Ferry TOUR where it's super aggressive to the PGA TOUR, I'm kind of getting back to that mindset of being more conservative, so trying to improve on basically just approach play. That's where I'm at.
Q. Is it easier to be comfortable at a course that you're familiar with and a place that you visited a lot of times over the years, or does that make any difference at all?
TRACE CROWE: Yeah, I think just being back in South Carolina, I've got some family coming this week, I think that's -- you don't really think about it, but I think it does, just hanging around people instead of traveling week in and week out, if you're on your own in different spots.
No, 100 percent just being here, my family coming down, I'm going to be very comfortable this week. The grasses I'm used to. It should be a very easy, comfortable week.
Q. You had talked about the differences in the way that you would play a course on the Korn Ferry TOUR as opposed to the PGA TOUR. Where does the Dunes Club fall in that spectrum? Is this a place that you'll need to be aggressive at or wary? What's your approach going into tomorrow?
TRACE CROWE: I think it just depends on the wind, if it gets up with these tee shots. The tee shots, if the wind is not up, they're still tight. There's some tight tee shots. You're going to have to be accurate off the tee, and then the greens are -- you're going to have to be pretty accurate with your numbers coming into the greens. They're pretty shallow greens.
I think it can play pretty tough if the wind gets up and it starts drying out, but yeah, I think you're going to see some good scores this week with the rain that we've had the last few days.
Q. You mentioned earlier family out here supporting. Which family members will we be seeing out here along with friends?
TRACE CROWE: My dad, my sister, our brother-in-law, my fiance's family is all coming. We're going to have about 15 people out here. We're going to have a lot.
Q. Any off-course activities for the week here in Myrtle Beach?
TRACE CROWE: Me and my fiance, we brought our dog down. We've got our own place, so we're going to do a few things like some dinners and stuff, but when I'm playing, we're not going to do too much.
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