THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome defending champion Chris Gotterup to the media center here at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. Chris, I guess we'll just start with how are you feeling being back here at the same place you got your first PGA TOUR win?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, it's obviously great being back. Obviously I have really good memories of being here. It was nice to play nine yesterday and kind of relive some of the shots and what happened. Yeah, I'm excited to get back to work this week.
THE MODERATOR: You mentioned reliving some of the shots. When you think about the 2024 tournament here, what are some of those shots that kind of stand out?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, there's definitely a couple in that last round. I made a really good par on 14. That kind of was, like, All right, I'm in the clear.
Then 18 was obviously really cool with I had probably the best drive I hit all week, wedged it close, and made a birdie to finish it off. It was a good exclamation point on the round, and that was kind of nice to see that happen.
THE MODERATOR: Then last one from me before we open it up to questions, how does this week compare to other tournaments? Obviously coming in as a defending champion, it's got to be a little bit different.
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, it's nice to come back as a defending champ. You get some recognition from being here, and people are aware. I think what's cool about this week is people do really care about golf down here.
When I got to the airport, the guys working the airport were, like, Welcome back. That stuff is cool, and it just shows how much people care about the tournament down here.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up to questions.
Q. Nice to have you back again. Best of luck for the next few days and over the whole tournament. What do you think has been your greatest strengths and your greatest weaknesses in your game from the last 12 months when you were here last?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, it's a good -- I think my driver was really what kind of was killing me at the end of last year and into the early part of this year. I think in the last couple of weeks, for whatever reason be, it's clicked.
Last year here especially I putted amazing, and I think I putted really good kind of the whole year and kind of kept me in some tournaments. I haven't been as good in that department this year, and I'm looking forward to finding my stride again this week.
Q. Can you just talk about this course? Obviously you're familiar with it from last year, but how nice is this course, and also what challenges does it uniquely present compared to other courses you play?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Yeah, it's a great course. I think it's nice because all year we kind of get put on some 'big boy' courses and TPCs that are really massive. It's nice to play like a country club, but it also provides a unique challenge where there are certain spots -- I think of Colonial, for example, where there are certain spots where you need to hit the fairway and being in a certain section of the fairway to have a good look at the greens.
Yeah, you have to step up and hit some quality shots here where it's not just bomb and gouge like it seems to be, which I like too, but it's definitely a nice change of pace and nice to play like I guess more of a normal course, but it's really in good shape, and excited for the week.
Q. For next week with PGA Championship, if not already exempt, the winner here gets in. What do you remember from the last year turn-around and winning and going into next week playing in a major?
A. Yeah, that was a chaotic couple of hours on Monday. I definitely will be better prepared for it if it comes again. I remember showing up. We drove to Raleigh and then flying. There were some issues getting to Louisville from here.
I probably should have taken a day off. I went out and practiced on Monday, and I just remember being exhausted all week, but for good reason. It was fun.
Yeah, I'm excited to hopefully give it a chance this week and be at Quail Hollow, but it was great. You earn the right to -- I felt like I had kind of earned my spot to be there, as I'm sure everyone else did there too. It was just like the next step that I had to take. I feel like I'm slowly getting to where I want to be in the tour.
Q. Chris, I compared the last 12 months, strengths, weaknesses. How does it compare this year with all of the celebrities that have been brought in by ONEflight for the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic? Last year we had Vanna. This year we have Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Bill Murray, who have turned up in support, even though he's not playing. So many celebrities. Is that different for you this year, and how is that on the tour generally for you? Have you gotten used to that?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: I mean, it definitely is nice for the tournament. I think it's more of a pro-am benefit, and it helps build the tournament in terms of just publicly. It just makes it bigger. More names, it just provides more eyeballs on the tournament.
I think it's great for just Myrtle Beach and for people that want to come be at the tournament. I think it's just a good addition that they did.
Q. You talk about people mention a lot of the PGA TOUR lifestyle and what it's like. You don't really get to go home. It's just on to the next. You see people out here on Monday and Tuesday, and people think, Well, they just finished up a tournament. How challenging has that been for you starting out? Is it a challenge? Is it more of a challenge you would like to take on? What's that like just going from place to place, jumping to place to place every week?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: It's very challenging. I think I've been doing it for three years now, so you kind of become almost a little bit numb to it now. It's not as -- like at the start when you're on Korn Ferry and you're doing 15 weeks in a row, you're just, like, I just want to go home, and I don't want to play golf for a week.
But I think I've gotten better at it, and I think last year I learned a lot about what my body can take and when I'm shut off, I need to be shut off and not go home and practice because I think at the end of last year I definitely probably burned myself out a little bit. I needed a couple of months off.
Luckily, winning here gave me the chance to do that. I think you've got to learn what you can take. Some guys can take more. Some guys can take less. So I think it's just finding out what fits you.
Q. Chris, you win here, and all of a sudden you say, Ah, I finally am on my way. Was the rest of the year between last May and this May what you expected? A little more? A little less? I bet you thought you would win again.
CHRIS GOTTERUP: It probably was not what I expected, but probably for the better. I think I really struggled after here, other than I played well at Wyndham. Other than that I really just did not -- nothing clicked. I thought, all right, I won, I'm going to stay on it, and hopefully win another one or just play well. I really didn't.
I think it was good. I think I needed -- like I said, I needed a reset. I had those two, three months that I took off after Japan. I think I definitely -- I think I probably just thought it was going to come easier, and that was not very smart.
I definitely kind of remotivated myself last fall and winter, and I feel like the couple of weeks here have been beneficial towards that. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.
Q. Chris, you are talking a lot about managing your downtime as well as your playing time. What do you do in your downtime? What do you feel that you would like to do? Is there another hobby you have? How do you rest? How do you recuperate?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: It really depends on what's going on and where I am. If I'm home in New Jersey with my parents and friends and stuff, I'm hanging out at the beach and hanging out with the dogs, but when I'm home in Oklahoma, I really just -- I don't do a whole lot. We go practice and play a little bit, but if there's sports on, I'm on the couch watching sports and playing a little Xbox here and there. Other than that, I really just try to shut down. I'll try to stay in good shape and do that stuff, but other than that, I'm trying to just relax.
Q. Favorite Xbox game?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Call of Duty.
Q. How long have you been playing Call of Duty?
CHRIS GOTTERUP: Too long.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports