THE MODERATOR: Okay, we'd like to welcome the winner of the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship Michael Brennan to the media room. Michael, third start on TOUR, first as a professional. Can you put into words the emotions you're feeling?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, it's a little difficult right now. It's just amazing. But, yeah, I have to thank the tournament director and their exemption crew to get me in this week. It means a lot. I think my agent, Terry, he put a lot of work in to get me a start, and look how it's turned out. It paid out pretty good.
Yeah, very excited.
Q. Three wins on PGA TOUR Americas over August, September, and now first win on TOUR in October. How would you even describe the last two and a half, three months of golf for you?
MICHAEL BRENNAN? Yeah, played some good golf. I don't know, it's a little tough. It's something I work for and I felt like I had been playing good for a while.
I feel like maybe I have an idea what clicked, but I'm really not 100% sure. I'll take it and hope to continue playing solid golf.
Q. Was it like playing River Creek today?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, I thought about it several times because I was quite a bit nervous. But it definitely helped calm me down a little bit. My caddie did a great job of trying to keep my present and keep me in the moment, just go play River Creek.
Yeah, it was good.
Q. Do you mind telling me again who specifically it was that texts you that regularly?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: That guy in the pink right there. He flew out this morning and I met him on the first tee. He didn't tell me so I didn't know. Yeah, yesterday when I told you my agent, that's him.
Q. Congratulations on everything you were able to accomplish this week here in Utah.
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Thank you.
Q. As a Utah television station I'm going to ask you about Utah. I'm not sure about your experience here previously, but I would love to know what you think about the backdrop and playing this course that obviously has its uniqueness?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, it's my first time in Utah and I think it was one of the most beautiful golf tournaments and venues that I've played in ever. I didn't really know what to expect. Never been to Utah. But it was far more beautiful than I thought it was ever going to be.
My parents went on a hike here at the local Snow Canyon I think park and they came back and my dad said he almost died and was lucky to be at dinner, which I know a definitely an exaggeration.
I know they enjoyed Utah as well. Yeah, it's just beautiful.
Q. Have you had a chance to process all the things that are now going to fall in your lap? Two-year exemption, playing in the Signature Events next season. How meaningful is all of this?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Do I get in the signature?
Q. I don't know. Am I wrong?
THE MODERATOR: PLAYERS, PGA Championship, RBC Heritage.
MICHAEL BRENNAN: So I get a couple of them. (Person speaking off mic.)
So no, I have not processed it because I'm still learning about it. No, it'll be all good things to learn in the future. I really haven't thought that far.
Q. One start and you win. I mean, it's got to feel like a dream in a way.
MICHAEL BRENNAN: 100%. Been my dream for a very long time to play on the PGA TOUR and win on the PGA TOUR, so, yeah, it feels amazing to do it. Just very thankful to even be in the field this week. I mean, ended up pretty good.
Q. You had the bogey at I believe -- yeah, at 10. Got down to three at one point. Any nerves or just sticking in the moment?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Hell yeah. I was nervous the entire round. There were moments of maybe more confidence and less, and that definitely kind of maybe woke me up a bit. Felt like I played some really good golf following that 10th hole. Played 11 solid, 12 sold, 13 and 14 were really solid.
Yeah, Rico played really, really well today and he did not make it easy. I think when he made at that putt on 12 and we shared birdies that was kind of a bit of a cool moment just because we knew we were both playing some pretty good golf that day and it was a fun battle.
Q. Feel like the shot at 18 where you had to take the drop and the penalty shot was that -- had to feel easier in that moment because you still had a comfortable cushion anyway.
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, I didn't want to hit to in the rocks there. It was my first rock shot of the whole week, so we went 71 holes without hitting it into the rocks.
It was nice knowing I had a five-shot lead going into 18.
Q. What was it like playing with Matt, who won this thing last year? Found himself in a similar situation to a degree as your win this year. Did you share a moment with him on 18 or throughout the day? Did that ever come up for you?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: It did not.
Q. Congratulations. So the golf world, a lot of which fans will just be getting to know you a little bit, can you tell me about your golf journey, how you got here, and just what kind of makes you tick.
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, started playing golf at a young age. My dad, who is in the room now, he played a lot of golf, just amateur golf in the state of Virginia and got me into playing. I guess I started out swinging something, was a little plastic hockey stick when I was a couple years old maybe.
But, yeah, played high school golf in northern Virginia. Played junior and amateur golf, and went to Wake Forest and 2020. Graduated in '24. I had Americas status after that. Played out there for the last year and a half.
This was my first TOUR start as a pro.
Q. Was there a shot this week or a hole this week that you thought, this is going to be a special week?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Maybe not early in the week. I had driven it well all week. Maybe a little looser than I had wanted to Thursday, Friday with the irons, but I had made up for it because I was driving it really well and made some nice putts.
Then I started to hit my irons really good this weekend. Maybe on 15 today where I kind of felt like, all right, maybe this is going to be the week. The wind was down off the left. I think 204 and I hit 8-iron, but had some altitude and downwind. It flew -- it went way further than I wanted it to and it was a little further right. It landed right in front of the right bunker and it was the only ball that didn't bounce out at least five or six yards the entire week.
It somehow stayed on the green. I really still don't know. I told Jeff it was a gift from God because it was -- it should have been kind of screwed in that back bunker. Ended up having a putt and was able to two putt.
Q. How about the drive on 12? What was the mindset on that swing? Did you always hit driver on that hole this week?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: I did not hit driver on Thursday. The pin was kind of front left tucked over the from bunker and I figured it was going to be a pretty difficult 50, 60-yarder. I hit two good drives on Friday and Saturday.
Today the course had been steadily getting a little firmer throughout the week. Had a little wind down of the left. Even to the front pin I told Jeff on the tee that I was just going to hit it really hard and I hit a good drive.
I was surprised to see to get all the way down to the front of the green, but it ended up making the second shot much easier.
Q. You made your first start on TOUR as an amateur at Riviera winning the Collegiate Showcase. I guess from that point to where you're sitting now, how much have you learned in the past few years and how much have you grown as a player?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Oh, yeah, so much. There is so much I guess looking back that I felt like maybe I thought I knew and didn't know. I know there are definitely things I will continue to learn and get better at moving forward.
Yeah, my game has certainly evolved since then. Actual aspects of the game that have improved have been wedges have gotten better, chipping has gotten better, my putting has gotten a lot better. So kind of as we have gotten closer to the hole it's gotten a lot better.
I've been always able to hit the driver pretty well, hit my irons pretty well, and leaned on that a little bit today. Early in the round I hit some really nice irons into the green.
But really around the green and on the green have gotten far more proficient.
Q. I know it's a lot to take in and obviously a pretty historic moment. You're only the seventh player since 1970 to win on TOUR in three or less starts. What does that mean to you? How cool is that to be able to add your name to what is still a pretty short list?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, that's really cool. I had no idea. It had been over two years since I played in the last TOUR start in 2023, so quite a long gape between the U.S. Open at LACC and then here. So it's not like I played the last two weeks, so it was kind of an interesting get. I mean, cool to be on that list.
Q. A lot of players found it to be very tight off the tee with the lava. You led in strokes gained off the tee. What was it about the course setup or how did to fit your eye this seemed to be so comfortable for you?
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, it's pretty clear where you need to hit it and where you don't need to hit it just with the black and green contrast.
The fairways are pretty forgiving, pretty wide. There is no rough, so it's either going to be fairway or rocks basically. So just had one of those weeks where my driver went pretty straight and was able to send it and let it go and felt very confident over the driver all week.
THE MODERATOR: All right, Michael congratulations, thanks for the time.
MICHAEL BRENNAN: Yeah, thanks, guys.
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