Here is the transcript of the interview with Patton Kizzire after he won the Procore Championship at the Silverado Resort in Napa.
MODERATOR: Evening, everyone. We would like to welcome 2024 Procore Championship winner, Patton Kizzire.
Patton, just captured your third PGA TOUR victory and first since 2018, what was it like today?
PATTON KIZZIRE: It was pretty sweet, pretty special.
I was trying not to get ahead of myself today. I knew that it would be difficult not to get ahead of myself with a four‑shot lead heading into today. I wrote down in my yardage book, “I am here, I am now.” I kept going back to that and that helped me be disciplined and stay present. That was something that just kept going back to and that’s what really helped me come out on top.
MODERATOR: Where did you get that slogan from or what inspired you to put that?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Gosh, I’ve heard it here and there. It was just something I picked up on. I’ve been working really hard on my mental game and that was just one little thing that I picked up on. I keep adding stuff here and there throughout the week in my yardage book. That was something that really hit home with me coming into today with a four‑shot lead.
MODERATOR: Kids are back home, they were watching along with grandparents. Wife Kari was here and able to greet you on the greenside. What was it like to have her here because originally her plans were to go back home with the kids?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Yes, she was supposed to go back on Friday. My wonderful mother, my parents and her parents are so good to us and taking care of our awesome kids, Palmer and Miller.
I really had a dream about ‑‑ I didn’t have a dream, but I dream about having my whole family run out there, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way, we have to stay a little bit more focused. Kari came out here and she did a fantastic job keeping me focused. We’ll celebrate with the kids when we get back home.
Q. Two questions. First, you mentioned your mental game and your caddie, Dean, I talked to said the same thing, that’s made a big difference. Any specific example today of a hole or a moment where you maybe stayed calmer or something you maybe wouldn’t have done as well a couple years ago?
PATTON KIZZIRE: It’s hard to put my finger on one specific event today. It was the entire week. I was able to put myself in the same frame of mind throughout my entire week. I haven’t been able to do that in a while. I’ve worked pretty hard for a short period of time in order to do that. Sure enough, the practice paid off and I was able to do it this week. Man, it was a lot of fun.
Q. And I talked to Mackenzie Hughes and he said he went six years between his first win and his second one. He said there’s a voice in the back of your head that wonders if you’re going to get it done again. Did you hear that voice and how did you quiet it?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Well, there’s always doubt in anything. If you listen to the doubt in life in general it’s never beneficial. You look at the positives in all things. There’s going to be obstacles and that’s just how it’s going to be. You’ve got to plan to attack those obstacles. I did a fantastic job of that the entire week.
Q. A couple questions. Weather is a big factor in the game of golf and today the weather changed with the wind and cooler temperatures, cloudiness. How did that impact your scoring today and how did it change your game plan? And the second question, your eagle 3 on the 5‑par No. 5, if you can tell us about that as well.
PATTON KIZZIRE: Yeah, I knew today was going to be a challenge. We were playing late in the afternoon and the wind was going to be up more so than it had been.
I live in Sea Island, Georgia, and it’s been windy, it’s been so windy back home. I play in the wind, I enjoy playing in the wind, I’ve prepared for that, so I actually looked at it as a positive. I knew it would be hard for other guys to go low, so I just had to stay disciplined and just do my thing. I’ve practiced for that and I thought it was going to be an advantage for me.
When it comes to No. 5 today, that was huge, that was gigantic for me to chip that ball in. I hit a nice drive. That hole is double dogleg, so that’s only half the battle. I was in the fairway but I had to hit about a 50‑yard hook, 40‑yard hook with a 6‑iron. I hit it really good and it just trickled through the back of the green, which was a great shot. I had a decent lie and was able to hit it just like I needed to.
When that ball went in the hole I had a jolt of confidence and it felt like my tournament again. Not that I was doubting it much, but when a guy makes a couple birdies and closes the gap, it’s hard not to feel it a little bit. I tried to not allow those feelings to come in, but when that chip went in, that feeling, I let that one come on in.
Q. At the RSM Classic you were fighting pretty hard to keep full status and afterward you got a little emotional about saying this is the thing that you’ve wanted to do since you were in the second grade and that you felt something good was coming, and here you are. How does it feel to sort of look back on that moment and then know where you are sitting right there?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Yeah, you know exactly how to get me a little emotional.
Yeah, I was very emotional there at the end of the year because I had put a lot in and didn’t get a lot out. But I’ve been so passionate about this game for so long, it’s just a journey. There’s obstacles just one after another in golf and in life. You’ve just got to keep going.
It feels really, really sweet for the hard work to pay off. I still have a lot of improving to do. I’m going to enjoy this win. It seems like whenever I do win, I’m like I didn’t even really play that well. I putted well. I didn’t feel like I played that well, but I putted great. It’s just so sweet to go through the ups and downs, that’s life. There’s ups and downs, you’ve just got to stay positive and that’s what led me here to right now.
Q. And then real quick, knowing that you won those two tournaments within about two months of each other, are you pretty eager to go tee it up somewhere right now?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Yeah, yeah, I like feeling the hot hand. I’m looking forward to going to the Sanderson Farms and competing this fall. This fall is really important for me and for a lot of guys. They’re some of my favorite tournaments of the year. I found myself asking for sponsor’s invites and now I don’t think I have to do that. I may be wrong, I don’t know.
But yeah, I found myself on the outside looking in to some of these tournaments coming up this fall that I love and to win this week I think takes care of that and I’m excited to compete again.
Q. You were near the top for short game stats this week. Anything you kind of worked on leading up to the tournament, anything clicked leading?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Well, I think my putting has always been a strength of mine. I’ve under performed on the greens for way too long and all the while knowing that that is my ticket to trophies.
But I think the mental game helped me perform on the greens. I was extremely disciplined with my routine and just did the same thing over and over. That was huge for me. My short game’s always ‑‑ my chipping around the greens is always pretty good. I enjoy competing with my buddies and doing a lot of short game stuff, so I can thank some of those guys for getting me prepared.
Q. To follow up on the putting, were there any adjustments that you made mechanically or otherwise on the greens heading into the week?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Nothing in particular this week, I just stayed extremely, extremely disciplined with my routine. I haven’t done that well with my routine in quite some time.
Q. Patton, eight years ago you were a second‑place finisher here to Brendan Steele and you often talk about how special this place is to you. Why is this place special to you, if you can talk about what is it that you connect to Silverado about?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Well, there’s several things. My first tournament as a member of the Tour, I actually had to miss this tournament to get married. We made our wedding arrangements based on the previous year’s schedule and then I ended up having to miss it. That kind of stung, but obviously the best decision of my life to marry my wife.
And then the next year I come and I just kind of fell in love with it. We came a week early and hung out in the different areas of Napa and Sonoma and everywhere. We really enjoyed it.
Then I almost won the tournament. I should have won the tournament. Brendan did great and finished it off. I’ve seen my life almost flash before my eyes here before, had to evacuate. It was a panic feeling, I believe that was 2017. I was in the resort and all of a sudden I can smell smoke and people are banging on doors and we had to jet out of here and didn’t know where to go.
A lot of interesting memories here. I love the golf course, I love the people. There’s great food, great wine, great golf course. What’s not to like?
Q. Seems like going six and a half years without winning sort of speaks to how difficult it is to win on the Tour. As I mentioned, Mackenzie went six years between wins. Can you speak to just the challenge of not just finishing top‑10 but getting over that last hump to be where you are now?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Yeah, it’s so competitive out here, there’s so many guys, young guys that are coming up trying to take your job. As my buddy Brian Harman, he says, “See that guy over there? He’s trying to take my job.” I laugh every time he says that, but they are. There’s so many good players coming up and everybody’s training better and getting better. It’s so competitive. The guys are working hard. You’ve got to be on top of your game to win. That’s what makes it so sweet.
Q. And real quick, you’ve been working with a mental coach. A woman, right? What’s her name if you don’t mind?
PATTON KIZZIRE: I don’t know if she wants me to say her name. We’ll just keep it as ‑‑ yeah.
Q. How long have you been working with her?
PATTON KIZZIRE: About a month.
MODERATOR: While we get a microphone back over to Cameron, had your wife Kari on the green, but also a lot of friends. What was it like to see them and for them to greet you with a champagne shower?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Yeah, it was great. I have a lot of good friends out here and a lot of them live in my hometown. We spend a lot of time together. That meant a lot for them to be there at the end. I would have liked to have stayed dry and not smell like champagne right now, but I’ll take it if that’s what it takes. That was really nice of them and I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces.
Q. Patton, most of the time when you guys try to get better it’s about like launch monitors and swing planes and stuff, but doing some of the stuff with the bare feet and the hugging the tree and so forth, is that something that you had to kind of convince yourself to buy in or were you just ready for it?
PATTON KIZZIRE: Oh, I’m always eager to improve. I was a little skeptical, but it’s just bringing light to life, not taking yourself so seriously, doing silly stuff and just breaking the ice, you know? I think there is something to that calm that you get just kind of being outside barefoot and stuff like that.
Before my rounds I did everything from help the guys pick the range barefooted to chipping contests with these kids on the back chipping green, just getting out doing fun stuff when I was getting ready to play. I think that definitely played a role in my success this week.
Q. I think it was on 11 where Lipsky got back within two. Was that one of those moments that you kind of went back to that note in your journal?
PATTON KIZZIRE: That was ‑‑ that was a tough situation. Yes, I grinded, just kept reading in my book. He hit an amazing shot in there and I pulled it just a little bit and ended up dead. That hole is such a good hole and that’s such a hard pin. You can hit a nice shot in there to two feet, three feet like he did or you can miss it by a little bit and be in a world of trouble. I took my medicine there.
It would have easy for me to try to get it close and then end up a little further away down off the front of the green and then have trouble two‑putting, but I kind of took my medicine and figured that I would have chances coming up. Yeah, he applied some heavy pressure there and that was definitely a test.
MODERATOR: With that, we will wrap it up.
PATTON KIZZIRE: Thank you. Appreciate y’all.
MODERATOR: Congrats. Thank you for joining us.
PATTON KIZZIRE: Thank you.