GREENSBORO, N.C. – Ryan Gerard grew up in Raleigh about an hour down the road, played junior and high school tournaments at Sedgefield Country Club, attended college at nearby University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and is looking forward to some home-cooking this week at the Wyndham Championship. Or at least some Cook Out and Bojangles, two of his go-to fast-food establishments.
“It's always nice being in a place where you feel really good about the vibes and kind of feeling like it's not too far from home. There will be a lot of Cook Outs this week and have some Bojangles, so that will be lightening the mood,” Gerard said on Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “Besides that, it's not home but it feels close to it and I appreciate
all the people here that have kind of helped out along the way.”
Mark Gerard down for ordering a tray when he hits up Cook Out.
“Quesadilla, sometimes nuggets, got to go fries, and then I'm kind of that Oreo shake guy but sometimes there's like a flavor of the month that will get you,” he said when asked to name his go-to meal. “You've got to really understand what you're getting into. Yeah, there's no better value in life than a Cook Out tray.”
And what about Bojangles? “Cajun filet biscuit always, breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. “Doesn't matter what time of day, Cajun filet biscuit.”
Gerard, 27, has been cooking this season on the PGA Tour too, racking up three runner-up finishes and sitting 16th in the FedEx Cup and 15th in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings. While Gerard doesn’t have to sweat out making the first playoff event by finishing in the top 70 in the season-long points race like many in this week’s field at the final of 34 regular season events, he said he still has a lot at stake.
“Have four more weeks kind of coming up here to put an exclamation point on what's been pretty solid. You know, there's a lot of opportunity this week that we're kind of focusing on to try and make a push to get in a good spot for the playoffs,” he said. “It's a ‘one week at a time’ and ‘one shot at a time’ mentality that we're taking right now to just put our best foot forward this week and see how it all shakes out.”
Gerard’s improvement this season can’t be attributed simply to one part of his game, but he has made huge strides with the short stick since beginning to work with putting coach Joey Farrow.
“He may have completely taken Ryan to the next level,” said Gerard’s former swing coach, Carl Lohren, who helped him get to the PGA Tour.
The stats are telling: Gerard has improved from 154th in Strokes Gained: Putting to 21st this season. While the putter had been more foe than friend in the past, this year has become “a little bit of a weapon, which is very exciting to me because standing over a 15-footer, I feel good about it and that's a good feeling to have," Gerard said. "Just excited to kind of hopefully put all the puzzle pieces in the right spots.”
Gerard continues to refine his unorthodox swing, which he described earlier this year as “like graffiti on the side of a rail car,” with Jason Baile, the 2025 PGA Teacher of the Year and director of instruction at Jupiter Hills Club in Florida.
“I love my move, I love how consistent I am through the golf ball. It's taken me a long way in this game and I hope it takes me even further,” Gerard said. “It's not something we're changing anytime soon.”
Under Baile, Gerard has strengthened his grip ever-so-slightly while retaining its D.N.A., including maintaining his pigeon-toed right foot at address.
Gerard is a flat-liner on the course, never showing any nerves if he has any, and is indicative of his inner confidence. Lohren recalls one time asking his former pupil how his game stacked up against some of his competitors. “He said, ‘I’m better than they are,’ just like that,” Lohren said. Another time, he wondered if Gerard would consider going to LIV and Gerard shot down the idea without hesitation. “I asked why and he said, 'I want to win majors,'” Lohren recounted. “He’s not letting anybody intimidate him.”
If he can finally get over the hump and get a win in the next few weeks, U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Brandt Snedeker may have to make room on his 12-man team for someone who is cool, calm and collected under pressure and putting the best of his life. Gerard wouldn’t mind validating his maiden victory last season at the opposite-field Reno-Tahoe Open with a win at a course that gives him a warm and fuzzy feeling like the nearby comfort food.
“Have gotten a lot of reps around this golf course. Just feeling comfortable hitting the tee shot on 15 that's blind and getting really familiar with the visuals, which is a nice kind of feeling because not a lot's changed here. It's kind of been very, very consistent over the last 10 or 15 years or so,” he said. “Just loving being close-ish to home.”
Senior writer Adam Schupak joined Golfweek in 2006 and covers the PGA Tour and the business of golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Fueled by local fast-food favorites, Ryan Gerard aims to win Wyndham Championship
