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RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 23, 2016

Matt Kuchar

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Q. Are you pleased with it?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, I got off to a great start with a birdie, eagle start. I was hoping for a big round today but kind of stalled out just a little bit. Course is tough. I didn't drive it quite as well as I had first two days, and it's so crucial, driving it well. The rough's not all that thick, but with the greens being this firm, you need to be in the fairway so you can put some spin on the ball and try to keep the ball staying on the greens.

Q. Seems like a lot of guys are having trouble keeping the momentum going. Is the golf course difficulty the cause of that?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, well, any time you get greens really firm, course firm, it makes it more challenging. It's hard to get balls close to the hole. It's hard to have great birdie shots.

It's tough to keep it going because the course is so firm.

Q. You're still in shouting distance at the top of the leaderboard. What do you do for tomorrow?
MATT KUCHAR: I'm excited to have a chance. I would have liked to have been a little closer, but certainly three back is right there. It's an exciting finish with 16 and 18 being par 5s, hope to kind of get it going early tomorrow and be able to keep it going.

Q. You got off to a flying start, birdie, eagle. Talk us through the eagle at 2.
MATT KUCHAR: It was great. Fantastic drive. Kind of threaded the needle here with the hybrid. It's a skinny little area, to get the ball to this point. The putt was like an Augusta National putt. You could see it was sideways and very fast. To see that one go in, I thought it could be my day.

2-under is respectable. I was hoping to have one of those really good rounds after that start.

Q. 6-under, how pleased are you with that score heading into tomorrow?
MATT KUCHAR: It's nice. Amazingly challenging, the conditions out here. I tell people, any time you get firm greens, you get higher scores, you get the cut being higher, it's a real difference-maker. No matter how long the course is or how deep the rough is, firmness of greens really affects the scores. 6-under is right there in contention after three rounds. I'm pleased.

Q. Not just the greens; the fairways and the primary rough, the firmness, how much is that changing tactically how you are approaching the course this week?
MATT KUCHAR: Well, the rough isn't all that deep and thick. It's just you can't get much spin on it. When the greens are firm, you really want to be on the fairway. It's an important thing around here.

Q. And clearly happy with the game, looking forward to a final round charge now?
MATT KUCHAR: I hope so. I'm excited for tomorrow. To be in the hunt on Sunday is a lot more fun.

Q. A round of 2-under par, feel like you're in good position for the final day?
MATT KUCHAR: I would have liked a few more, but 2-under par is nice, puts me at 6-under total and still within a shot of the leader.

Certainly excited for tomorrow. My game is good. I struggled to find as many fairways as I did the first two rounds, and it's critical here to put yourself in the fairways so that you can control the spin a bit more and try to hold these greens.

Q. I thought you nearly made an incredible par on 3.
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, birdie, eagle was a fun way to start. I thought things were really going to be in position to go low today. Third hole, I've driven it just barely in the right rough and the right rough is not a good place. Figure the left rough is a better place. I just barely overdid it. Clipped the tree and went in the junk.

Took an unplayable way back with a blind second shot. Hit it over the trees. I had a 30-footer for par and nearly made it. It would have been an incredible par, you're right.

Q. Is it fair to say this golf course, the way it's set up, looks like anything could happen today and anything could happen tomorrow with three par 5s on the back?
MATT KUCHAR: That makes for an exciting back nine. Certainly there's some holes that are gettable. To have 16 and 18 right there, guys can make eagles and you can let a few slip with pars, which are no fun to make. It's certainly an exciting finish we'll have tomorrow.

Q. How was wearing black today with the sun and the heat?
MATT KUCHAR: It wasn't too bad. Trying to find some shade and some breeze helps.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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