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TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

August 5, 2016

Daniel Berger

Cromwell, Connecticut

Q. The wind started to get a little fresh out there and the course started to dry up. How would you assess the way you played today?
DANIEL BERGER: I played really good. I was not expecting the wind to blow like it did. I came out here early in the morning and hit some putts and it was dead calm and it kind of picked up from nowhere, but I feel like I handled it pretty well.

Q. Some of the veterans on our broadcast were appreciating your shot-making skills down the stretch, particularly the tee shot on 15. What were you trying to do there?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, I was trying to hit what I call my bullet shot. It's kind of my go-to shot. It's one of those shots that I hit under pressure. I just know where it's going to go, and that's what I went with there.

Q. You got the victory, your first PGA TOUR win at Memphis in June. How did that change the way you look at yourself as a player out here?
DANIEL BERGER: Well, I'm not searching for my first win anymore, so I'm a lot more comfortable where I'm at. If I just do the right things and hang in there, I'll have chance to be there again on the weekend.

Q. Is the Ryder Cup on your mind now? You're 18th in the standings. How much do you push it out of your mind and how much do you embrace the chase for a spot?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, I mean, that's my number one goal with the last couple events coming up here, but I'm just going to handle what I can handle, and if it happens, it happens. I'm going to do what I can, and that's it.

Q. Four birdies, one bogey, 7-under, halfway through. How did you do it out there today?
DANIEL BERGER: I just hit some good shots. I haven't missed many greens this week and rolled in a few putts, but obviously going to have to play a little better on the weekend to have a good chance.

Q. You were in those afternoon conditions and it appeared as we were watching that the wind really started to become a factor?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, it started blowing 15, 20. 13, the reachable par-5, didn't play quite as reachable today, but just stuck with it and hung in there and had some good opportunities, and that's all I can really do.

Q. How are you feeling about the weekend here now at the Travelers Championship atop the leaderboard?
DANIEL BERGER: I feel great. It's not the first time I've been at the top, which the last time I was I was able to win. But there's a lot of great players chasing, and I just have to continue doing what I've been doing.

Q. Tell us about your round.
DANIEL BERGER: What do you want to know?

Q. Coming off the shoulder injury, playing this well this week, is this where you wanted to be at this point, or are you ahead of where you thought you would be?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, I mean, I definitely played better than I thought I would. This is my seventh round in six weeks, which for a professional golfer that's not a lot. But I've been working on my chipping and putting, and I feel like that's kind of paid off.

Q. Are you at 100 percent right now with the shoulder?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, I am. I think the only soreness is after the round after I've made 70 swings, but it's a lot better, and I'm able to go full out, and that's kind of what I was waiting for. I didn't want to come back and play at 50 percent. I wanted to be able to play at 100 percent, and that's where I'm at right now.

Q. Talk about what you did on 15. That's always a tough hole or an easy hole, depending on how you hit it. What did you do there?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, 15, that's the drivable one. I hit a good drive. It was right in between 3-wood and driver, and I kind of just went with my shot that I trusted, just a little low driver and landed it short of the green and chased it up there, and an easy two-putt. But I think that hole can be a turning point in the weekend for sure.

Q. Are you surprised that 7 is the number right now?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, I mean, I think I am a little surprised, but I think the greens are a little bumpy, and if we were playing on absolutely perfect surfaces, then I'm sure it would be more like 12 or 10, but you just do your best with what you have, and that's probably part of the reason why it's not so low right now.

Q. Quick turnaround; does that change your preparation?
DANIEL BERGER: Not at all. If anything I like it. Just go eat dinner, go to sleep, wake up, and get right back at it. Nothing unusual. Nothing that we're not used to.

Q. What's your schedule the next few weeks with the Ryder Cup and your thoughts about the Ryder Cup?
DANIEL BERGER: I think I'll probably take off next week, and then I'll probably play the Wyndham and the four playoff events hopefully being at the TOUR Championship, and in terms of the Ryder Cup, I'm just doing everything I can to earn a spot on my own, but obviously I would never turn down a pick. I don't know who would. But yeah, I'm just playing the best I can, and whatever happens happens.

Q. Are you feeling less pressure since you won earlier this summer?
DANIEL BERGER: Yeah, I think obviously when you see your friends winning and you see your peers winning, you want to be in that spot, but to have gotten it done, this week doesn't feel like it would have if I didn't have a win under my belt for sure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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