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NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHAMPIONSHIP

September 23, 2016

Martin Flores

Columbus, Ohio

Q. I know you're not happy with the last, but that was set up by a drive being under the tree and you had nothing there. But 5-under today, good score.
MARTIN FLORES: It is. I'm very happy with it. I gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdie. I hit it close, hit it well, so extremely happy. I hit the shot I wanted to there, I thought I hit a good drive, but that's just kind of how it goes sometimes.

Q. I think 5-under today, this golf course, I would have thought, would have been playing significantly harder. So I think that 5-under was really good. What do you expect to happen on the weekend rounds?
MARTIN FLORES: I haven't really looked at the forecast, but last time I looked it looked like it was going to be perfect. But I would anticipate that it would get dryer as the weekend goes along, get firmer. The greens are very, very difficult. With the pin positions and firmer greens, it should be a good test.

Q. This course is always a good test, typically single digits like 5-, 6-under is all you need here. You're currently better than that. Do you think the scores might back up a little bit or do you think a couple 3-under each day might get it done?
MARTIN FLORES: Not sure. I just got to keep doing what I'm doing, which sometimes you just don't make a lot of putts or you don't make any, but I'm very, very happy with my ball striking, I gave myself a lot of close putts and I converted those today. The speed control has been really, really great. Other than that I haven't really had to deal with anything else up to this point. So I would like to just keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens.

Q. Overall thoughts on the day, tied for the lead, you have to like that.
MARTIN FLORES: Yeah, I love it. I would like to have a one-shot lead, but very happy with how I played. I feel like anything under par is really good on this golf course. It's a good test. It always plays very, very difficult and I love difficult golf courses. So, I'm excited for the next two days and it should be a great challenge.

Q. Take us through the five birdies in a six hole stretch to start the back nine. That was pretty key for you.
MARTIN FLORES: I hit a great drive off 10, had a short iron in. Hit it to pretty close, converted it.

The drive and 5-iron into 12. 2-putted.

Hit 7-iron into 13 to three or four feet.

I hit 9-iron again into 14 to five feet.

I hit 9-iron into 15 to maybe 15, 20 feet. So gave myself a lot of looks inside 20 feet.

I hit it close on 17 to probably eight feet. Didn't convert it.

And then I bogeyed 18, which I thought I hit a really good shot off the tee and into the green, but that's just kind of how it goes.

Q. You made birdie on 13 to get the beers for the fans. Did that rile them up a bit?
MARTIN FLORES: Yeah, that was nice, any time you can please the crowd, that's awfully fun.

Q. Is it more comfortable here this year knowing that you have a PGA it TOUR card secure as opposed to last year when you were fighting more for your job?
MARTIN FLORES: I haven't really thought about it, but it's definitely less stressful. It doesn't -- I don't try any harder or less based on the circumstances, but, yeah, it's definitely a lot less stressful.

Q. Many of the people who were on top yesterday fell back, how do you plan on staying on top the rest of the weekend?
MARTIN FLORES: I'm very happy with the state of my game, so I know it's going to be very challenging going into the weekend, especially near the lead or in the lead right now, especially two more days on this golf course. So, I'm just looking forward to the challenge that it brings.

Q. How much do you want this second win? Obviously you won already, you're heading to the PGA TOUR, but how important is it to get a second win heading into the season?
MARTIN FLORES: Equally as important as the first one. I just want to win more often. I haven't won very much at all. I just want to keep putting myself in position to win and see how I can do.

Q. What do you attribute the lower scores this year than last year?
MARTIN FLORES: Last year I remember it being a little colder and much windier on the weekend. I think that it was very similar the first two days as it has been this week, but I think last year it was just a little colder and windier. But I don't really know what it's going to be Saturday and Sunday, so we'll just have to see how that turns out.

Q. You played the PGA TOUR for a few years and had to come play the WEB.COM this year. Is there any way that you can look at it as a positive having had to come back down to this TOUR and compete?
MARTIN FLORES: Sure, you are where you are for a reason. So, obviously, I didn't play very well in the 2015 season, so I had an opportunity to come back out here and keep improving on my game, so I'm very thankful for that, and I look forward to the return and should, it's always a challenge to play on the PGA TOUR. So I really enjoyed that.

Q. What was working the best for you out there today?
MARTIN FLORES: I just drove it well of the I drove it really well. I gave myself a lot of short irons into a lot of the pin locations. When you do that, it's a pretty good thing on this golf course, because it's pretty long. So, I was very happy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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