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November 19, 2016
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Q. What a great round, 66, how does that sound to you?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, pretty good day's work. Played a fantastic front nine. Just lost a little bit in the middle of the round, but sort of kept grinding for the final six.
Q. They say this golf course is a thumper's golf course. I wouldn't call you a thumper, but I'd say you're a very competent player. Would you call it a thumper's course, or is it right up your alley?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: I really like the course personally. I think it helps, obviously, hitting it a long way. There's a few bunkers that you can fly that normally people can't, but I think if you hit the fairways, it makes it much easier to stop the ball the pins are tricky, as well. I think it's an all-around game golf course. If you play well, you get rewarded and if you don't, you get penalised.
Q. Right now it looks like you're going to be in the final group but we obviously don't know. Is that where you want to be?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: I'd much rather be first out -- no, of course, it's where everyone wants to be on Sunday to give yourself a chance of winning, and for me just to keep putting myself in these positions, it's a great experience. I'll be one behind going into the final round, I'm sure that could change, but hopefully a 66 tomorrow could be all right.
Q. What do you reckon to a score at the end that puts you in a lovely position?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, delighted. I feel like I played really well today. Hung in there and hit some good shots coming in and finished strong. It was a good day.
Q. Better than just hanging in, wasn't it, because after the double, it was a birdie, birdie result. So you certainly moved in the right position.
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, absolutely. For me I've just got to -- it's one of those golf courses that you can attack in the right places if you are in the right places and you give yourself the right angle at the pins.
Q. There was a lovely eagle at the seventh. Talk about that putt.
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: It was a long one; it was going down the green into the next tee I think if it missed the hole. Fortunately smashed the hole and went right in the middle. Yeah, I was glad for obvious reasons that it went in.
Q. Is that the sort of thing when you eagle, you think it's going to be a good day?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, that was a run of momentum, I had just made a couple of birdies and a couple putts and you make eagle there. And I actually think 8 and 9 are playing tough holes and I hit a great drive down both. Gave myself two opportunities at birdie and I've come off level par. Could have easily been 2-under.
You know, like I say, it's just been a great day and hopefully another one of them tomorrow. Hopefully it will be enough but we'll see.
Q. We've touched on this already this week, but what is it about the Earth Course that suits you, because you've had one result, one very good result.
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I don't know really. I just like the course in general. The greens are absolutely fantastic. You hit the ball on line and it doesn't veer off it at all. They are very fast and you have to be careful of that at the same time.
It's a good golf course and I look forward to playing it every year hopefully, just keep coming back.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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