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THE HONDA CLASSIC

February 25, 2017

Emiliano Grillo

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Q. How were conditions?
EMILIANO GRILLO: The golf course was definitely in better shape without the rain we had on Wednesday. We played the ball down today, different from the first two days. There was pretty much no wind the first 12, 13 holes and I took advantage of that. The last six holes were tricky and you just have to manage somehow to make par on those.

Q. What's been the key for you this week?
EMILIANO GRILLO: I've been working a lot on my putting. I think it getting there. It's going in the right direction. I think that's key in golf courses like this. You know, I hit it good most of the time. I just had to get my putting -- it's going in the right direction.

Q. Is this a golf course you're pretty comfortable on?
EMILIANO GRILLO: I played a few times here as a junior and an amateur, now late last year, it's completely different. We used to play here November and this is probably the most difficult time of the year to play out here in Florida. You just have to hit it well. Every golf course, you have to hit it well.

Q. What sort of golf course are the leaders going to face this afternoon?
EMILIANO GRILLO: Hopefully a lot of wind, and dry and quick greens. I don't know. The wind it seemed like it was picking up the last four holes. That definitely makes it more difficult.

Q. Definitely feel like it's an advantage getting out early in the morning and getting it in that quickly?
EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, definitely. You get better greens, less wind. You know, that makes golf a bit easier.

Q. Do you feel like you put yourself in contention or do you think the leaders are going to pull away again?
EMILIANO GRILLO: Hopefully. I really hope so. That's the whole idea. Saturday is a day that you have to get a hot round going and get as close as you can with the leaders. Like I say, the wind was picking up the last four or five holes. Hopefully it stays that way, and will be good to stay a couple shots behind.

Q. What was the best aspect of your round today, do you think?
EMILIANO GRILLO: I played well overall from tee-to-green. I made some really good up-and-downs on 16 and 17. So that kept me going, and it's a shame I couldn't make that putt on 18. But it was a good round, every single aspect of the game today.

Q. What's more impressive, getting the birdies on the front, or surviving the Bear Trap?
EMILIANO GRILLO: I don't know. Out here, to make a birdie, you have to play almost a perfect hole. It doesn't matter if 1 or 18. You have to play from the fairway out here, definitely. When you are in the rough, you are playing defense.

I think that was the key today, just keeping the ball on the fairway.

Q. That's your best competitive round since October. Did it feel that way?
EMILIANO GRILLO: Kind of, yeah. It's been a grind since MÃ©xico. I played good in MÃ©xico. Played well the last round, and since then, I wasn't able to put a good score on my scorecard. So it's been tough, but the year is long and we're not even March yet, so still a lot of golf to play from the rest of the year.

Q. Do you gain momentum from a round like this that you can carry into tomorrow, do you think?
EMILIANO GRILLO: You know, I've been working really hard. It's just a matter of time it's going to be there, that's for sure. It really helps, yeah. Yesterday I had it going until a couple bogeys on the back nine. I've been playing well this week. I just need another good one tomorrow and that's going to give me a lot of confidence.

Q. Is this a course you feel comfortable on?
EMILIANO GRILLO: Yeah, definitely. If I can play this tournament every single week of the year, I'd be happy to. I like tournaments when you are going to be close with single digits. That shows the golf course plays a bit harder than the other ones. Unfortunately I don't putt as well as I would like, so I'm working towards there, and when I get there, I'm going to like the other golf course too.

Q. Did you play the Web.com here a couple years ago?
EMILIANO GRILLO: I did.

Q. Do you feel like it's given you an advantage?
EMILIANO GRILLO: Well, it depends how you look at it. Some of the guys that play all year long on the Web.com and they have the same benefits as the guys who only play four golf tournaments -- the guys who play all year long, they are going to be more tired going into the new season. I think that was the case for most of the guys, not all of them. There's a few guys playing really well from the Web.

It definitely gives you a bonus. I was playing Europe, and all of a sudden, play four weeks here, and I'm playing on the PGA TOUR and never look back.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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