	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 28, 2017

Martin Flores

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Q. An eagle in the first round, an eagle in the second and only one bogey. That's the way o get yourself at the top of the leaderboard.
MARTIN FLORES: Yeah, I was really pleased with my day. Starting on the back, sprinkled some birdies and able to capitalize on 16 and 18, two par 5s.

Q. When the wind gets up like it is, it's kind of swirling down in that back nine section in the valley. Is it difficult to judge what type of shots you're going to hit and what your yardages are?
MARTIN FLORES: You know, all I tried to do was just tried to flight the ball what I feel and sense, and just keep the ball down, because it is coming from different directions, bouncing off the sides. So I just try to go with what I feel and I guess really just feel the shot.

Q. Let's take a look at the stats from today. Pretty good ball-striking stats and you're hitting a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. This is a difficult driving course, but it's a course that you can take advantage of on the par 5s. Do you feel like in order to keep this going for the weekend, driving is going to be the key?
MARTIN FLORES: Absolutely. I think the softer conditions helps that. It makes the fairways a little wider. But I feel good out there. Been driving it very nice. Probably above average distance. I gave myself a lot of wedges.

Q. Pair of 66s and one bogey out there. The putter looked so good, especially on the short ones, and Nicklaus greens aren't easy to read.
MARTIN FLORES: I've been feeling really good about my speed control. I wasn't as tidy with my approaches coming in. And to keep the momentum in my favor, just getting the ball up-and-down, I was very pleased with that.

Q. What are you looking forward on the weekend to? The weather today was pretty tough this morning. A little difference in temperature and everything else.
MARTIN FLORES: It felt a lot better than last week, that's for sure, in Auburn. But yeah, it was a little cool this morning. It wasn't blowing quite as hard as now but it started to really pick up on the back side. And I thought it played a little more difficult.

I'm not sure what the weather is this weekend, but I'd like to keep doing what I'm doing and be more consistent for sure.

Q. I heard the forecast here from a person locally said it's going to be a perfect summer for Canada, so that should be pretty nice.
MARTIN FLORES: I'll take it, that's for sure, being from Texas.

Q. A flawless second round, an eagle on the second. How did you pull that off?
MARTIN FLORES: I hit a great drive. I had about 185 yards. Hit a nice 7-iron to 15, 20 feet and made the putt. That was a bonus.

Q. A couple of long ones. What was working out there?
MARTIN FLORES: I was putting the ball in the fairway, that's for sure. But the big thing I've been working on is getting the ball up-and-down. I wasn't quite as tidy with my approaches coming in as the wind was picking up, and I was getting the ball up-and-down, just keeping the momentum in my favor.

Q. It's been a mixed season for you. You talked about momentum just there. When it comes to the weekend, what do you have to do when you are in this position?
MARTIN FLORES: Keep attacking. It's been soft so far. Try to keep doing the same things: Drive the ball in the fairway and give myself some looks.

Q. Would you explain how this course is playing, yesterday obviously all that rain, and really all summer they have gotten a lot of rain.
MARTIN FLORES: Yeah, the course is perfect. But it is a little soft right now, especially coming into the greens as compared to previous years. So the birdies are going to be out there for sure. Unless the wind picks up, but I think it's very gettable.

Q. Bogey-free. Was the key keeping the ball in the fairway off the tee?
MARTIN FLORES: It was, but as it got windier, getting the ball up-and-down, keeping the momentum in my favor. Coming down the stretch, like I said, I wasn't quite as tidy with my approaches, and that's something I've been working on to make sure I get the ball up-and-down more.

Q. Is it a case of disappointing that you couldn't go lower, or happy you were able to keep it at minus 12?
MARTIN FLORES: I think it played difficult probably the last eight holes, seven holes. I'm happy with my round. I got off to a nice start. Sprinkled in an eagle, and then you know, I wasn't as, like I said, as tidy as I wanted to be. I got the ball up-and-down which is great. I want to keep the momentum in my favor.

Q. Looks like it's going to be a bit of a shootout come the weekend and it's not going to get too much firmer.
MARTIN FLORES: Yeah, that's fine. I'll just take what the course gives me and try to do my best, and if it happens to be soft, then so be it.

Q. You won on the Web.com Tour pretty much exactly a year ago. When you're in sort of a leadership position like you are now, will you reflect back to how you were playing a year ago? Will you mentally be in that same state?
MARTIN FLORES: Yeah, playing on the Web last year was a little refreshing in that you have to shoot so low. So no matter if you're in the lead or if you're chasing, it's always -- you're always attacking. You're always trying to make birdies. That's kind of a similar situation with how the rain has been this week. You just have to keep attacking.

Q. Has that been easy for you, to attack, or have you been a guy who has been a little bit passive maybe?
MARTIN FLORES: No, not really. But you know, when you play -- I hate to say anything negative, but the courses out here are obviously a lot harder. So you can kind of get defensive at times, but I don't feel like that's ever been my mind-set.

But you know, earlier this year, I haven't been hitting the ball quite as well, so I haven't been able to attack like I've wanted to. Now I'm starting to hit the ball very nicely, so I'm giving myself a lot of opportunities.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297