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THE HONDA CLASSIC

February 22, 2018

Alex Noren

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Q. Five birdies, one bogey, would you have taken this before you started today knowing conditions were going to be like this?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, definitely. The greens are firm. It's so windy. Yeah, I definitely would have taken anything under par.

Q. You said walking off, it's a combination of ball-striking, putting and great short game.
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I hit a lot of wayward shots, especially coming down here, actually. I saved myself on the par-3, 7, hit a horrible iron shot. Here a hit a very bad drive, very good iron shot. It comes down to putting sometimes, and you know, I played decent on the front and then scrambled my way around the back.

Q. The Bear Trap, do you just have to buckle up and hit good shots and accept what the luck of the draw gives you?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, you know, what is it, 15, played shorter today, but still a 7-iron to quite a small green.

16, it's not that long, but it's tricky.

17 is just brutal. They were saying when I made that par, they were good birdies. Pretty much how it feels making a par there.

Q. So you've had a fantastic start, so close in San Diego, lost in a playoff to Jason Day. Are you happy with the start you've had this year?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, definitely. I came over here to try to play some more American-style courses, get firmer greens, more rough, and to improve my driving and improve my long game. So it's been great. The second place at Torrey was a highlight, even though I wanted to win it.

Q. Are you used to these conditions? It looks like you're comfortable out there?
ALEX NOREN: I spend the winters down the street here, 15 minutes away. So I'm used to wind, but it's very tricky when it's so firm. You've got to land the ball very short on the greens sometimes downwind and you've got to hit so many good iron shots.

On the West Coast, we had almost too good of a weather. We haven't played in much wind yet.

Q. 66 on this golf course today, you have to be really pleased.
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, definitely. I played quite steady my front nine, which was the back nine, and then I kind of scrambled my way around the front nine. It's very tricky. You have to hit the fairways, you have to hit the greens, and it's a tough golf course. This was by far the best putting and chipping round so far this season.

Q. We know how good your start was on this PGA TOUR season on the West Coast, but everybody talks about that transition, coming from the grasses there to the grasses here. How have you managed that transition this week?
ALEX NOREN: In the winters, I spend the winters like 15 minutes done the road from this place and it's got the same grass at The Bear's Club. So I'm used to the bermuda. We play a lot more in Europe and the Middle East and Asia where they have bermuda, but we're used to this. I almost like these greens more. They are very true, but it's very tough when it's this windy, and they are very firm. We haven't played maybe this firm bermudagreens in a while.

Q. Everybody knows how close you were at Torrey Pines, but just the consistency to see it pay off with your play this week, what have you been mean leaning on in your game?
ALEX NOREN: The first three tournaments, my long game has been better than my short game and definitely today, it was vice versa. So I'm happy about that. I'm going to work on long game a bit because you need it out here. There's so many strong holes and definitely you've got to be on top of your iron game. It's so windy. We haven't played in this much wind in a long time.

Q. 4-under 66, how would you characterize day one here at The Honda Classic?
ALEX NOREN: Well, it's a tough day. I started off solid and hit a lot of greens. Hit a lot of fairways my front nine, and then a little bit shaky with the iron shots and the drives.

It's tough in the wind. You have to hit the ball so well to hit your target on the greens and on the fairways. But my short game and putting was probably the best it's been for a long time.

Q. As you're starting to play more on the PGA TOUR in the US, what are the things that you have to acclimate yourself and become more familiar as you're making more stops out here on TOUR?
ALEX NOREN: I think it's mostly coming into the greens. You have to maybe play a little bit more conservatively. When you've got like 8-irons, 6-irons and stuff, you have to hit spots and not short-side yourself because the greens are so firm, and if you've got a bunker shot or something when the greens are firm, you're not going to get inside six feet. If you short-side yourself.

So maybe take your chances when you're in great position with a wedge on a par 5 or get within 15, 20 feet enough times to hole a few of those. I think that's the game I'm trying to play over here. It's a little different when it's this firm.

Q. How do you keep it going after a good one here on Thursday?
ALEX NOREN: I'm going to work. I'm going to go and maybe play some holes on another course and try to figure out how to play all these different iron shots because this golf course is an iron paradise, if you've got that going. There's so many mid-irons and stuff, and then you've got the tough par 3s coming down the stretch. You need good iron play.

Q. How did you conquer the course out there with a 4-under 66?
ALEX NOREN: It's very windy. Very windy conditions, fast, firm greens. I played mostly decent, and a great short game and good putting. That kept me going today I think, yeah.

Q. Tiger was just up here and said that the greens were scratchy and maybe didn't roll so well. What did you feel about the greens?
ALEX NOREN: I actually thought coming from poa greens the last few weeks, they have been very good on the West Coast, but I prefer bermudagreens. It's easier to see where the lines are when it's into the grain, down grain. I prefer this.

I'm not going to plain about the greens when you hole everything you look at almost. I got my fair share on the back nine. That's what I take from the day.

Q. Jack Nicklaus said this week he was going to expect some ugly scores this week with the wind and no rain. What do you see coming through the weekend?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I think it's a tough course. You've got to play conservatively at times and then you can be aggressive at times. It's a fun course to play. I've played here one time before this tournament and didn't play so well. I stayed down the road here over the winters, so I'm used to kind of the target golf you need to play over here. But I'm very fortunate to shoot 4-under today. I didn't really -- I had hopes this morning but I would have taken 1-under.

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