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AT&T BYRON NELSON

May 17, 2018

Aaron Wise

Irving, Texas

Q. Aaron, a lot of talk about this new course. Obviously you practiced on it a couple of times. What's your first impression?
AARON WISE: When we practiced on it it was pretty slow. Today got a little bit fast as it warmed up. Fairways definitely got faster and driver you were hitting 360 at times. It was going forever.

It's really a beautiful design. It's playing great. Playing how they want it and it's going to be good.

Q. What did you learn about it today that can help you throughout the rest of the week?
AARON WISE: You know, this course is definitely about managing you game. You got to change. Maybe getting ten yards of roll and later in the afternoon it was getting up there, 30, 40, 50 yards roll. It will be a big game of kind of realizing how much you can push it. Lot of birdie holes out there. You can also get into some trouble.

Q. Second place finish in your last start. Are you carrying that momentum and that confidence into this week?
AARON WISE: A great start for me. Got a week off last week, got some rest and just came ready to go again and playing and excited to play golf. That's also a good spot to be in.

Q. Aaron, fantastic playing in the 1st Round. What allowed you to go to so low, first competitive round of this championship on this new venue?
AARON WISE: There's some birdie holes out there but you got to control your ball really well. I felt I did that today. You got to manage the course.

You know, it played quite a bit different today than it did the practice days just as far as way firm and faster. Just figured out how far the ball is rolling on the fairways, keep myself out of trouble and, you know, you can attack with some iron shots.

Q. What do you think of this course overall based on the fact that we don't really see a whole lot of this on the PGA TOUR during the course of the season where this is completely wide open and not a tree to be found on the actual course property, just around the edges?
AARON WISE: It's awesome. I think it's an incredible way of playing golf. You have to think so much. It's so firm and fast. There's some dead spots out there you can't hit it. It's pretty cool. This is kind of the newest, latest one. It's awesome. Playing great, playing how they want it. It's going to be good week.

Q. One more quick question about the residue of your play at the Wells Fargo Championship. Is that carrying over to subsequent weeks now and especially based on your score today?
AARON WISE: That week gave me so much confidence knowing that I can compete at the top level and I can get myself there and also how I played under the pressure, I can handle that because you don't know until you're there.

Knowing all those things is only going to help me going forward and I just love being in that position.

Q. Obviously the course synergy. What are your overall impressions?
AARON WISE: It played a exactly how they wanted. The fairways were firm and fast. The greens were under control and you can make some birdies and, you know, not only me but everyone in my group did that.

We had three 6-unders shot out there. It's out there if you played really well but there's some bad shots and we were all able to manage our games.

Q. Ever been part of a three-some that went out and took it low together?
AARON WISE: I thought about that a couple times. There were some leaderboards out there. Our group was the top three names on the leaderboards. We all kind of fed off each other.

It's nice to see putts go in even if they're not yours. You know it's possible. We all kind of fed off that and shot well today.

Q. Do you have any comps to this course.
AARON WISE: Like comparables?

Q. Yes.
AARON WISE: It's only one I played kind of similar would be like Bandon up in Oregon, links-style. It's very over-- I would say it's more like Australian-type course than maybe an Ireland because it's fast, it's firm, it's really fast so I would give those some comparisons.

It's playing great. Like I said, it's playing exactly how they want. They're doing a great job managing some of the severity of it and giving us a chance to score.

Q. There were a lot of players taking a wait and see approach in terms of this course. What would you have to say to that?
AARON WISE: I think it's worth playing. It's a cool place. I love this type of golf because it really makes you think and it's not just go ahead and hit it because the course changes. If the wind blows a certain direction it makes a huge different around here. Kind a thinker's course. I like that.

Q. Can you give us some examples of that like one, two shots that maybe exemplified having to think through?
AARON WISE: Almost hitting driver in the bunker off of 18. That's 375 off the tee. In the practice round it was kind of wet. They were scared of it getting out of control so we're getting maybe ten yards roll.

Towards the end of the round today we're getting 50 yards roll on some shots. I hit a 2-iron on 16 that went probably 310 yards. It's adapting really fast. You know, we realized quickly and it was playing and managing our game because it gives you chances but if you hit it through the fairway or into some bad spots you're making a tough par at that point.

Q. Had you seen it before this week?
AARON WISE: No, first time. I played it Tuesday and 9 on Wednesday. First time around.

Q. I guess you're learning pretty quick.
AARON WISE: I'm trying.

Q. Is this the great example of having to look at exactly where the pin is and playing the hole backwards in terms of thinking your way through each hole?
AARON WISE: Pretty much. They did a great job of setting up the course. It was fair. Tough to see where the pin if. If it's a front pin you can't push it. There's so much thinking involved and juggling and I just love that. I eat that stuff up.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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