SHRINERS CHILDREN'S OPEN

October 8, 2022

Aaron Rai

TPC Summerlin

Quick Quotes

Q. 62 today, your career low round on TOUR. If we can get some comments on an exceptional day.

AARON RAI: Yeah, it was a great round today. I think first and foremost, drove it very well off the tee, gave myself opportunities out of the fairway, which provide opportunities out on the course. Anytime you get yourself in the Bermuda rough around here, even if you've got 120 yards and a wedge in your hand, it's very tough.

So that was key really putting myself in position. Hit a lot of good iron shots and rolled it very well overall.

Yeah, everything kind of fired well today.

Q. Seven birdies through the first two rounds for you and then nine today. Just the main difference?

AARON RAI: Yeah, rolled it a little bit better today, holed a few more putts. But I gave myself probably more opportunities than I did over the first two days.

It was nice to see the round come together today.

Q. A lot of golf this afternoon, but your expectations and goals now that you've put yourself up there in the hunt?

AARON RAI: Yeah, a lot can change this afternoon. You see the leaders still have a number of holes to play out there. In terms of my expectations, just to try and play a good round of golf tomorrow and just to try and do my best and see where that puts me at the end of tomorrow. Really I think if I try and push or try and go outside of myself, that probably isn't a great route for me to play good golf, so if I can put a good round together tomorrow, we'll see where that puts us come Sunday.

Q. Did something click for you? When I saw you yesterday around the turn, you were three shots below the cut line and suddenly everything has changed. Did something click there?

AARON RAI: Possibly, and I wish I knew what it was. But that is golf sometimes. Luckily finished off very well yesterday on the last five or six holes to make the cut and just got it going today really. Such fine margins in this game. Yesterday afternoon could have gone quite differently, and I would have been packing my bags yesterday afternoon, and now we're here after a good round today.

I think part of that is just golf. Very fine margins, and when I put a couple of good swings on it, when I start making a couple of putts, it's nice to just get the momentum going and then to just keep giving myself opportunities.

So I think that's all it was really over the last 24 holes or so.

Q. You give off the impression of a really hard worker and a grinder who puts a lot of hours into this. After a round like this, do you go work on something, or do you just get away from golf now for the rest of the day?

AARON RAI: It's a good question. I think first and foremost, I'll get some lunch, chill out for a little bit, and then I'll probably just do a little bit of everything, a little bit of putting, short game, range work. But not too much, not too heavy, just to try and stay ticking over. Then I'll do a little bit of recovery in the gym and then chill out this afternoon. My sister is actually coming to town this evening, so I'm looking forward to seeing her actually.

Q. I heard a rumor your New Orleans teammate David Lipsky, that you're staying with him this week?

AARON RAI: I'm not, no. Our caddies are staying together this week, though. They're good friends. They room together quite often.

Q. If your sister is coming to town, does that mean you're going to take in some of Las Vegas, or now where you are, you need to focus?

AARON RAI: To be honest I think I'll be a taxi service for her this evening, so I won't be taking in the sights. I'll probably pick her up from the airport and spend a bit of time with her and just drop her off to the hotel. It'll be a quiet one for me this evening.