TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2023

Viktor Hovland

TPC River Highlands

Quick Quotes

Q. 5-under today. Few back, but still in contention. How was that day today for you?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, happy with the score. Didn't really feel like I played all that great. Missed a lot of greens, and especially on the wrong sides of the pin as well.

Had to scrap out some really nice pars, and then hit some nice iron shots and picked up a couple birdies as well.

It was all in all a good day.

Q. Conditions any different this morning than playing in the afternoon? Greens firmer or speeding up?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: They're about the same. A little less -- there was hardly any wind out there so it was very scorable. When we played yesterday afternoon it wasn't windy, but there was a little bit of gusts here and there to think about.

Other than that, it was very similar.

Q. How much of a difference in the way that you play can a score like we saw guys shooting yesterday 60 or 62, 63, and then some guys shooting 68 and 70, still a good score. How much of a difference in your game can that five-, six-, seven-shot swing actually make on a course when it's yielding like that?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I mean, it's a great golf course because it's not the longest golf course and you can get after it and make a lot of birdies.

It kind of sneaks you into playing super aggressive to go after some of those birdies, but if you miss on the wrong sides, I mean, you're dead the whole day.

So I'm still trying to play my game and kind of the pins that are accessible I'm going after. And even with the sand wedge or gap wedges if the pins are tucked I'm playing fairly conservatively to give myself a look at it.

So, yeah, it's just if you play just solid golf you should kind of shoot around 4-, 5-under every single round I feel like.

Q. As a follow up, to people watching on TV and seeing all the low scores, and traditionally this course yields low scores, is it harder than it looks? You see all the scores and everybody assumes you must be able to blitz it out.

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, I mean, there are some easy holes and there are some birdie holes, but the green complexes are tough, and it's like if you have a conservative game plan it should be very difficult to shoot over par.

But if you go after some of those pins and you miss it on the wrong sides, you can rack up some bogeys and double bogeys very easily.

Q. Just for those of us who are local, what has the experience been like these two days playing in a high profile group with a good following at this tournament?

VIKTOR HOVLAND: Yeah, it's been great. I love coming here. I mean, the crowds out here are amazing. Yeah, I think it just lends itself especially that back nine where people can get very close and you have exciting holes, it's just a really cool atmosphere.

So it's been a pleasure playing with Tom and Rory as well.

Fastscripts by ASAP Sports...