RBC CANADIAN OPEN

May 30, 2024

Aaron Rai

Hamilton Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Aaron, good playing today. What was working for you out there on the course, and what was giving you the most confidence?

AARON RAI: Getting off to a really good start today was important. I think we were 3-under through four holes, which got the momentum going pretty early.

But I felt like I drove it well pretty much all day. Some of the approach shots were a little bit hit and miss, especially after that start, but felt like we held it together relatively well. I feel like the back nine plays a little bit harder than the front. The wind picked up a little bit as well towards the mid part of that back nine.

Yeah, pretty pleased with the start overall. Played nicely.

Q. When conditions are changing, how did you adapt throughout your round?

AARON RAI: I think shot selection is obviously key. Very tree lined around here, and I feel like it can swirl a little bit. It's hard to judge exactly what the wind is doing, and I think you've got to guess to the best of your ability and just try to control flight as much as possible. Try to do it through shot selection more than anything else and try to play to spots on the green which just give me a little bit of room.

It's hard to be exact when the conditions are like that, but as long as I'm giving myself room and hitting good shots, I'll have opportunities.

Q. You finished T3 at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open. Does that give you any confidence at this tournament this year? How does that affect your mindset coming into the week and going into the weekend?

AARON RAI: Yeah, it's obviously a different course, but definitely good memories of the Canadian Open. There were definitely some similar complexions to the course last year -- the grass type, the rough is pretty thick, you've really got to play well tee to green, which is the same as the course last year.

So definitely some good memories from there that we can take into this week. Yeah, I mean, any time you come back to a place with good memories is always positive.

Q. What's the game plan going into tomorrow?

AARON RAI: Pretty similar really. We've got a very early start tomorrow. It will definitely be a little bit cooler in the morning. The ball probably won't be traveling quite as far. We're starting on the back nine as well, so a couple of the par-4s will play pretty long.

I think it's one of those situations where it will be hard to press, and the game plan will remain pretty similar to what it has today. I think it's a course that rewards patience, and there's some opportunities out there. With the greens playing pretty soft, you can take advantage of some of the holes.

So I think, yeah, patience and just trying to keep doing what we did today really.