BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

August 22, 2024

Alex Noren

Castle Pines Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you characterize the round, Alex?

ALEX NOREN: Well, it was overall good. Didn't hit it great all day, but a lot of good shots, a few mis-hits, but I managed to kind of choose where to be defensive, where to be aggressive. Kind of those rounds that you're happy with your score at the end of the day. You get the most out of your round. I'm just trying to get a little bit better off the tee to -- as soon as I hit the right shot on the holes off the tee, you get so much advantage, so you've just got to hit the driver a little bit better. 3-wood was good but driver a little bit better.

Q. Was it kind of feeling out the course and the elevation and how the course played, even after the practice rounds?

ALEX NOREN: Yeah. I mean, I played 10 percent, and I thought that was pretty accurate all day. The altitude I'm not so worried about. It's more like it's a new course. Some pins don't look that bad and some look really bad and maybe aren't that bad. It's just that whole new place to get used to.

Q. How much is the FedExCup bubble weighing on your mind?

ALEX NOREN: Last week was probably more on my mind, trying to get to this one, being outside it at the start of the week or around the spot.

This week it's more of you've got to finish really high up there to get to next week. I don't have much to lose. But I really want to get to next week.

Q. After that bogey on 7, how did you recalibrate and get your mind back right for the rest of the round?

ALEX NOREN: Yeah. It's one of those golf courses that you've got to keep your mind in the right place because otherwise it's too tough. It helps having a caddie there who can tell you what to do. Just forget about that and move on. Everybody is making bogey.

I'm 42 now. I've played this game a long time. I know all you can do is kind of look ahead.

Q. You said 10 percent factoring for the elevation was pretty accurate?

ALEX NOREN: I think so. My shots, it kind of fit 10 percent. Maybe if you hit it higher, maybe more, but 10 percent for me, yeah.

Q. Do you look at where you're projected at all?

ALEX NOREN: A little bit. Well, it's more like you can see what you need at the end of the week, what kind of game do you need to have. What parts of the game do you really need to work on to get very high up on the leaderboard to make it to next week. So yeah.

Q. It's been 10 years since they had a PGA TOUR event in Colorado. What was the environment like out there?

ALEX NOREN: It's beautiful. Beautiful. I think people love that we're here. The course is beautiful. The whole course, the clubhouse, everybody who works for this tournament -- it looks like a major out there, and the crowd is great.

Q. Keegan is the leader right now, 6-under. Do you think it'll take 20-under to win this thing?

ALEX NOREN: No, I don't think minus 20. If it doesn't rain much in the evenings, it can get very, very dry and firm. Maybe it'll play a little shorter, but it'll play definitely tougher into the greens. The long par-3s, some of them, it's going to be tricky. Yeah, you just have to keep your energy, keep your patience around a place like this. I don't think the scoring is going to be that low.

Q. Do you find yourself feeling -- I know you guys are all in shape, but walking around this course, the elevation, up and down, how long it is, how do you feel at the end of the round?

ALEX NOREN: You definitely feel it. I feel better today than I did a couple of days ago. I was a little bit sick last week, and I feel -- I want to get in better shape for a place like this. You don't usually have to do kind of running and stuff in golf, but it definitely helps if you're fit around a place like this.