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January 20, 2012
LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA
DAVE SENKO: Well, Mark, career low 62. Maybe just get us started, talk about your day. It looks like 31, 31 on the front and back nine.
MARK WILSON: Yeah, just rolled in some long putts early, rolled in about a 30‑footer on 1, about a 45‑footer on the third hole. And that kind of got me going. And didn't make any bogeys and just did all the things you're supposed to do to shoot a low one.
Birdied two of the par‑5s, got an eagle in there too and just felt like I did everything good. My mind was in a good spot.
DAVE SENKO: On your eagle at number 11. What did you hit there?
MARK WILSON: I hit a hybrid, 2 hybrid in there from 240 I think it was, and cut it in there nice to that back pin, made about a 22‑footer.
Q. First question, this is really good preparation for the Mouse Trap next week, but that's another question. At one point you were I think 8‑under through 11 today. Do you start thinking about those kind of numbers, because we were thinking about crazy low numbers for you in here. Not that 62 isn't crazy low.
MARK WILSON: No, I understand. But that magic 59 number is something, right? I was playing with Harrison Frazar, so it certainly crossed my mind. And after I was 8‑under through 11 I don't know why the conversation went there, but we started talking to Harrison about his 59 over at the Nicklaus tournament course at Q‑School.
So I thought about it. But I was just trying to keep hitting good shots and roll the putts in. It kind of stalled there in the middle, but it was still a great round.
Hit a great wedge shot into 16 and then made a nice up‑and‑down on 18 to get a couple late birdies.
Q. How comfortable do you feel playing in this valley? You obviously have some experience here both in this tournament and away from it.
MARK WILSON: My in‑laws live in Palm Desert and their club, Ironwood, has kind of adopted me and given me membership. So I'm very honored to be a member over at Ironwood Country Club and we use this as our home base in the winner or I guess for the west coast, I should say. So January 1st, if I'm not in Kapalua we come to the desert and I go practice at Ironwood and kind of get ready for the season. And it's always been very good to me. And then Q‑School's been good to me, the years I've gotten through Q‑School the final stage it's always been here in the desert, never made it through in Florida. So I got a lot of good vibes here and excited about my start so far during this Humana Challenge.
Q. Last year you came here very hot, having just won, and proceeded to not do that well here.
MARK WILSON: I made the cut though. I shot 64 in the fourth round to make the cut so I thought that was pretty good. But not that you noticed, you just look at what I finished, 61st or whatever.
(Laughter.)
I thought it was pretty good after the high of winning, but.
Q. What's the state of the game coming in here?
MARK WILSON: I feel like I played okay last week. That's golf for you. Missed the cut defending and that was a tough one to take. But I thought maybe, hey, for some reason maybe a little rest and time at the beach on Saturday in Honolulu was going to be the best medicine for me to get ready for the Humana Challenge.
I always try to look at the positives and that was my outlook and didn't change anything with my game or anything just kind of came here with what I had at Sony and some more putts have rolled in this week than they did there and all of a sudden my scores are lower.
Q. You mentioned you were with Harrison out there, obviously that's one of the changes in the tournament. In terms of the format. Also four days now instead of five. Everybody kind of seems to have embraced the changes. Do you feel the same way?
MARK WILSON: Especially coming from Hawaii and most of us taking a red eye or flying on Monday and having to tee it up in competition on Wednesday was always real tight. And not to mention playing four courses, four different courses during the week, five rounds if you make the cut, just was a lot going on.
So I think this format change was a huge improvement for the tournament. And I think pace of play's been a little bit better and us pros certainly like it and I hope the amateurs like it too.  They get to play with two different pros each day and six total for the week, I think it's all positive.
DAVE SENKO: Thanks, Mark.
MARK WILSON: Thanks.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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