Q. Here with Hyo Joo Kim after a pretty solid day for you. A lot of birdies on the card, six birdies, one bogey. How was your round today?
HYO JOO KIM: So because I was starting in the afternoon I got a really good sleep in the morning so my condition was really good.
Started off the back nine, and because I started off with so many birdies, I was just in a really good mood. In the back nine there was a mistake, but overcame well and just overall I think I played a good round today.
Q. What's going through your head when you get in that kind of stretch like you had from 13 to 18, five birdies in a six-hole stretch? What are you thinking about in those kind of stretches that you have on the golf course?
HYO JOO KIM: So a lot of the birdies weren't actually long ones, and they were with the long putters. Some of them were actually lucky to go in, so I was just doing my best to maintain that.
So just trying to get -- trying to maintain that rhythm for the duration of round two.
Q. Looks like your putting has been pretty solid this week: 29 putts in round one, and bested that by two with 27 in round two. What have you been working on with your putting that worked so well for you out here?
HYO JOO KIM: Not really. I'm just in a really good condition right now. And also the green conditions are really good, so if it doesn't go in it's my fault.
I been just doing my best with the putting.
Q. Had a pretty decent start to your season so far. How confident were you feeling coming into the year's first major?
HYO JOO KIM: So last week I was talking with my caddie about just trying to find my confidence so that I can do well during the major tournament.
Because it's a major I think I'm focusing even more than usual just trying to reduce mistakes, and I think that's why over the last two days I've had a good result.
Q. You are a major champion. You're been in this position before, having won Evian in 2014. What kind of experience or how valuable is having that experience a couple shots back chasing the leaders?
HYO JOO KIM: So as a major winner, you know, maybe I might have more confidence than other players, but the truth is all the players in the field are so good, so it's really difficult to compare myself to other players.
I think just important to keep my confidence up for the major tournament.
Q. Speaking of that confidence, a lot of positives to be derived from the first two days. What will you carry into Saturday and Sunday?
HYO JOO KIM: Nothing too much different from the last two days. Just got to focus on my play. It's impossible not to make mistakes, so when do I make mistakes, just to cover it up as much as I can.
As my shirt says, make as many birdies as I can.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports