Q. You've been a fairway-finding machine. What has been the key for you?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: Great question. Don't even know, but I found something that seems to be going straight, so very happy with that.
Q. That simple?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: That's it. That's all I've got for you.
Q. When you, quote, find something like during a week, does it feel sustainable in your mind, or is it just let me see if I can get through with it, and then we'll, like, reassess afterwards?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: It's more the latter, but at the same time, it's like we're only talking -- even though it sometimes feels really far off, we're only talking about one or two degrees here and there.
If I just go back to Travelers, for example, I was first in the field in driving, and my swing speeds were upwards of high 170 miles an hour and I was hitting it really straight. I don't feel like I did much different from there.
It's just what's kind of annoying is, if I have a good feeling, I would be able to sustain it week in and week out. Now I haven't been doing that. Like last week I drove it awful. The week before, not so great either. It's not like I've changed too much since those last few weeks, but I'm driving it better this week. So you've just got to take advantage of it.
Then hopefully when I have some time off, I can really get to work.
Q. A couple bogeys on the front. Kind of turned it on on the back. Just what was kind of different or just hitting some better shots?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: I hit an okay shot on No. 2, but three steps left of that pin, and it kicks in the bunker, and you're absolutely toast there. You've got no chance. I almost made the putt for par. It's just you can't miss it there.
No. 4, I hit that 3-wood out right in the rough, and I actually hit a great shot to get it on the green, but three-putted there, so that's a bogey.
On the next hole, I hit a poor iron shot left of the pin, but I was in a fine spot where I could putt it from the fairway and made a nice par there.
After that, I felt like I at least managed to stabilize myself a little bit. On the back nine there, I managed to at least hit the driver pretty well in the fairway and made a lot of really nice putts.
Q. How much could success this week make up for the struggles you had this year at the majors?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: Say that again?
Q. How much could success this week make up for the struggles, the disappointments maybe at the majors?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: I mean, it's still disappointing to play that poorly in the majors, but obviously to have a chance. I've already won this year, won a signature event, and in good position now to have another good look at a FedExCup trophy. So that's kind of the focus now. Can't really change the past.
It's all about kind of looking at this week and then going forward and getting ready for next year.
Q. Are you a guy that can -- most golfers will hang on some of their bad memories, bad shots, things that went wayward. When you come to a place where you've won, are you a guy that can, like, recall good memories on holes, good shots, or is that not in your nature?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: It almost pisses me off more because I know that, oh, I used to be able to do that, and now it feels a lot more difficult to do that.
It's not so much that I'm hitting those crazy wayward shots right now, it's just that I know when I'm swinging it doesn't feel quite right. I have to compensate a little bit more than I'd like to, but I'm able to keep the ball straight. As long as the ball is going straight, I know I can score. That's kind of where we are.
Q. I know you're chasing perfection, but it feels like at least this is a sport that's hard to do that. Like do you ever envision yourself finding a spot where it will feel perfect?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: No. You can say you're chasing perfection, but you'll never get there. But it's not so much that I'm chasing perfection, it's just I'm chasing what I've done for most of my career. I know how good it is, and I know that statistically it's not the same. I can feel it's not the same. It doesn't look the same. It doesn't produce the same numbers. So it's not the same.
It's not like I'm being unreasonable and confabulating things, but I know there's always a solution, and I'm trying to resolve the problems that I have and get back to a position to where I can play like this week in, week out. That's the goal.
Q. What was the shot that you were most happy with today?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: The shot that I was most happy with, honestly the drive on 17 was awesome today. That's normally not a great tee shot for me, kind of dogleg left, but I was -- wind was off the right, so it helped me a little bit. But I was able to hit a really nice, high, very straight shot over the corner. So that gave me a lot of confidence.
Drive on 14 was good. Just hitting that fairway is big. Yeah, I'd say a couple of those drives on the back nine was nice.
Q. Have you played at all with Ryan this season?
VIKTOR HOVLAND: Played with him at Riviera this year, one of the rounds on the weekend, I think.
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