Q. Andrew, how would you assess the round today?
ANDREW PUTNAM: I played really well. My two bogeys were flukes. I 3-putted from 15-feet on 9. Not a fluke on 10. I guess I hit a bad shot.
The course is playing tough in the morning. It was really cold. Felt like a winter day and breezy, so yeah, I was hope with my round.
Q. What's the biggest difference when you go out early in the morning like that and it's chilly, maybe a little different from how you played your practice rounds? What's kind of the thing you have to get your mind wrapped around early on?
ANDREW PUTNAM: I'm from Tacoma, Washington, so I'm kind of used to the cold weather. It was fine for me. It's definitely a lot colder than the last couple of days. Just have to get your hands warm.
It's weird. The sun was right in your eyes on the first few holes, so it was hard to even see the ball. It's kind of a grind.
Q. What's kind of the most difficult part of this golf course when it gets windy and kind of chilly like this?
ANDREW PUTNAM: I think just hitting the fairways. The Bermuda rough is just long enough where you're not going to be able to hit it close from the rough, so if you don't do that, you don't have any chances to make birdie. That's the key.
I can't really reach any of these par-5s, so I'm hitting a lot of wedges into them. They're playing kind of long today with the wind, the northeast wind. Yeah, it's a hit the fairway and try not to 3-putt because these greens are really, really fast.
Q. You had a strong season last year making it all the way to the BMW. Are you a goal-setter? Have you thought about some goals for this coming season that obviously started just a couple of weeks ago?
ANDREW PUTNAM: Honestly, I'm not a goal-setter. I'm the kind of guy who just wants to get better day-by-day. I've tried setting goals and sometimes I've been disappointed.
I know what I'm capable of, and I'm trying to just have -- I'm thinking I could have one of my better years I've had out on tour, so hopefully just keep it consistent. I've been out here long enough, I kind of figured out my game and who I am, so hopefully can just kind of have everything fall together this year.
Q. A little bit of a haircut?
ANDREW PUTNAM: Yeah, shed some weight since the U.S. Open, so it feels good. Obviously, it was nice during the summer.
Q. When you talk about learning about your game as the years go on, is there anything when you look back at earlier in your career that you handled differently now whether in your preparation or your swing that you feel like you didn't do as good of a job of when you were first starting off just in the maturation process?
ANDREW PUTNAM: When you first come out, you're trying to -- I don't know. You see some of the names on the leaderboard, and you try to be like someone else. You think that you've got to change your game to have success. I've kind of gotten over that trap.
I think you just learn patience. Like, I was 3-under and made a bad bogey on 9, 3-putted from 15-feet, and another bad bogey. I think my rookie year I would have really gotten down on myself and probably would have shot even-par on the day.
Just realize, hey, it's just golf. Just kind of shake it off and move on. I think that's something that you learn with experience.
Q. Is there something to be said for kind of pacing yourself week-to-week in terms of the preparation that you put in? Is there any of that that you have changed from back in the day, and how so?
ANDREW PUTNAM: For sure. I don't practice a whole lot. I'm playing six days a week. I try not to grind on the range. It's never been my thing.
I feel like that just helps me be a little more fresh coming into the week. I usually play only nine holes Tuesday and nine Wednesday. Gets to be long weeks when you are stretching them four in a row or three tournaments in a row. It's key to have good energy out here.
Q. Sahith Theegala, I know you know him from you both went to Pepperdine. What impresses you about his game and his approach to golf?
ANDREW PUTNAM: He is just a really good human. He is one of those guys that's just good to be around. Like a Tony Finau type. Good heart. He is just a great kid.
I was impressed. He is starting to hit it a lot further than I thought when I was watching the Pepperdine guys before, so he has put on some speed. He is just a player. He just knows how to get the ball in the hole.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports