Q. First off, before we get into your round, can you just comments on the atmosphere of the Rink hole today specifically?
NICK TAYLOR: It's wicked. The ovation I got just coming onto the tee, I think it's really unique with the boards there, being able to bang 'em kind of like the hockey atmosphere. So, yeah, I would love to stick one close there, but I was fine with par today.
Q. Just a comment on your position, your round today, this course seems like perfectly suited to your game. Do you feel that as well?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, I feel like I wasted a few shots the first couple days. I had some good rounds going and kind of let them slip away. But I'm happy with today. 15's got me. Just missed the fairway last couple days and made a mess from there. It's out there, it's a good course for me and if I can keep doing what I'm doing I feel like I have a low round in me.
Q. You were obviously really strong on 11 and 12. 12 especially. What did you see on those holes in particular?
NICK TAYLOR: 11 has been a pretty favorable wind the last few days. I hit a great drive today, had 6-iron in. And you don't expect to hit it to two feet but that was great.
12 is a sneaky hole. If you don't hit the fairway you're in a lot of trouble. So I hit a good 5-wood down there and hit a good solid 9-iron and made a good putt. So it was a well-played hole.
Q. What are you looking to do tomorrow?
NICK TAYLOR: I'm probably not going to do much leaderboard watching, just keep my head down. I'll see tonight what the lead is and have an idea of probably where I want to get to. But it's such a jam-packed leaderboard and there's a stretch of holes where you can really get after it. So if I'm kind of hanging around through 8 then I think I have a decent chance.
Q. Who is here from among your friends and family and have you been enjoying a little down time with them in between rounds?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it's a busy week for us. My parents have come out so that was nice. They haven't been able to come to too many tournaments since COVID. But my wife and son are here and we have some other family around. So not as much as if we were out west, but a decent showing, so it's been fun.
Q. Obviously Canadian fans travel well. Florida, California, Phoenix, etcetera. But can you just speak to the level of kind of buzz that's been around this place so far this week and specifically today?
NICK TAYLOR: Yeah, it's awesome. The ovation on the first tee, walking off a lot of greens on to the tees, it's something that I don't get every week, so it's nice to feel that buzz. I think everyone's really excited to have the event back.
The Rink hole is awesome. Just to walk onto that tee, you definitely feel a buzz, some adrenaline. It's like a mini 16 at Waste Management, but with its own twist. So it's been a lot of fun.
Q. Is there a different feel this week compared to other weeks on TOUR and if so what is it?
NICK TAYLOR: Different feel?
Q. A different feel out there for you personally.
NICK TAYLOR: I think we only have one event a year in Canada. With a two-year absence, I think there's definitely a nice energy out there. And especially for a lot of Canadian crowds to see Canadian players fires them up. It's been fun, I saw Corey played well today, so he'll be up there tomorrow hopefully give them something more to cheer about.
Q. Obviously a lot's been made of the fans answer obviously you play regularly with Adam and Corey and the regulars, sort of PGA TOUR regulars from Canada. But beyond that there's 20 Canadians here this week and all of Golf Canada's coaching staff and everyone here. What's it mean to have Golf Canada's community together for sort of one week of the year?
NICK TAYLOR: It's awesome. Like I said, having a two-year absence I've seen a lot of faces this week that I wasn't able to see for a few years. So I've known a lot of Golf Canada people for 15, 20 years, going back to junior days. So it's been great to catch up this week.
But to have 20 Canadians like you said is awesome. I feel like the Canadian contingent's only growing on the PGA TOUR, so I think this is kind of a taste of it, but it's a really fun week from that aspect as well.
Q. What do you think of the state of the game in Canada right now?
NICK TAYLOR: I think it's only getting better. Since I've been on TOUR the number of Canadians has only grown. Derek Ingram has done a great job. Kevin has come in and he's really stepped up the young squad program, so I'm really excited where it's headed.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports