Q. Can you just summarize the round for us today and how you're feeling?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I played pretty solid. I don't think the ball striking was as good as it's been as of late, but I mean, it's tough to compare. It's been unbelievable the last six months, but it was nice to see the putter finally heat up.
It was just a culmination of kind of freeing the mind. If you just change one thing, move the ball position back a little bit with the putter and kind of help be free up the mechanical side of it and not really think of anything other than just have it slightly a bit back of where it's been.
Q. How did you find the atmosphere out there today playing alongside Nick and the defending champion?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it was good. We had a good time. Obviously it's a good group I think, first off. I enjoy playing with those guys. They're quite fun and chatty while we're playing, which is great.
Then the fans were great. So that's all you can ask for any time you tee it up.
Q. You famously said, you know, I only kind of get up for the majors. You seemed pretty up for it today. Have you had to readjust that mindset maybe coming back to the tour?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I don't think so. It's just a matter of going out and playing golf. I think I've gotten more comfortable as the weeks have gone on. I don't think it's really an issue anymore. It's more of just going out to go play. We've got a big one next week, so the game better be sharp.
Q. I had Graeme McDowell on my radio show this week. Any of your smash GC stuff still happening, or have you gotten rid of it?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I couldn't even tell you, man. I couldn't even tell you.
Q. A lot of players have been saying that the key here is to keep the ball in the fairway. I know you were 6 of 14 fairways, and you still managed to get around. Was it good ball striking out of the rough, or what was the key for you?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it was just annoying. I just didn't follow through. My back was whatever, but it's not an issue. It's a matter of me just hitting terrible golf shots off the tee.
There's certain holes where you can get away with it. I think the one on 15, I thought I was in the dead center of the fairway. I hadn't played that side, but we thought I was dead in the fairway, and the ball carried 340.
I thought the wind was tricky, because it wasn't heavy, but it was enough where you kind of get it to swirl, and you get in those trees. It can go downwind to into the wind quite quick. That one obviously was downwind. I don't have that in me.
You can get a few of those things where it just felt like you hit good shots, but they just ended up in the rough, and that's all right. The ones that I needed to hit the fairway on, I felt like I hit it on, which was obviously nice.
Q. I apologize, because I know you've been asked this so many times at this point, but there must have been a lot of thinking that went into returning to the tour. Can you just talk about that a little bit and what it's been like since you came back?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's been great. It's been nice to be back. I've enjoyed it. I think the players have been very receptive. I haven't heard -- at least nobody said it to my face about anything. A lot of, We're glad you back.
It's been enjoyable. I know myself, my family, everybody's happy and excited to see what this next part is.
Q. Did you sit down with your family and discuss it, coming back I mean?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I didn't discuss it with anybody. I look at it as I let my wife do her job, and I do mine. I try to do what's best for myself and try to do what's best for my family and base my decisions off that.
Q. You've been getting starts basically -- making starts when you get them, including some opposite field tournaments. Does this tournament feel different at all given it is a national open?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I try not to look at it that way. Yes, it does feel different, I guess, when you're here and you can see the energy from the fans and that aspect, but I think to me when I just go tee it up, every tournament is just kind of the same thing.
You're very robotic, very monotonous I guess is the right word, because then I think you just put too much pressure on yourself. You start thinking you can't do that in a U.S. Open, you can't do that in the Masters, you can't do that at the Canadian Open, you can't do that at any event.
It doesn't matter where it is. Every tournament has kind of been an opportunity for me. So I'm just kind of looking at it that way.
Q. That mindset where you're just get in, hit it, go, don't think of anything else, is that when you're at your best?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think so. I think it's helped. I've played great this year. Like I said, it's just the putting that's held me back and trying to be mechanical, trying to be maybe too much in the stroke and figure everything out. But it was nice today to at least kind of turn the brain off and go from there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports