THE MODERATOR: Let's we welcome Adrian Meronk from Cleeks GC. What a turn of events; you shot even par yesterday and 6-under today. Tell us a little bit about your round.
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, it was just a very solid round. Really played great all day, holed a lot of good putts, and yeah, didn't make many mistakes. I think I might have hit 16 or 17 greens all day, so it was just a very solid day out there. I'm very pleased with my round.
Q. What was the difference between yesterday and today for you?
ADRIAN MERONK: Less bogeys, to be honest. I made four birdies and one eagle yesterday. Just more bogeys. I think my game is in a good spot. Today I just tried to eliminate mistakes, and we did a good job with that. Hopefully I can play well again tomorrow.
Q. Did you have any experience playing this course prior to this week?
ADRIAN MERONK: First time. It's a hell of a course.
Q. Does it live up to its name, the Blue Monster?
ADRIAN MERONK: Oh, yeah. It's probably one of the toughest golf courses I've ever played. The wind wasn't as strong as yesterday today, so it made it a little bit easier, but it's still a beast. You have to hit so many good shots. You can't really relax on any hole. It's just a good test of golf, and I love it. I really enjoy it.
Q. How important is patience out here with a course like this?
ADRIAN MERONK: Very, very. You know the guys will make mistakes. It's almost impossible to not make mistakes, to not make bogeys. You just have to be patient, play smart, especially the difficult holes, difficult pins, to just play middle of the greens sometimes away from the pin. Sometimes par is a very good score on some holes.
Q. You're currently sitting at 6-under. Sergio is leader in the clubhouse at 9-under. What do you have to do to catch him and break away from the pack tomorrow?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, to be honest, just do the same thing I did today. Nothing will change. We will just adjust the strategy for tomorrow, new pins. I haven't checked the weather tomorrow, but probably will be similar, and we'll just do the same, and hopefully it'll be enough. It'll be fun tomorrow.
Q. This is your fifth event in at LIV. How are you adjusting to life out on LIV and how are you enjoying it?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, I love it. It's a great experience for me. First couple of weeks were a little bit weird, tough to settle up, but I'm enjoying it right now. It's really nice. It's great to be part of the team. Just enjoying it with the guys, and the vibe is just great. I'm just looking forward to the concert today, as well. Every week is very exciting, so I'm loving it.
Q. Building on that, obviously Mayakoba was probably a bit of a whirlwind for you, but you settled in after that. Do you kind of throw Mayakoba out the window like that wasn't really reflective of what you can really do out here?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, it was definitely a warmup for me, and on top of that, I was sick. I ended up in the hospital before the tournament, so it wasn't a great start. But then from Las Vegas, I played much better and felt much better on the course.
Hopefully from now I can only improve.
Q. Thinking about next week, where your game is at, that type of thing, how much is that weighing on your mind in terms of playing well going into next week?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, I spent the last couple weeks really working hard on my game, and it's nice to see the hard work is paying off. You always want to get in shape before any major. I like what I'm seeing, and hopefully I can carry on and keep playing well and then see what happens.
Q. What's been the toughest single shot out here for you on the Blue Monster?
ADRIAN MERONK: Probably the tee shot on 10. That's quite nerve-racking.
Q. How do you prepare yourself mentally and physically before game day, before a tournament?
ADRIAN MERONK: I talk to my psychologist before every single tournament to kind of set up my mind. If it's like this week, tough course, tough conditions, we just make sure my attitude is aimed for like patience and trusting my process, trusting my routine, and then just do it every single tournament.
Q. What message would you have to young aspiring golfers like yourself?
ADRIAN MERONK: Probably at the beginning just keep having fun. That's the most important thing at an early age. That's for sure. And never give up. Just believe in yourself and keep going. There's no limit. The sky's the limit.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports