Q. Here with Nasa Hataoka. Again, top of the leaderboard. What a surprise. What was working so well for you on Friday?
NASA HATAOKA: Yeah, I did really have a solid round, especially on the front nine. Had pretty good birdies on the front nine. I think that really helped my game all day.
Q. Did any of those birdies in particular stand out?
NASA HATAOKA: Yes, especially No. 1 and two. It wasn't an easy putt. I think that really helped my game a lot today.
Q. Obviously played here quite a bit. How has that prior experience helped you prep for this week?
NASA HATAOKA: Yes, Evian is one of the difficult golf courses I played. Very challenging course. You know, on the fairways there aren't much flat areas, so it's really hard for to you get a flat stance.
So I think it's really important for you to have a good balance on your stance. I think that really helped me a lot.
Q. Heading into the weekend, four back of Nelly. You're a player that we know can throw in a really low Saturday, really low Sunday round. What's the key to that for you? Does is it free you up when you're chasing so you can go really low?
NASA HATAOKA: Yes, I feel like there is still four strokes, I still got to catch up to that. I feel like I need it gear up more so hopefully I can do that tomorrow.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports