Q. Alex, strong start, strong finish, brings you right up into contention here at the Barracuda. Give us your thoughts on the day.
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, it was good. Pretty much like yesterday, pretty good from the tee, pretty good coming into the greens and got my putting going like yesterday. Yeah, it was good. Enjoyed it.
Q. Same score as yesterday but a little bit of a different way to get there?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah.
Q. Talk us through that; was it the putting that really saved you today?
ALEX NOREN: I mean, I played pretty good, I thought, and then I think I made a mistake on the two bogeys like with the clubs. Hit the wrong club I think on the 7th hole. It's so much downwind, and you can't get over the number somehow that you're hitting it so far with the wedges. Then on 12 I tried -- I don't know what I tried to do. I had the right club and then tried to kind of squeeze one into the green and caught the trees and made a bogey.
But I told myself if I birdie two of the last four, I'm going to be happy, and I did. Yeah, it's a fun game this with the birdies meaning a lot. You get momentum from it.
Q. How pleased are you to have made the decision to come here, to then be in contention going into tomorrow's final round?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, it eases the pain. Every time they show the Open on TV I get frustrated, but like I said, I love coming here. I think it's one of the best courses on the TOUR and a great tournament. It's very enjoyable to play.
Q. Away from the golf course is there anything about the surroundings you particularly enjoy? Is there a particular spot perhaps nearby that you enjoy?
ALEX NOREN: Just last time I stayed in Reno, now I stay here in Truckee and I still don't really know where to go. The Swedes have rented a house and we just hang out there in the afternoon, and they're very kind to me letting me go there even though I'm in a hotel.
No, it's just a beautiful place.
Q. You mentioned watching the Open on TV; have you willingly turned it on or has it just happened to come on?
ALEX NOREN: No, it's just on everywhere. Yeah, but it's fine.
Q. I know you've mentioned before being super impressed with Rory and his game; what particularly impresses you about Rory and his game?
ALEX NOREN: The speed and the skills, just impressive, top player. It's like watching Federer play tennis similarly. It's speed and it's elegance, and then he's good with the putter and chipping, wedges, everything. It's cool, yeah.
Q. Have you played with Hovland at all?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, not much. We went to the same school. I've talked to him more than I've played with him.
Q. What impresses you about him?
ALEX NOREN: Just sort of the commitment, and obviously his game, but it feels like he wants to get really good, and he is really good. When you have that sort of attitude, you're going to get far.
Q. Has there been any shot here this week that you may have been more aggressive because of the format? Or has it been more or less the same?
ALEX NOREN: Not really. I mean, it still costs you if you make a bogey. No, not really. You've still got to hit the correct places here. If you short-side yourself on the par-5s it's not that easy to make birdies, so you can't be too aggressive, I think. You've got to play to the correct places.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports