Q. You started your day with a double bogey, and you finished in a share of the clubhouse lead on 12 points. What happened out there?
AARON COCKERILL: Yeah, it was funny to scoop it on the first hole of the day, but after that I bounced back with two birdies in a row and played solid. I holed a lot of good putts and made a bomb on the 2nd hole for eagle, which is obviously huge in this format. Yeah, great start.
Q. How important was that just having a bit of momentum around the turn with the two birdies and then like you said, the eagle?
AARON COCKERILL: Yeah, the eagle was huge. I had hit one close on 12 and missed it. I was like 12 feet. So I was a bit frustrated. Then I made like an 80-footer on 2, so that's just golf. Sometimes it goes your way.
Yeah, played well and happy with the round.
Q. Just your thoughts on the location this week?
AARON COCKERILL: It's amazing. I'm staying with an old college teammate; they live on the lake. They're treating me well this week, and it's beautiful out here. The weather is great. I think everyone is enjoying a different format, just something that's different. It's an awesome event
Q. Playing a little closer to home than perhaps you normally would as well. Does that help the mindset?
AARON COCKERILL: Yeah, it's easier to get home after the event. The last two weeks has been nice. I played in Canada earlier in the year in the Canadian Open, so this is my third TOUR event this year, and I hadn't play in any before that. It is nice to play back on this side of the pond. It's fun.
Q. Thoughts on the format; has the game plan changed at all considering you've got to go out there and get points?
AARON COCKERILL: Yeah, I think it does a little bit. If you make 18 pars versus nine bogeys and nine birdies, you're way better off to make all the birdies. I was trying to play a little more aggressively today, I think. Especially those 15-footers are kind of crucial. You don't want to leave them short. I think it frees you up a little bit, and yeah, you've got to play a little more aggressive.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports