Q. How would you assess your round today?
ALEX NOREN: Today was a lot better, kind of a more relaxed day. I know yesterday was firmer and more wind, so that made it a little tougher. But I hit the ball better today. I hit a lot more fairways, hit the iron shots better, wedges better. Got some more chances. I'm happy.
Q. You were kind of right on that top-50 bubble for a lot of the back half of the season. How relieving was it to even make it here?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, it's tough when you don't have the best -- that top-50 schedule. I played a lot of, like, decent golf this year, a lot of finishes from 10 to 20, 25, and you need to get up there a little bit more to get up the rankings.
Q. Statistically looking at strokes gained, that would point to your playing maybe some of the best golf you have in your career. Is that how it feels?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah. I've been pretty steady, hitting probably more fairways than greens than before. Just trying to -- you're never happy. Today was a lot better, and how I played in Valhalla, this course reminds me a little bit about that. Also a Nicklaus Design.
Just trying to elevate the long game a little bit from the last few weeks.
Q. What do you see -- if you're having a lot of those solid 20th finishes, what do you feel like has been the difference between that and getting a second, a win?
ALEX NOREN: Well, when I've been playing good tee to green, just the putting that's been missing. Just trying to get all the pieces together and just not think too much about the putting. Well, any part of the game. Just trying to do the work and not think so much.
Q. Having made the top 50 but kind of outside that top 30, knowing you need a good week, how have you approached that mentally?
ALEX NOREN: It's kind of a nice feeling. We don't usually have this in golf, and it can be a little bit more aggressive, and you've got only upside sort of.
Last week was a little tricky mentally. I was not feeling great coming into the week. I got a little bit sick. It didn't really hinder my game. But with the heat and everything and then all the mental, issues with those -- because that 50, it's a very tough line to draw there. You've got to be inside it.
Q. Do you have a decent experience playing at altitude? What's your experience there?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, we always played in Europe, we played that Crans-sur-Sierre was always altitude, so I'm pretty good with 10 percent, and it's been working so far. It's a little tricky on the caddie with both the altitude and the elevation changes.
I can see them being a little bit more stressed this week.
Q. Feeding them a bunch of water?
ALEX NOREN: I know, I'm like, come on, man.
Q. How would you characterize your season so far?
ALEX NOREN: I mean, overall I'm pretty happy. There's some things I don't like about the game that I'm playing. But at times it's been really good. I'm really happy. Like at The Open I played pretty well, PGA, Valhalla I played really well. Some of the tournaments I finished pretty good but maybe haven't felt that great. I'm looking forward to an off-season where I can work a little bit more on the technique with my coach, try to get a little bit more neutral.
Q. Is there a part of your game that you think is holding you back from winning?
ALEX NOREN: I don't know. Maybe in the past I've been better at strokes gained putting than I am this year. But it's going to be fun. Since I moved to America, I've seen him a little bit less, so I'm just trying to take a flight over to see him a little bit more. I know he's got some great players over in Europe.
But Matt Belsham is my coach. He's a huge help, even if I can't see him as much as I did when I lived in Europe. But he's a huge help.
Q. Where is he based?
ALEX NOREN: London.
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