Q. How do you feel getting in at even par? Unfortunate bogey on the last, but overall how was the day?
DENNY McCARTHY: Yeah, it's a little frustrating. I made two really good swings at the last. Just kind of got the number wrong, club wrong, hit it in a place you can't hit it.
Pretty pleased with how I played today. It's really hot. It's really gross out. Just got to maintain my energy levels, hydration, be eating on the course. Sometimes I don't eat that much, but I've got to -- it's sneaky really hot out there and it's a tough walk.
Just got to stay up on those energy levels. I feel good about my game. I think there's some low scores out there. It's hard to -- they redid the course, obviously. First time playing it. Kind of just trying to get a feel for it so I have a better understanding of kind of what it's going to be like over the next couple days.
Q. A little up and down on the front nine, but the back nine was pretty steady. Did the delay make a difference?
DENNY McCARTHY: I think it helped. My clothes were soaked after we made the turn. I figured there was a delay coming; I was maybe going to change at the turn. We played 10, and once we got on 10 green the horn blew, so I came in and I was so hot I just jumped right in a cold plunge, got in some fresh clothes, made some food, hung out with some friends and family. I'd say it was a nice little reset. I came out feeling pretty relaxed, fresh set of clothes. It was nice.
Q. I know you're trying to get into the top 30. Do you look after each round or --
DENNY McCARTHY: I know how I need to play this week. It's hard to -- it changes every second. I'm sure on the broadcast they're like, with a birdie it's projected into here, on the first day. But there's so much golf to be played, and that stuff is changing every minute.
I mean, it's a goal of mine to play next week, and I've got to put my head down and play some good golf the next three days.
Q. How was the fan support?
DENNY McCARTHY: It was really good. I had a nice crowd to start the day. It's tough to find some shaded areas out there. They were doing a good job of finding some shaded areas and cheering from a little bit of a distance away from under some trees. It was really hot. There was still a good crowd after the rain delay, so it was nice to feel their support out there.
Q. Second chip on 18, did you think that was in?
DENNY McCARTHY: It would have been a bonus if it went in. I feel somewhat fortunate that it hit the pin and stayed within that four- or five-foot circle. It could have gone 15, 20 feet by. I feel fortunate that it hit the pin. It would have been a bonus if it went in.
Q. Did you learn anything out there that might change your strategy for tomorrow?
DENNY McCARTHY: In terms of how to play the course?
Q. Different holes.
DENNY McCARTHY: Not really. The course is pretty straightforward. There's a lot of similar looking tee shots. The fairways are soft. They were soft, now they're even softer with the rain.
I would say not really. Maybe on a few holes, there's a couple tricky holes where you need to position on a certain side of the fairway to get a really good angle.
The biggest thing for me honestly is when it gets this hot, just like I mentioned, the hydration levels. I go through a rotation of gloves. It takes me a little bit to kind of dry everything to get ready to hit the shot. Honestly, that's the biggest thing for me.
Q. You mentioned the fairways. Was there any other changes you saw from the rain or did it change your approach coming in?
DENNY McCARTHY: I got a couple mud balls coming in. The rain obviously makes it much softer, picks up a little more mud, so you might see some mud balls over the next day or two, which could change things. I don't know if they're going to play it up or down.
But the greens were definitely a little softer. Fairways were softer.
Q. How much do you drink on a day like today and how many gloves do you go through?
DENNY McCARTHY: A lot. I went through a rotation of -- usually I rotate three or four and then when those are kind of soaked, I go through another three or four. I'd say I went through five to eight gloves today and I drank a lot of hydration. I have this salt that I chew. I chew some salt, I have hydration packets. Probably, ballpark, 10 hydration packet drinks throughout the day. A couple tonight, a couple in the morning right when I wake up, so I'm working pretty hard to stay hydrated.
Q. You mentioned having your friends and family here. Should we expect that number to increase as we get closer to the weekend?
DENNY McCARTHY: You could probably expect it to increase if I play some good golf. I'll put some pressure on some people to make sure they come out by playing some good golf over the next few days.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports