Q. What was the key to your success today?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: I would say today putting was the highlight. I felt like I rolled the putter very nicely. I holed a lot of footage. I felt like I had to almost today. I gave myself some tricky lies out there on the front nine but kept rolling a few putts to keep me in it, and then I hit a good stretch. I got on a good run on the back nine.
Very happy with the situation, but there's a few things in the game I'd like to improve a little bit.
Q. What would you like to improve?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: I just feel like I had a few destructive tee shots today. I feel like it's a course that can look a little bit awkward at times with the desert and small doglegs, and I hit the water a couple times, so I'd like to minimize that the next couple days.
Q. What made you decide to come play here this year?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: There's a few things. First of all, I've heard a lot about the event and seen it on TV, and you've got to experience that at some point. I think also if I'm going to play in New York later this year, it'll be good prep. That's kind of my thoughts. Hopefully I'll be in New York, but you've got to get there first, but I thought it might be a good idea to come here.
Q. Were you keeping an all on Rasmus's scores throughout the day? Were you paying any attention looking at the leaderboards at all?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: There was a few times where I looked over. We walked down 11 and he was on 15, and there was a leaderboard, and I saw he was 3- or 4-under, and I said, yeah, it doesn't surprise me. He's played well for a long time, and I'm happy to see him play well, so hopefully we both keep it up.
Q. He said he was going to watch you maybe from the clubhouse if you showed up on TV but he wasn't going to come back out and watch you at all. Are you a little offended?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: No, no, no, we don't do that in tournament days. When one of us is finished and it's on a Sunday and somebody is in contention or you miss the cut, we tend it go out and watch the back nine, but we've got our own career and we've got to focus on that. If he's got some work to do, he's got to do that.
No, I don't expect him to come out and watch.
Q. He said that you maybe were a little quieter than he was when I asked about you guys' personality and similarity and difference. How would you describe each other's personalities?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Yeah, I mean, between a lot of the players and guys we know, they always say the same thing. He's a little bit more open, I'd say. But I don't see it as a bad thing necessarily. But it's just what people say.
We're quite similar in many, many ways. But there's probably a little difference with he's probably slightly more open to people than I am.
Q. Are you guys going to chat in the clubhouse now that your rounds are done?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Yeah, at some point. We're staying in rooms next to each other at the hotel, so we we'll definitely catch up at some point, but I'm heading over to the range after this.
Q. Do you remember the first time you played in front of a big crowd that struck you that you felt kind of different?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: I remember playing first time I played in Denmark. It was pretty cool. It was back in 2017. I felt like it was massive crowds. It can be a two-way thing. It can help you on and it can also be a little bit -- you don't want to be embarrassed and you don't want feel like you're playing bad golf.
But I love playing in front of people. If you don't love it, that you're going to have a hard time I think going forward. So I think it's exciting. You can kind of see the hole down there. You're going to hopefully make some birdies so you get people celebrating or you can hear them at least.
I think it's great out here.
Q. Do you change your yardage by a couple on 16 or does it not -- like for adrenaline, or does it not factor that way?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: No, not really. If you had to say anything, it didn't play too bad today. It was a slight wind off the right, 145 meters, so it was a little bit off a 9-iron. If it was a 7- or 6- or 5-iron, it would feel a little bit different I would think.
Q. Guys have talked about how it's tough to make the adjustment from playing in Europe to playing the PGA TOUR full time. Is there anything you think you learned in your first season that you'll try to do differently or might be easier this year?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Yeah, the thing I've done different this year is got a place here now. I've got a base in the U.S., and that's probably been the biggest difference.
So you always have something to come back to. You've got practice weeks; you've got a golf club you're a member at; you're interacting with people. I feel like that's been the difference for me this year.
You've just got to get used to it at times. But I love playing out here, and I think this year with the adjustment of having a base, I think it's going to be a positive effect. We'll see down the line. So far it's felt great having a few weeks in Florida practicing, having a home more than going hotel to hotel.
Q. That's where the home base is is Florida?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Yeah.
Q. And your brother there, too?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Yeah, we're renting a place together, so we always got each other's company, so it's great. We enjoy it.
This is our first full year together over here, and very excited for it.
Q. Last year would you just go from one week to the next and stay in a hotel or something or go all the way home?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Yeah. Week to week and then go home. It was okay to start with, but once you get in the middle of a season, you get into the majors, it's just too much travel. I think if you want to be ready for them, you've got to sacrifice a little bit but also invest in staying here, do a good prep and then try to play well in those weeks, and that's what we've done this year. We adjusted to that.
What I felt last year I said to Ras, I think it's a good thing getting a base here. That's how I'm feeling, and we're quite similar. He took the advice, and I think he's happy that one piece of good advice I gave him.
Q. Who's older between you and Rasmus?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: I'm the older.
Q. By how much?
NICOLAI HOJGAARD: Parents say a minute or two.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports