Q. Taylor, 6-under to start. Great playing today. What was clicking for you today?
TAYLOR MOORE: Got the putter going today and hit a lot of greens to got off to a pretty solid start. Once I made the turn, birdied 1 and 2 and made a nice eagle putt on 3, so putter was hot most of the day, which was nice.
Q. Do you feel more of entertainer this week than in a normal tournament just with everything that's --
TAYLOR MOORE: More entertainer? Maybe a little bit. This is I think my third or fourth go-around here so just learning to embrace what the Waste Management is and having fun with it and getting on that back nine and when it gets pretty rowdy it's pretty fun because we don't get that every week.
Q. The 16th hole, the adrenaline of that, does your game plan on that tee change at all --
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, I club down. Yeah, and we had a little downwind, too, today, so I ended up hitting pitching wedge. You've got to feel it out. You've got to be in tune with your body, feel where you're at, and adjust accordingly.
Q. You had a top-10 finish at the American Express. What is it about desert golf that suits your game?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, that's a great question. I don't know. It's usually warm, body is moving good. I think sight lines, too, just aiming for grass essentially. I think I like desert golf. Greens are really good, overseed and in great shape. I guess that could be it.
Q. In terms of your college teammate Nico, he's gone on a tear lately. What is it about his game lately that you think he's unlocked?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, we played together at ZOZO the third round when he won and I was really impressed with not only his game but just how he handled himself. Obviously watched him play golf for a long time now, and super happy for him and what he's done, and it's been cool to see him evolve in the last six to nine months basically. Yeah, it's cool.
Q. Do you remember the first time you played in front of a crowd that resonated with you, like you felt the energy from the crowd in a tournament playing golf?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, I think that first time I was in kind of a bigger atmosphere was probably my senior year in college in the national championship in Eugene, Oregon, and those fans out there for the home team was pretty insane. That's probably the first time at it.
Q. Do you feel look a veteran at all?
TAYLOR MOORE: I can't believe I'm 31, honestly. I feel like I'm a kid every day I wake up and play golf. It's gone by pretty fast. I'm trying to hold off on the veteran talk as long as I can for sure.
Q. What keeps you motivated to just keep grinding?
TAYLOR MOORE: I just love this game. It's so fun. It's just beautiful to continue to progress and go to work every day and try to just get better at this game. It's just something I love.
Q. Does the 16th hole ever get easier or is it terrifying every time?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, it's just exciting, honestly. We don't get anything in our sport -- me being a baseball/football guy growing up and being in that atmosphere more it's kind of simulated a little bit of that. So it's a ton of fun for me, and I just try to embrace it every time I step on that tee.
Q. What do you think this course demands? Is there an area of the game that this course identifies what you're doing well?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, I think honestly, iron play. I feel like distance control out here is a premium, especially when it gets hot in the desert, just being able to control your golf ball and just get as many looks as you can because the greens are so good, it gives you an opportunity to get hot with the putter, so I'd say the approach game for sure.
Q. Can you walk us through your eagle on 3?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, I hit a pretty good drive just right of the bunkers there on the left and had 7-iron in. Was able to hoist one, turn it into the left-to-right wind and got it to probably 12 to 15 feet and able to knock it in.
Q. Obviously you stuck it close at 16. Is there any better feeling on TOUR than just to get up there with a crowd and stick it close?
TAYLOR MOORE: No, there's not much better out here, that's for sure. I wasn't sure obviously how close walking up, but they had the board over there and saw it was about 5 feet, and I saw someone hit it to a foot, which had to be nice.
Q. How was the reaction?
TAYLOR MOORE: Yeah, they seemed to be pretty excited about it for sure. It's still Thursday, though. Wait until Saturday; it'll be a little louder.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports