Q. Alex, what's been clicking for you?
ALEX SMALLEY: My tempo just felt really good coming into this week. I came in on Sunday just because I haven't played this tournament in five years, so just came in -- I saw the weather forecast, so I knew the weather was going to be good. Obviously North Carolina this time of year can be kind of iffy, so came in on Sunday, had a couple good days of preparation Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
A big key for my swing is tempo. I feel like if my tempo is in sync, if I don't get too quick at the top, everything is pretty good, and I've been really cognizant of my tempo so far the first two rounds. I know it'll be tested a little bit the last two with the place that I'm in right now currently.
But yeah, if I can just keep that in the back of my mind, just worry about tempo, I think we'll be okay.
Q. It's unique to have tempo be a key thought as one of the most boisterous --
ALEX SMALLEY: Yeah, I know. That's why it's a key for me because it's easy to kind of get a little quick out here with all the things that are going on.
Q. How cognizant are you of the fans out there? Do you hear anything they say or do you try to just lock into your zone?
ALEX SMALLEY: It's hard not to hear what they're saying just because a few of them are so loud. But yeah, I try not to pay a whole lot of attention to it. Obviously I was playing well today so they were very kind to me today, which was nice for sure. I try not to pay a whole lot of attention to it, but sometimes you just can't help but to pay attention to it.
Q. Would you say there's any part of the game that's particularly key as like a separator this week, whether it's driving or iron play or distance control, that identifies who's the best at that skill this week?
ALEX SMALLEY: It's not too particularly challenging off the tee. There's a few tee shots where you just kind of have to get by, and once you get by those, then you're kind of home free.
The greens are firming up, so I would say hitting your numbers is important because there are sections to these greens, and if you're not in the correct section, then the putt can be pretty challenging. Hitting your numbers and being very specific with the number you're trying to hit is important because if you're even a couple yards off, then it can significantly impact the putt that you have upcoming.
Q. Do you watch much NFL?
ALEX SMALLEY: Not a whole lot. I'll watch games that are on. I don't really have a team in the NFL, so I just kind of root for close games, so I'm hoping this game on Sunday we have coming up goes into like double or triple overtime. I think that would be pretty exciting for us.
Q. (Indiscernible) challenging about the course?
ALEX SMALLEY: Well, I Monday qualified here five years ago, and it was only my second TOUR event at the time. The atmosphere was just a little too much for me at that point. I hadn't really played any other TOUR events, so I wasn't really sure what to expect out here. I just wasn't quite ready for the atmosphere yet.
Having a few seasons under my belt, I feel a little more comfortable out here. I wouldn't say I'm totally comfortable. But certainly a little more so than I was five years ago.
Q. Have you talked to other pros about (indiscernible)?
ALEX SMALLEY: Yeah, I mean, obviously there was talk last year of some of the things that were going on and it getting a little out of hand at times, and there was certainly talk amongst the pros about what they might be able to change to kind of help the atmosphere a little bit.
A couple of days I know I wasn't in the big boy wave, so there weren't a whole lot of people following us, but once you make the turn to 15 and you get the last four holes, there's a lot more people, but I think it's been great so far.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports