Q. Take us through the round, eight birdies, no bogeys. You put on another clinic.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I felt like my ball-striking was really good today. Hit a lot of greens. I played the par-5s well. The par-3s I felt like today were playing very challenging, and I played the par-3s really well.
Overall it was a good effort. Proud of the score today.
Q. I thought 8 and 9 were crucial holes. Didn't hit a great iron into 8 but you were able to make an up-and-down, and then at 9 you hit the flop shot over the bunker and you make a 36-footer.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, No. 8 was really only the bad swing I made today, and it was nice to get that ball up-and-down. Then No. 9 it's two days in a row where I've hit decent drives and ended up in a weird spot. Yesterday I had the plugged lie, and today instead of staying on the upslope or going in the bunker it stays on the downslope. Seemed like there was more grass underneath it but wasn't able to get underneath it to hit the flop, but it was nice to see that ball go in for sure.
Q. Talk about tomorrow and what you're going to need to do to close out another one?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I think tomorrow is going to be challenging. We're going to get a different wind tomorrow, so the golf course will play pretty different. It's something that we'll adjust to tonight, kind of get in the right headspace. Go out tomorrow and try our best to stay patient and execute.
Q. What was the most impressive shot you hit today from your perspective?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: From my perspective? I mean, off the top of my head, I think the shot into 15, the approach shot. It was kind of there on the left side and I think most people probably would have laid up in that position, but I was able to hit a high draw up over those trees. Really if we had gotten the right wind direction, the ball would have gotten onto the green. Kind of came back into us there, but was able to hit a nice pitch and still make birdie.
Q. As you've gone on this winning streak, final rounds sometimes have been your lowest scores of the week. Is there something about trying to go out and get one on Sunday?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, I don't put that much thought into it. Going into tomorrow, I should be close to the lead if not in the lead. We'll see where everything shakes out. The guys behind me still have some holes to play, but we'll see, either way I'll be in a decent position going into tomorrow.
Just looking to go out and get off to a good start. This golf course, you can shoot some low scores if you're hitting it well and placing the ball in the right air with a, so that's what I'm going to try and do tomorrow.
Q. You got a nice big ovation on 18. As you've gone through this run, have you felt a change in how fans cheer for you or the support you feel week in and week out?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Yeah, I think for sure. I think today, I felt like it was really interesting, on No. 1 the grandstand behind was packed when I was on the tee box, and then by the time we got to the green, I turned around and it was almost empty. It felt to me like the crowd was coming with me today, and there was definitely a lot of cheers out there, and it's nice to have their support.
I've always enjoyed playing in front of a crowd. It may not look like I'm paying much attention to them out there, but I can feel their energy, and it's great to have the support.
Q. With everything that goes with a major week and all the taxing things that go into being in contention, have you surprised yourself at all about how you're feeling or playing this week?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: I mean, not really. I did my best to get as much rest as I could at the beginning of the week. Fortunately with the way the pairings were this week, I didn't have that really early morning. I had a 10:30 start on Thursday and a 1:30 start yesterday, and then I was out after 1:00 today. Plenty of time in the mornings to get some rest and get the mind right to come out here and compete.
I think it would have been a little bit different if I was playing early mornings every day, but being able to play a little bit later in the day is definitely helpful for rest.
Q. On this run, is the competition within yourself or the players you're competing against?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: Well, I think a lot of the time it's a mix of both. I think when I'm playing my best, sometimes it feels like I'm competing against myself a little bit out there, trying to keep pushing and stay as focused as I can. I felt like the back nine Sunday last week was an example of that where I was just trying to keep pushing forward, pushing forward because the golf course is so challenging, anything can happen, and I wanted to build myself up a cushion. By the time we got to 18 I wanted to finish off the tournament the right way.
At the end of the day, we're out here competing against the best players in the world. I love competing against these guys, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of coming out and competing tomorrow.
Q. Internally do you feel less pressure compared to a few months ago when you're out there playing?
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER: It's tough to answer. I mean, I talked about it a bit at the end of last week. I really love winning, and I don't really like losing at all. It's one of those things where I try to manage the expectations of myself, kind of get that stuff out of the way and then go out there and compete.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports