Q. 65, good start to the week. How do you feel about your round and what was clicking for you?
ANDREW NOVAK: Yeah, I thought I played great. Pretty much all aspects were good. Off the tee maybe a few loose ones. I can go clean that up. For the most part, even when I was slightly off, I was leaving myself on the proper side, so I was able to have an angle and make something happen. I thought my approach shots, my wedges, my irons were really on today. That was probably my strength of the game today.
The putter came through, and I was able to make a decent amount of opportunities. It really was a total effort today.
Q. In terms of style of this golf and the defining characteristics of this course, what would you say makes this course unique?
ANDREW NOVAK: This is low country golf, man. This is what I grew up on. Shout-out Wild Dunes, shout-out Charleston National, Seabrook Island. This is what I grew up playing tournaments on, grew up playing -- like when I was 10, 15 years old, whatever.
I'm very comfortable on this kind of golf. I think the thinking your way around it, the positional aspects is something I enjoy. I do feel pretty comfortable here.
Q. What's it mean to rep South Carolina just kind of in pro golf?
ANDREW NOVAK: Yeah, it's so cool. Every hole somebody is saying go Terriers, somebody shouting out my high school, Charleston, whatever. It is cool to come here and do that. This is absolutely a home event for me.
Q. What will you take away from last week, just the whole experience?
ANDREW NOVAK: Yeah, that's the best tournament I've ever played in. To have it not really go very well is very motivating to me because I want to get back there. I want to go play it again. I want to go play it next week. It's motivating to be there because it makes you want to be there every year.
Q. Was there an element of being there where you're like, this is kind of one part of my dream achieved, in a way?
ANDREW NOVAK: Yes. There was really one event growing up that I would have been a little star-struck, like awestruck to be a part of, and that was the one. I got my first one under my belt, and now I want to get back and give myself a chance to go get a green jacket.
I think there's definitely something to be said for the first-time struggles there. It's a lot to take in with that golf course. It is tough. But I'm excited to give myself a chance to go back.
Q. Did you stop in the merch tent at all?
ANDREW NOVAK: My wife did. I don't know what the final damage was, but I'm sure I'll figure it out later.
Q. This tournament kind of having had some success here, what do you look back on from the near miss? Is it mostly positive, negative?
ANDREW NOVAK: Yeah, I think I did take a lot of positives from it. I think that's what allowed me to win the very next week on TOUR. I think this year looking back to it, I'm really not maybe looking back to it too much while I'm on the course, but there still are aspects of the course that -- the way to play certain holes, how certain things are. I know they changed the course -- Davis came through and changed it a bit, but it's not that much different.
I would say I'm not looking back on it too much. This is still a different year. This is a different tournament. I have different shots. I'm just trying to make sure that I'm leaving myself in spots that I can attack from and going after pins and making putts.
Q. Could you kind of give -- it's definitely a vague question, but what's motivating you this week at this stage in your season and career?
ANDREW NOVAK: Honestly, going back to the last question, I guess motivating -- motivation would be maybe the biggest factor that I can take from last year. I guess that is a little bit fair. I want to put myself back in that position. This is a tournament I definitely want to win. This is a home event for me, like we talked, and being so close and not having it, I do want to win one here and put on for South Carolina.
I think there are bigger things as far as my season hasn't gone very well, so I'm a little bit motivated to get it in gear and get playing some better golf because I need to. But in general, I am kind of taking it -- every round I'm just trying to do the best I can because eventually if I play good golf, it'll all work itself out.
Q. Could you kind of describe hole No. 7 from your vantage and what makes that tee shot unique, the par-3 with the tree?
ANDREW NOVAK: Yeah, when I played here for the first time last year, I basically played the course. I was like, well, there's 17 good holes and then the 7th hole. I really thought it was stupid with the trees there.
I still think it's a little gimmicky. Pete Dye can't really help himself. But I've played it well for the most part.
I guess it hasn't bugged me too much during it. But yeah, I do think it's a touch gimmicky, but you kind of just aim at the middle of the green and stay between the trees. The pin doesn't really matter; just try and get the number about right and putt over to it. It's a skinny green, so as long as you're up the middle you're not going to be that far from the pin.
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