Q. Tom Kim, round of 63. How would you assess your round today?
TOM KIM: Started off really good. Obviously six birdies in a row starting from 2. Kind of kept the momentum going. I made a couple good par saves.
I think just a lousy bogey on 16, but other than that, felt pretty good.
Q. You had six straight birdies on the front nine. What does that feel like?
TOM KIM: I think you just kind of go in the zone. I had some good numbers. I hit it in the right spots. Obviously making the putts when I had the opportunities was big.
Q. When you're on a roll like that and you make the turn, are you constantly thinking about where you are?
TOM KIM: No, not so much. I think the back nine is somewhat more demanding. So I think the focus is more on just trying to -- just kind of stay in the moment, and I would say just kind of ride the momentum so that when you face those tough holes on the back nine, you can kind of just, I would say, be more focused on where you're trying to hit it than kind of where your score is at.
Q. You mentioned the six straight birdies on 2 through 8, a stretch you played 2-over in the previous two rounds. What's the biggest difference on that stretch of holes today?
TOM KIM: I drove it in the fairway a couple of times. Like yesterday, I started off 2-under through three. I hit a decent 8-iron that went in the water. Today I hit it to 20 feet and made it.
So kind of momentum shift-wise, I felt kind of the same out there, but obviously driving in the fairway and giving myself looks and making some putts when I needed to really just helped.
Q. Tom, you're obviously safe for next week, but a good result here could go a long way toward clinching your spot at East Lake. How much are you thinking about points and projections and things like that?
TOM KIM: I think it's definitely not on the mind, but at the same time, you've got to go out there and play good golf.
For me, I played one elevated event this year and I played two majors. With what I've had, this year has been already, with a win and all that stuff, like I've come a long way. Whatever kind of happens the rest of the couple weeks, I can't look back at it as a what could have been. I've just got to look at it as a what a year and try to keep building on it.
I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can and really just focus on -- you know, I missed the Playoffs last year. So being back in Memphis and obviously with the BMW next week and hopefully get a chance at East Lake, that would be really cool.
Q. With it being so hot here this week, how does your preparation differ this week as opposed to other weeks?
TOM KIM: To be honest, I've played this week way hotter than it has been the last couple days. I know it's obviously warm, but I've had it a lot worse here. So it doesn't really feel as warm. I thought it was really -- it kind of feels nice.
Obviously it's summer. You're not going to go anywhere that's 75 degrees other than the West Coast. Like I said, just kind of -- I'm just glad to be out here. Despite how hot it is, it's nice to be here.
Q. I know it's still a little early on Saturday, but obviously Scottie is still at the top of the leaderboard, just teeing off now. What's it like chasing a guy like him when he's playing so dominantly?
TOM KIM: Yeah, he's only had one win this year, so he's kind of off. No, it's kudos to him. He keeps -- I think he's probably the best No. 1 in the world that we've had in a while. No one's been this dominant for this long. He works so hard, so he deserves everything.
I'm just glad I posted a nice round on Saturday. Obviously he's so good, so we're not really focused on him. I'm just kind of focused on my game.
Q. Obviously a little bit of a joke there, but Scottie in the Player of the Year race, would he have your vote? Where do we stand on that?
TOM KIM: I don't know, I haven't really paid attention on who's the best Player of the Year. I know some guys have had three wins, but this guy with one win he's leading the FedExCup by like 1,000 or close to that. So it's pretty dominant.
You look at someone else, this is the probably one of the best years that someone would have, and it's just somewhat below average. So you can never take him out of the Player of the Year argument.
Q. Obviously you said you're kind of used to these conditions. What's important, the hydration in the bag, or I saw you had the breakfast sandwich? What's more important?
TOM KIM: Definitely water. I probably had six bottles of water and still haven't gone to the bathroom. So you definitely know you're sweating it out. Definitely just drink as much as you can. You can't drink enough here.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports