Q. Can you just talk about your overall round today?
TONY FINAU: Yeah, I got off to a really nice start. I feel like I played solid, got a little rough there in the middle. I made a double on 8.
I thought 9 and 10 were huge for me today. I was able to bounce back on 9 with a birdie out of the bunker, which felt like an eagle.
This week I feel like the hazards are the sand. I doubled 8 and hit into the lip of a bunker on 9. Could be more trouble, but I was able to manage and birdie 9. Then I got up-and-down for the bunker on 10. I just thought momentum-wise that was huge.
Then I was able to make a run towards the end and kind of found myself right there in contention.
Q. Overall, what are your thoughts about this course?
TONY FINAU: It's a good golf course, proper test. Yesterday was obviously tough. The later you played, the harder it was. I felt like you had to deal with more rain and wind.
Today was windy, so I feel like the golf course is kind of holding its own. There were some really good scores, but overall a proper test of golf. I think it's going to be a good one tomorrow.
Q. What are your thoughts about having more PGA TOUR events come back to the Northeast and cities like Philadelphia?
TONY FINAU: We were talking about it there with Harry. I played with Harry English today, and Homa yesterday. We were talking about it, within 100 to 150-mile radius of this place, I think there's some of the best golf in the world. I'd love to see the TOUR make a lot more stops here. This is definitely a good one.
Q. And your thoughts about the PGA Championship coming to Philadelphia next year?
TONY FINAU: Yeah. Where is it going to be next year? Aronimink, yeah. In 2018 I played Aronimink in the playoffs. It's another proper test of golf, everything you can handle.
This time of year, I feel like these golf courses don't play as hard as if they were like in August just because the grass just hasn't grown in quite yet. On a golf course like this, if the rough was thick and long, it would be extremely hard.
Fortunately for us this week, it's not crazy even though it's long. The season hasn't grown in, so the grass just isn't thick. So we're still able to hit the greens and things. You play these types of golf courses more in the summer and the fall, and it's a whole different type of test.
I guess I say that just to say I'm happy we're playing it at this time of year.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports