Q. 2-over, 72. How big was that birdie there on 18 just to get you that much closer to the top?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, I mean, my caddie and I talked about it walking off 15 that I want to get back to even par. I felt like I was giving myself a lot of good chances and made a really good par on 16. Hit a really good shot into 17 with a pitching wedge that the greens are getting so firm that -- I mean, almost made that 25-footer, but yeah, that's just a bonus, making that on 18.
Hit two really good shots in there and left myself in a spot where I wanted to be and lucky to go in, and hopefully can use that momentum heading into tomorrow.
Q. We've seen a lot of the leaders kind of fall back a bit. How proud are you of how you were able to stay in this position?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, those first five holes today were really tough. 2-over wasn't shooting myself out of the tournament, and then I made really bad bogeys on 6 and 7, two of probably the easiest holes on the front nine, and that hurt a lot. You can't really do that in a major championship like this. But made a good birdie on 9 and then played the back nine really well. It was playing tough out there. So to play that in 1-under, I'm very happy with.
Q. Talk through a little bit how this course and these conditions bring more people in it tomorrow on a major championship Sunday?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, it's going to be tough. If it's anything like it was those last six holes, we're going to be in for a lot tomorrow. I mean, they can put these pin placements in really tough spots, and the greens are getting so firm, it's just hard to get to some of those flagsticks.
It's everything you want in a U.S. Open Sunday. It's set up for it perfectly. It's going to be chilly, low humidity, so they're going to get the greens rock hard, and I'm kind of setting my goal at even par again, and I think I'll be in a great spot.
Q. Obviously no fans here. You've got Matt, maybe Bryson at the top. How much will not having people all around potentially help them in their inexperience around that situation?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, it's definitely different, especially for guys that aren't really used to it, like Tiger, Rory, all those guys play with every single week. I think it's affecting them the most not having that energy out here.
But yeah, it definitely helps the nerves, when you're stepping up on the first tee and there's not a couple thousand people there or coming into 18 there's not a couple thousand people there. It's definitely different, but you're still playing for a U.S. Open. You know what that means and you have some of the greatest players in the world kind of right here in the top. That's kind of set up to be an awesome Sunday.
Q. You put yourself in contention now on a major championship Sunday. What do you feel about your confidence in your game?
HARRIS ENGLISH: Yeah, it's definitely been growing more and more the past year. I feel like I've been putting in a lot of hard work. I'm getting more battle tested in situations like this, and I feel like I'm ready for it. I love setups like this where you grind out pars, you don't have to make a lot of birdies, you can really set yourself apart. Hopefully my iron game will be on tomorrow like I know it can be, and make some putts like that on 18 and I'll hopefully be in the mix.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports