What they said: Bobby Gates

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Q. Bobby, just talk about your round today.

BOBBY GATES: It was pretty boring. I didn't do anything really well. I hit it great and didn't make anything. So it's nice to be able to go out and persevere through everything, kind of shoot 3 under with the conditions. It was nice. It was a battle. Didn't make anything, so it was more patience than anything today.

Q. I know you didn't have too much time on the course after the rain delay obviously, but how much do you think the course changed with all that rain? Do you think it will play tougher during the weekend, or do you still think there's opportunities to get low rounds out there?

BOBBY GATES: I think there will be a lot of opportunities. Everything is soft, and you get that ball in hand. Playing is up is a huge advantage if you're playing fairways. I think whoever hits it on the most fairways this weekend and makes the putts is going to win. It's there for the taking. It's in really good shape. It's just you can only do so well with the amount of water on the course.

This afternoon, after the restart for the third or fourth time, whatever it was, they were a little slower. All the water on the greens. I thought I made my putt on 18, it came up just short. That's just something you have to adjust to. I think the guys this afternoon will try to figure it out. It's just going to be chaos trying to figure out who's going when and where and what the restarts will be from now on. So we just get to hang out and watch for it.

Q. How important is this tournament to you, being the first time on tour and a few strokes back.

BOBBY GATES: As a rookie, every tournament is important. You get a chance to compete, doesn't matter where it is or what event it is, whether it's this league or a major, you get in contention, and your competitive juices kind of get going. That's kind of what you feed off of.

I think for a rookie out here, every time you get in this position, the more comfortable you'll be. Fortunately, I think this is my third or fourth time this year where I've had a good chance going into the weekend. That's my goal. From here on out, just try to make birdies and go lower.