Farmers Insurance Open interview: Erik Compton

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Q.  So far you've had the low round on the North Course, 7‑under par, an eagle there at nine.  What was the key, 22 putts?
ERIK COMPTON:  Yeah, you know, sometimes the ball goes in.  Getting out here originally, obviously, being from Miami, I'm used to Bermuda greens.  And my caddy and I worked really hard on the greens together, and just trusted the line.  I didn't drive the ball particularly well for the first two days, but out here, if you miss it big enough, you can still make some pars and birdies.

Q.  Big advantage playing on the North Course today with the weather conditions?
ERIK COMPTON:  They're both tough.  To me, I think if you're playing well, you're doing what you need to do, both the courses are scorable.  But, on the other hand, with the weather like this, it is a little bit of an advantage to play on the North.

Q.  You played last week three golf courses, this week, two courses.  Is that an advantage or does it really cause some problems out there?
ERIK COMPTON:  Well, I think it's nice that we have two courses because it makes it feel bigger so everybody has a chance to play.
I've been playing very, very well.  I played well last week.  Unfortunately, I didn't play well for about 20 minutes.  I don't think I'm doing it any differently than I'm doing last year.  I feel maybe a little more confident and more aware of where I need to miss it and places to take advantage of.

Q.  Three back at the moment headed into weekend.  What is your game plan?
ERIK COMPTON:  I've got to drive the ball a little bit better, and if I can get the ball on the fairway, then I feel good with the irons, and, hey, there is a lot of golf to play, so just got to take it one shot at a time.

Q.  7‑under 65, what wasn't working for you today?  It seemed like everything was.
ERIK COMPTON:  I putted very, very well.  And got off to a good start with the eagle on 9, then I told my caddy let's pretend that we're on the cut line and we've got to still keep playing good golf.
I think with the weather like this, it's hard to drive the ball, because you can get some (Inaudible) off the tee.  So we just tried to stay dry, and I took advantage of some good iron shots.  I had some big misses, but I was able to still recover and make some birdies and pars.

Q.  You had another opportunity on the 18th.  A lot of standing water though.  You had to call in the rules officials to see what was going on there.  That's how much water is on this course right now.
ERIK COMPTON:  Yeah, it's different from the practice round.  The lovely weather here on the first two days in the practice round, and then you get what we usually traditionally see here is a wet, long golf course.
So it was an advantage to play the North with the weather like this, not much wind.  So, if you hit the ball solid, you can take advantage and get some good scores out here.