Q.  Nick, incredible round.  You must be feeling pretty ecstatic now?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, it was kind of out of the blue.  The first two days I was really struggling, especially the first day.  Found something a little bit on the back nine for my second nine yesterday and actually played really well, just had a couple of three‑putts that kind of kept me on the cut line. 

But yeah, I think just, yeah, till Saturday I missed the last two cuts in a row and just went out and didn’t play with any pressure on myself.  Wasn’t trying to make a ton of birdies, was just trying to get it on the greens and kind of give myself putts today, and I tended to hit it closer than I had the last two days and I made all the putts. 

Q.  It seems to be some really good scores today.  Is it a case of the conditions being really favorable or did you just catch fire?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, I mean, I think the course is probably a little easier this morning than it had been the last couple of days.  They definitely put a lot of water on the golf course I think overnight, and some of the sprinklers were still on this morning so the greens were really receptive. 

Yeah, we barely had any breeze until maybe the 13th or 14th hole.  It started getting up on that par 4, I think it was 13.  Then the last kind of three or four holes were downwind except for 18, so it was all there for a good round coming in.

Q.  Feel like you’re out of the rocks on the day, Nick?  Do you feel it will be a little bit trickier this afternoon?

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, for sure.  Obviously shooting a really good number in the morning and going home and now I can just sit around and kind of get ready for tomorrow.  And if this wind gets up, great.  If it doesn’t, then it’s still ‑‑ if somebody told me I was going to have 9 under at the start of the round, I definitely would have taken it.  Puts me in a good spot for tomorrow and hopefully go out there and just kind of play similar golf.

Q.  What does playing like that mean for you going forward, Nick?  Golf 2020, what’s your status at the moment?

NICK FLANAGAN:  I’ve got conditional past champion status on the Korn Ferry Tour, which doesn’t get me any starts, but I can re‑rank if I get into an event.  I went to European Q‑School, got to final stage but didn’t do any good, so I got like really bad Challenge Tour status. 

So yeah, it all helps.  It’s been a rough kind of month and I haven’t been playing very good golf, so it was good to get it today.  Got a baby due in the beginning of January, so that’s kind of where my mind is at the moment.

Q.  Is that your first baby?

NICK FLANAGAN:  First, yep, first one.

Q.  Is Europe an option for you?  Obviously a good week this week might get you a start early in the year, which might not be great timing.

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, I’d love to play in Europe.  That’s kind of why I decided to go to Q‑School this year.  I got an exemption into second stage through my Order of Merit finish here last year.  Yeah, I really wanted to play over there next year, so obviously if things went great tomorrow, then that would definitely be something that I’d be excited to do.  Hopefully, that happens.

Q.  Are the last couple of days indicative of the last few years, that you had a couple of scratchy rounds, then you come out and shoot a good one like you did at the Vic Open?  You know, like how do you sort of sum up kind of where the game clicks and where it ‑‑

NICK FLANAGAN:  I think just kind of getting a balance between being too intense and wanting it too much and then kind of being too relaxed and trying to kind of go the other way with it.

Obviously, getting through the weekend takes a bit of pressure off.  Just got to a point today where it was like I’ve been playing so bad, I’ve been trying so hard that I just thought I’ll go out there and just not try at all, and all of a sudden you kind of loosen up over the ball.  And I’ve been having some wrist issues the last two months as well, so I’m kind of swinging it maybe a little slower than I was, which is helping in my rhythm.  It’s just golf, you just never know.

Q.  How do you now approach these last two days?  You said you’ve sort of struggled with that mental balance, trying too hard and being relaxed.  How do you suddenly get that right now?  You’re right in contention for the PGA.

NICK FLANAGAN:  Yeah, well, obviously today being out second group, there’s not a lot of people around, it just felt like another round.  The adrenaline started pumping there the last three or four holes when I was trying to get to 10 or 11 coming in so I could really be up there. 

It will be different tomorrow.  I’ll have to get back to kind of being intense again, but obviously staying relaxed enough that it’s not a big deal.  If things don’t work out, I’ve got a baby due in five weeks and that’s really what I’ll be thinking about.  But obviously I would love to go out there and win, but yeah, it’s just finding that balance again.

Q.  Are you going to stay here until the baby’s due or are you heading back to the States?

NICK FLANAGAN:  No.  The baby’s due on the 11th of January, so I’ll be flying out of Sydney on Monday morning.  It’s kind of two and a half weeks, I’m cutting it kind of close, but hopefully it works out.

Q.  Where are you at the moment?  Are you in Dallas?

NICK FLANAGAN:  San Antonio.