Q.  Travis, 12 under, pretty happy with that?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  For sure.  I’m playing good.  It’s my first time playing good at the Vic Open and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Q.  What were the issues in the previous times?  Did you struggle with the conditions?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, just the wind a little bit, struggling to sort of flight my ball when I needed to.  There’s a lot of cross‑breeze holes here where, you know, you’re touch and go whether it’s into the wind across or whether it’s down across.  You know, I’ve got a good caddie this year and he’s helped me a lot and he’s pretty spot on with the wind every time.  So a combination of a few things.

Q.  So maybe you’ve figured it out?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Figured it out, yeah, maybe.  Tomorrow’s going to be real windy, so we’ll see after the round tomorrow.

Q.  You’ve actually been playing quite nicely in Asia, haven’t you?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yes.

Q.  There’s some improvement there for you generally? 

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, for sure.  I feel like it just takes a little while getting used to the conditions and the courses over there.  The style of golf, everyone says it takes a little bit to get used to, especially guys like myself from Sydney.  We just don’t play on the bermuda‑type greens that they have over there, the grainy stuff.  So yeah, I feel like I’m slowly figuring it out and golfing my ball pretty well, so it’s good.

Q.  And also, do you feel more comfortable just from the experience?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, for sure.  You ask any of these players out here and they’re all going to say they feel like they’re the best players out here, but until you start to really do it, it’s like your belief goes to another level and I feel like I’m slowly progressing up for sure.

Q.  And the finish today, you made a birdie on the last hole, it’s a nice memory to have.  How did that unfold?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, the ninth hole here at the Beach course, 3‑wood down the fairway and left me only like a full sand wedge, perfect number to the flag, and hit it in to about six feet and easy birdie.

Q.  How do you approach the weekend given the forecast is for some wind?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yeah, just try and keep the ball as low as possible, try and ‑‑ out here when it gets real windy because most of the greens are exposed, putting becomes quite hard.  So hopefully can groove in the putter early in the round and just play steady golf.

Q.  European Tour card would be a nice sort of thing to take away?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Oh, for sure.

Q.  I know that’s a long way aways.

TRAVIS SMYTH:  Yes, it is.

Q.  Nice little carrot?

TRAVIS SMYTH:  For sure.  I’ve paid my affiliate membership hoping to do some damage on weeks like this and just see where we’re at.