QUICKEN LOANS NATIONAL

June 28, 2014

Marc Leishman

DOUG MILNE: Marc Leishman, thanks for joining us for a few minutes after round three of the Quicken Loans National, 2-over 73 today but still right in the mix, just two back heading into the final round. Obviously the course played a little more difficult today. With that said, just a few comments on today.

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, played a lot more difficult. They sort of got -- the greens got the bluish color on the back nine and they were really crusty and fast and firm, which was great, as they should, on an afternoon on a weekend. I hit the ball okay, probably well enough to have a few better, but the putter was a bit cold all day. So I'm probably pretty happy to be in the position I am to be honest. Putted, yeah, very ordinary, and hopefully I'll roll them all in tomorrow.

Q. What do you make of shooting 73 and still being right in it? Is it a rare tournament that you can be over par and hang in there and be very much in contention?
MARC LEISHMAN: It is, yeah. But at the start of the day, we probably knew that anything under par was going to be a really good score. I actually said to Matty, my caddie, I said on the back nine, "It feels a bit like a U.S. Open" because there were a few pins that you really didn't have a chance to get at. But I think that's good. You know it's a tough golf course. It's long; if you're not in the fairway, you have no chance. If you are on the fairway and you hit a good shot, you can make birdie. Yeah, I think it's great to change it up like that occasionally where par is a really good score.

Q. All things being equal, if you're minus four either way, would you rather be in the last group or second-to-last group?
MARC LEISHMAN: I mean, it doesn't really bother me. I'm pretty happy with the position I'm in to be honest, second last. Not a whole lot of attention. Obviously it's still the second to last group but not in the spotlight. Yeah, I'm happy where I am, but I'd rather be 8-under and in the last group. But if I'm 4-under, it doesn't worry me either way.

Q. What do you know about Patrick as the guy you're going to be chasing tomorrow?
MARC LEISHMAN: He's had a great year. He's won twice this year and once at the end of last year. So obviously in great form. His last couple of months haven't been great but he's had a fair bit to deal with, good things, which are good. I've been through all that, so it's the best time of your life. Obviously his game is back to where he wants it to be, and hopefully mine will be where I want it to be tomorrow.

Q. Just as a guy who has been out here and knows how difficult it is to win, what do you make of Patrick's comments after Doral? I'm sure created a little buzz among players.
MARC LEISHMAN: It created a little buzz, yeah (laughing). That's not something I would say, but you know, everyone's different. Good on him for thinking that.

Q. You've had some close calls, but do you get more experience, I guess, or help from close calls, or from having been in a Presidents Cup or having been right there at the Masters a couple years ago? What one do you think you can lean on more on a day like tomorrow?
MARC LEISHMAN: I guess you'd lean on all your experiences, really. The Presidents Cup was an awesome week for us all. Would have been better if we had won. But that's great to be playing in front of big crowds and a high-pressure situation for all four days like that. It's like a major, in contention, every single day. You don't really get that feeling until you get down to the last round or last nine holes of the tournament and you're in the hunt. So to have that for four days in The Presidents Cup was great. But it was a little bit different feeling than really having a chance to close out a tournament where I did at Torrey Pines, tried to do that there, and a couple of times this year; at the Byron Nelson, Colonial to a point. I think I'll probably -- those experiences will help me, from those three tournaments this year, hopefully that will help me more, just because it's an individual -- there's more similarities.

Q. You know, this is kind of interesting. Zach brought this up a couple years ago. What do you consider contending for a tournament? Going into the last day within a couple of shots or going into the last hour with a couple shots?
MARC LEISHMAN: I would say --

Q. These are hard questions, aren't they?
MARC LEISHMAN: There's a few. You've thrown a few at me (chuckling). I think probably going into the last nine. I'd say the last nine, yeah, because then you've done a lot of the hard work. But having said that, you've still got a lot of work to do. You've played 50 -- well, 63 holes, but most of the work, you have to do all the good stuff in the last nine to win, generally. It's not very often you can par the last nine holes and scrape out a win. You've got to generally make putts and make birdies to go that. So I would say the last nine holes.

Q. Sorry, I wasn't in Texas, so I don't recall Byron and Colonial very well. Did you do anything wrong or did somebody beat you or how did that pan out?
MARC LEISHMAN: I started off really well at the Byron Nelson. I was I think equal, leading, going into the back nine and made a couple of bogeys. At Colonial, I think I was within a shot or two going into the back nine, and -- I can't remember what happened there, I might have finished 20th or something. Had a bad last nine. And at Torrey Pines, I was right there. Sort of was a few back going into the back nine and made a little bit of a run. Yeah, finished a shot back.

Q. Curious what you made of Oliver's game, second event as a pro.
MARC LEISHMAN: It's pretty impressive. He bombs it off the tee. Really, really rips it. Doesn't look like he's swinging that hard at it. I saw him from a distance for the first time on Thursday and saw him hit a shot and thought, doesn't look like he is swinging it hard but today he was smashing it. Today a few tap-ins, they got a way from him but I think that's the stuff you learn from, be a bit more careful. Yeah, I think he's got a bright future.

DOUG MILNE: Marc, best of luck tomorrow. We appreciate your time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports