THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 29, 1996

Justin Leonard

WES SEELEY: Justin Leonard's 65 yesterday. 70 today for 135, 9 under par, and two strokes behind Tommy Tolles. Tell us how this day went compared to yesterday.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Here we go. Teed off on number 10; hit a good drive. Pulled a 6-iron just a touch, and I had just left of the green; a pretty easy chip shot. I just didn't hit it hard enough. And lipped out from about twelve feet. Made bogey. 14, drove it right into an up-slope, and I just chipped it out. Hit the iron for my third shot about 20 feet left of the hole. And 2-putted for bogey. 16, drove it good, hit a 3-wood just left of the green, chipped it down to about ten feet, and made that for birdie. 17, got fooled a little bit by the winds and got it pretty much by the front edge. Good 2-putt there for par. 18, drove it right, hit it just short of the green, and then hit a real pretty good chip to about a foot. Made that for par. Parred 1, 2 and 3. 4, hit a driver down there. Wedged it to about six feet, made it for birdie. 5, drove it in the first cut on the left side; hit a 3-iron from 220 to about 15 feet and made it. Then 6, hit a 3-wood and hit an 8-iron about four feet past the hole and made that for birdie. 7, drove it in the right-hand rough. I was just trying to hit it somewhere in front of the green with a 5-iron, and it came up a little short and kind of skipped through the bunker. And then I got to work on my flexibility a little bit in my lower body, and from about 50 yards hit a 60 degree, from kind of a -- the ball was a couple of feet below my feet, and hit it about five feet and made that for par. 8, I hit a 4-iron; kind of got fooled by the wind; had a 3-iron, but went back to the 4. It came back about a club short. And then chipped it about eight feet passed, made that coming back for par. Parred 9. Hit the green and 2-putted.

WES SEELEY: So compared to yesterday --

JUSTIN LEONARD: Two different days. You don't want to compare too many things to 65. So -- but I played pretty good today. I didn't -- obviously, I didn't play as well as I did yesterday, but I made some putts there in the last six holes. That helped me keep my confidence and keep a little momentum going into tomorrow and Sunday. So I guess, you know, I hit some good shots when I needed to, and made some pretty big putts.

Q. Justin, when it got to 6-under, did you think you did a pretty -- obviously, did a good job of keeping yourself patient - but anything in particular you were telling yourself or did your caddie help at all?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Not really. I think, you know, over the last six or seven weeks it has been a real test of patience. So, in fact, I was thinking about that coming up 9, you know, after I bogeyed-- was back to 5-under there for a while, and I just stayed patient and knew that I was playing well and, you know, just kind of kept in it.

Q. Was it one particular shot that kind of got your confidence back after you had dropped --

JUSTIN LEONARD: Not really. I mean, I didn't -- I couldn't have hit too many fairways today. But I guess driving on 4. I hit a real good drive there and wedged it close, and that is after I had missed, I think, three or four fairways in a row. So that kind of, you know, got me going there in the last six holes, five holes, whatever; six, nine. How are you doing on that one? (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER.)

Q. The chip on 18 was just a decision to chip a key to that shot? Looked like a ball that you could have easily putted.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, I pulled my caddie over and -- just to bounce a few ideas off him because if I had putts that I was just short of the green, but kind of right where the pin was, and the slope kind of angles away and then curls around, and I would have had to play the ball probably about 15 feet out had I putted it. And so -- and you know, there is always a chance the ball just scurrying on the top and coming back down, so I was thinking that by flying it more up into the slope, it was a little safer and plus I thought I could get closer that way. I don't know what somebody else would have done in that case, but I just felt good about chipping it and flew it up there and landed it in the right spot. It curled around to the left. That was one of my better shots of the day.

Q. Do you have any thoughts on you and David, you are the best players that haven't won one yet. How did you feel going into it, both of you in contention; do you think your time is going to come for both of you sooner or later?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Sooner or later I think it will. I didn't know I was in that category, so I guess, thank you, and I hope I get out of it here pretty quick. But I think David is ready. I think he was ready last year. I mean, he played well enough in quite a few tournaments well enough to win. And I think he has had, you know, a little shoulder problem here the last couple of weeks, but certainly not bothering him now. And so I think he is definitely ready to win and I feel the same about myself and really since the towards the end of last year, so again, it is a test of patience.

Q. How much of a factor was the temperature drop out there today, last couple of holes coming in, it was a little bit cold; did you notice the ball not traveling quite as far?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, the air got quite heavy the last three or four holes and the wind kind of died down. It got a little cooler. I think that is where -- when there was a little fog settling in. That is -- like my shot on 8, I mean, it was just magnified being as short as it was. So it is different. The wind changed a couple of times today and the temperature dropped and then it warmed up a little bit. Now it is cooling off again. So I wish I wouldn't have worn these pants, but other than that, everything was okay.

Q. What is the matter with those pants?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, they are just -- they are not very warm. Yeah, you have got shorts on, you know -- you have been in here all day eating cookies. (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER.) Isn't that part of your new diet?

Q. We finally get a good quote from you and we can't use it.

JUSTIN LEONARD: What is your new diet?

Q. Cookie Monster diet.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Cashew peanut diet.

WES SEELEY: Any other nutritional questions for Justin Leonard? (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER.) Okay.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Thanks.

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