JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

September 14, 2003

J.L. Lewis

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: J.L., thanks for joining us. Long day today, but pretty successful. You're even par for the day but you're still in the lead, so just talk about your day today. Obviously a long day and you've been doing some waiting around, but your golf has been great this week.

J.L. LEWIS: I played okay. I made some nice pars. I didn't do much else really. I was pretty disappointed in the way that I couldn't get a score. Hopefully tomorrow I'll make some putts and do better. They're not going to give it to you, so you've got to go out there and win it. I've got to start producing, so I'm going to go home and figure out how to do that.

Q. With all the rain we've had, the greens were slower but obviously the fairways were softer, too. Was the golf course playing longer?

J.L. LEWIS: A little bit longer. The wind was blowing. I felt really comfortable all day. I kept leaving putts short. I don't know whether it was the rain and the greens got slower or just me or I don't know if the other guys were doing that, but tomorrow I'm going to go work on my speed a little before the round and go out there and see if I can do some good.

Q. Looking at so many guys by the leaderboard, do you think you'll have to shoot 4-, 5-, 6-under?

J.L. LEWIS: Probably so, yeah, at least 4 from where I'm at.

Q. Could you talk about the up-and-down that you made there on 17 for your last birdie? It looked like you were in kind of a wet area?

J.L. LEWIS: Yeah, I had casual water. The nearest dry area was actually worse as far as in line with the pin, so that was probably one of the better shots of the day there. Anyway, I took the drop. We're playing it up in the fairway, so I got to play it up. I had a good lie and cut it just about right.

I've made a lot of good recoveries this week. I haven't played like what I feel is my best golf, but I've played okay. I putted well the first two days, but today was not a good putting day for me. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a couple to go in and I'll be all right.

Q. If someone had told you at the start of the day you'd have shot even par today, did you think you'd still be in the lead?

J.L. LEWIS: Probably not. It shows when the wind blows, this golf course plays tough. You've got to hit golf shots to score.

Q. Tired today?

J.L. LEWIS: Yeah, I was tired the last four or five holes and I've got to be back out here in 12 hours, something like that, less than that, eight hours. It's the same for everybody, though.

Q. Is it tough to maintain concentration after you don't play yesterday?

J.L. LEWIS: I think so. Yeah, it is.

Q. Did you feel like you lost some momentum? Do you feel had you been able to come out and play yesterday you would have been able to keep something going?

J.L. LEWIS: I don't know. I think yesterday's rest helped me, but I think I lost a little steam today, but I just kind of hung in there. I should have birdied 2 and I should have birdied the last hole I played. I don't know if playing the extra four holes helped me or hurt me. I made a couple nice pars.

Q. This seems surreal to us. Is it surreal to you?

J.L. LEWIS: Yeah, just the way it's going on and on and on, yeah, but it's okay, it's still a golf tournament. I've got a chance to win, so I've got to go out there and do what I can.

Q. Were the scores surprising to you with the wind blowing?

J.L. LEWIS: It was early. Most of the guys teed off earlier than me so they had more of it. I'm not surprised, no. If it stays calm tomorrow, there will be some birdies made.

Q. How close will you watch the scoreboard tomorrow?

J.L. LEWIS: I'm not even going to really pay attention to it unless I have some kind of a chance to win and what I have to do maybe the last two holes or something, maybe even just the last hole. I mean, I'll probably play them all the same whether I'm behind or ahead. Maybe at 18 if you have a two-shot lead you might play a little more conservatively than if you have a one-shot lead and you're down by one, but not until then.

Q. Can you talk about the condition of the course when you got out there?

J.L. LEWIS: I thought it was in great shape for the rain that it had. It's pretty phenomenal for the rain that we had. I don't know how much we had, but it was a bunch. The course was fine. The north wind made it play different, so that's just how it was.

Q. Is this as bunched as it was in '99? Do you remember the circumstances?

J.L. LEWIS: I don't remember exactly. I know there was a bunch of people in there then, too, but tomorrow anybody that goes out there and makes four or five birdies will probably win it.

Q. Is it fair to say you would rather just have played 18 and gone home and played 18 tomorrow?

J.L. LEWIS: Yeah, it's fair to say that, but that's not what they decided to do, so I just went with what the rules officials decided and that's how it is. Looks like the weather is going to be good tomorrow, so that's good.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: J.L. Lewis, thank you. Good luck.

End of FastScripts.