Q. What is pleasing you the most this week?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I am doing everything pretty good. I am not doing anything tremendous but everything pretty good. I am hitting a lot of good iron shots. I know where to put the ball over here but I haven't seen some of this wind recently. I know where to put the ball and I am happy to be doing it so far. Except for 18.
Q. You had shots on 8 and 9 that may have kept the round going for you. Talk about this a little bit.
ROCCO MEDIATE: 8 I hit a 3-iron. I just hit it a little to the right. The wind caught it. It was a little right of the green. I used the back-stop; made about 5-footer for par.
9 was a big one because I hit it in the left rough. Fairway is only 300 yards wide so I could see why I missed it. I had to lay up but I practiced -- what I do when I am here I go down to the end of the 9th fairway by the bridge. I hit 2-irons over that tree on the green, just practice, so I told Pete, I said, if I can get this ball somewhere down there, I got a shot at reaching this green in 3. He said, what are you are talking about. I said, trust me. I didn't get it far enough, 235 to the front. I had the shape to put it on the green; was kind of lucky, if I can get it around the green I figure I could make 5. I made easy 5. It was a lot better.
Q. How far was that lay-up shot?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I tried to hit -- it 130 but I only hit it about 115. Out of that rough, I mean if it flies and it goes in the creek, no, I'd rather make a 6 and a 7 or whatever.
Q. Given the conditions out there, the way the course is playing, how many shots of the lead do you have to be to have a chance tomorrow?
ROCCO MEDIATE: You mean?
Q. Just the field in general, how close do you have to be in these conditions course playing like this?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Probably 4, 5. Unless you are Tiger he can be wherever he wants to be and still make a run but we don't count him. I'd say 4 or 5, if you go out and shoot 66 or 7 that's 6 or 5, actually, but 3-under -- what is leading?
Q. 9.
ROCCO MEDIATE: So yeah, I'd say 4-, 5-under something like that. Who knows.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's go through your birdies. Started out with birdie on No. 1.
ROCCO MEDIATE: Good drive and wedge about six feet.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Birdie No. 6.
ROCCO MEDIATE: 3-wood, 9-iron about ten feet.
7 driver 4-iron about six feet.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: No. 11.
ROCCO MEDIATE: 11 I pitched it out, hit it short of the front bunker, hit ridiculous pitch up there about four feet, made it.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 13.
ROCCO MEDIATE: Did I birdie -- 13, bogeyed. Yeah, I 3-putted. That pin was -- I mean, to get it on that tier was kind of lucky but I just aimed a little bit left. It went down. I 3-putted from about 30 feet.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 16.
ROCCO MEDIATE: I hit a driver and 4-iron about 30 feet and 2-putted. Left of the hole.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 18.
ROCCO MEDIATE: I hit it in the water. Boo-boo. I made a boo-boo. But I made -- then I hit a 5-iron in middle of the green 2-putted. Well short middle, but down below.
Q. You hit some of your best shots this week on some of the toughest holes - shot yesterday on 18 and the shot today on 7. You played 14 halfway decent. Is that characteristics of you out here?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah, I enjoy the harder holes and I just -- like I said, you got to bear down on every -- it just never ends. It's relentless out there. You get through a -- 17, like then you get to 18, here we go again, you get like 30 seconds to rest. It just comes up and hits you again, it is all day. I enjoy the harder holes, I always have. I like hitting my long clubs and it's just this course brings it out of you.
Q. Expect extra energy from the hometown crowd tomorrow?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Probably. There's a bunch today. There's a few mad at me because I couldn't stop and sign autographs because I had to come here. They probably won't be happy. There's nothing I can do.
Q. If you think -- if you had never won a tournament yet and you were in the position on top of this leaderboard what would you be thinking going into a Sunday round? How hard would it be to try focus and getting everything right?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I'd be really more nervous than I will be tomorrow. I will have some nerves which is good, but I would be more because I won't know what to expect because I had been close here before -- anyway, I remember when I had a chance my first -- when that was -- I was pretty nervous, but I am pretty high strung as it is, so I probably was more so than the others. But if those two guys just figure on what got them where they are, how they get to 9-under, whatever they finish, then just do it again. Easier said then done but that's how it has to be done.
Q. Regardless of where you finish tomorrow is there a certain sense of satisfaction that this is the best you played near five years after doing so well earlier in your career?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Yes, it is because I am back to where I feel as good as I did before I got hurt right now. I haven't had any problems for like seven or eight -- four, five months now which is huge. And I feel like I can keep doing this if I want. Two years ago I didn't know that I could. Actually last November I didn't know that I could. But now I know that I can because I have done some things and that's the satisfying -- I mean, yeah I have played good here a few times but it has been since 96 I think was my last time I played good at all. Finished third or fourth or something right.
Q. Right. Do you know when your last round in the 60s was here?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I do not. I have no idea. I know 96 I put two good ones on them on the weekend though. Can use one of those tomorrow.
Q. 6 birdies in a row.
ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah that would be good. That would about take care of everything.
Q. You keep joking about calling yourself a part-time player 22 times. Is that by choice?
ROCCO MEDIATE: By choice.
Q. Physical reasons?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Well --
Q. How has that helped or made a difference in your career?
ROCCO MEDIATE: It's by choice, I still wish I could do better, with my boys and my wife, I don't -- I don't want to play 25 or 6 or 7 events or spend eight hours a day practicing.
I love what I do. Love it. And I put lots of time in too. It is not like I just don't do anything, but I still feel like I should be around more. Especially at their ages, see what you guys are getting me into. And it's a choice. I am not limited physically anymore at all. But I just -- I try to get out as much as I put in but I get more. I have been able to hit my ball good always. And I think I get away with a lot more than other people do because I have that. Where I suffer is putting. Not all the time but, you know, sometimes, but yeah it's definitely by choice. I am definitely a part-time player and my wife and I joke about that but it's true.
Q. Any one or two highlights you were glad you were home for just this year?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Just going to the first day of school new school, there's so many things, teeth falling out here, there.
Q. Yours?
ROCCO MEDIATE: Not mine. Not yet but I don't have much time for that especially with Rocco. Just hanging around watching them do their thing, and taking them for rides. That's what -- I don't know, I'd rather do that then spend eight hours a day everyday. I spend my eight hours when they are in school I practice.
Q. Phil 5 putted 10th green today.
ROCCO MEDIATE: Easy to do in that spot.
Q. Do you feel like it's not all that surprising?
ROCCO MEDIATE: If you can get the ball and start missing them they keep going 3, four feet by. Then they go back. There's spike marks. Then you are toast. That's what I mean, it doesn't stop there. I mean especially that pin, that green was dead back there. It was dead when I went through. So he just -- it happens. I love Phil's interviews yesterday they were spectacular, I thought.
Q. Are you close with the other players that reside in Ponte Vedra; is there any sort of kind of bragging rights involved with if you were to finish the top local player?
ROCCO MEDIATE: No, we're all kind of -- just practice -- we're back there sometimes, and some of us are good friends; some of us are friends or acquaintances but there's a one of us here, no. There's none of that going on not that I know of.
End of FastScripts....
