JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 27, 2002

J.P. Hayes

TODD BUDNICK: J.P. Hayes, 67 today co-leader 18-under 195. JP after a par, par, par, par, par -- (laughs) start, you got hot there at the end. Tell us about today.

J.P. HAYES: Well, it played much more difficult today. The wind was blowing quite a bit harder than it has all week. The course was much softer, so it played a lot longer than it has all week. It was difficult. I hung tough with some good pars, and the first 13 holes, the putts that I made were all for -- I think I made two or three good putts for par. And gave myself a lot of birdie chances and didn't make any of those, so it was good in one respect. But a little disappointing that the birdie putts weren't falling, but then at the end, just really started to click. Started hitting it close, made some real good putts.

TODD BUDNICK: Seems like history has shown it's very hard for players to shoot another low score after that -- you know, a 61, days like that, you seemed to hang in there...

J.P. HAYES: Yeah, it was. I really didn't think about yesterday at all. It was two different golf courses and today, you know, today anything under par was really a pretty good score. It played quite difficult at the beginning, just tried to putt that 61 out of my mind.

Q. Did the conditions lay down a little bit out there later in the day to make it easier or not?

J.P. HAYES: It did lay down a little bit on the back nine. Especially the last, I would say, three or four holes. Beginning on the back nine it was still blowing fairly decent, but we did get a break definitely in there on the last few holes.

Q. How important was that, I mean, to put the distance that you put, you and Robert have put distance between yourselves and the rest of the field, how does that impact tomorrow?

J.P. HAYES: Well, every shot is important and I definitely wanted to be in the last group. I thought that was probably my biggest goal today was to stay tight with the lead and be in the last group. I feel like I have a pretty good chance tomorrow. I think it will be a lot of fun. I don't know how much -- I didn't really look at the leaderboards. I don't know how much distance there is but hopefully we open it up a little bit.

Q. Three shots.

J.P. HAYES: That helps. Every shot helps.

Q. Yesterday you said you hadn't made a lot of birdies in the last month or so. Yesterday you (inaudible) today was a different mindset. Could you sense almost immediately there was a different -- you played more conservative during that long stretch of pars?

J.P. HAYES: Because of what I shot yesterday?

Q. Because of the conditions, did you play more conservatively, that's what it looks like on the leaderboard, or was it because just didn't make the putts that you made yesterday?

J.P. HAYES: It was more difficult getting the ball close today. And then you were just going to hit some little shots here and there. It was difficult to judge the wind. It was inconsistent in direction and velocity, so it was just two totally different days. I played -- I didn't feel like I played conservatively. But at times, you know, the middle of the green was a good shot. And you really didn't have any choice.

Q. Did you more or less rachet back your aggression a notch or two? Did you have to?

J.P. HAYES: I had to, yeah. I just knew that it was -- it would have been easy to start making mistakes and suddenly, you know, shoot yourself right out of it and par meant a lot more today so...

Q. When is the last time you went to bed on Saturday with a lead and how do you plan on handling that?

J.P. HAYES: Honda Classic 2000. I played quite well there too on Sunday. Dudley Hart birdied the last four holes there to beat me by a shot there. But, no, I feel very comfortable in this position. I dearly want to win another golf tournament and I am going to give it my best tomorrow and beyond that there's nothing I can do tomorrow.

Q. Do you remember what you shot at Honda?

TODD BUDNICK: 70.

Q. Did it ever get frustrating out there today with all those pars?

J.P. HAYES: I tried really hard to not let it get that way, but I hit two really good shots on 13 and hit a great putt and it just caught part of the hole and lipped out and that was probably the first time that I just let out a little bit of frustration, but it wasn't going to affect the way I played coming in then fortunately I got one to fall in on the next hole. Kind of calmed me down a little bit.

Q. Is there a Sunday-in-the-last-group kind of approach that's different from Friday, Saturday or Thursday?

J.P. HAYES: I don't think so. I think the scores are going to be low, so you kind have got to keep doing what we have been doing, making a lot of birdies and I can make birdies from anywhere on these greens, I am putting well, so I don't have to be aggressive on every shot. A lot of greens tomorrow I think will be a good plan for me.

Q. How much will weather dictate what happens tomorrow? How much will nerves dictate what happens tomorrow?

J.P. HAYES: I think the weather is going to be the biggest factor. I will be excited to play. I don't think I will be -- I guess I will be nervous if nervous and excited are the same thing, kind of. But it's something that I am really looking forward to. It not going to be a bad nervous.

Q. It is going to be particularly interesting with you and Robert in the last group tied going into Sunday. Is it kind of a mano, mano thing or do you have to avoid that?

J.P. HAYES: I have to avoid it. I do anyway. It's just that doesn't work too well for me when I get caught up in what somebody else is doing. Like today, things happen so quickly out here, and especially on this golf course it can happen very quickly, so you just can't ever give up and add them up when you get finished.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's go threw those 4 birdies.

J.P. HAYES: 14, hit a sand wedge to about 15 feet and made it.

Then 16 I hit a 7-iron to about four feet. Made that.

And 17, after laying up, I hit a pitching wedge to about 15 feet. Made that.

Then 18, hit a 4-iron to 12, 15 feet. Made that one. All pretty similar putts actually.

Q. It was a pretty good stretch you guys put on the back stretch, with the show of birdies...

J.P. HAYES: It was fun for me just to get it going with the -- after hitting a lot of good putts and not seeing any of them go in. It was fun regardless of what he was doing just to see some birdies on the card.

Q. Where were some of your better chances for birdies on the front side?

J.P. HAYES: I hit it fairly close on 3, probably 10, twelve feet there.

5, I had a reasonable putt from about 20 feet.

7, I hit -- I had it about twelve feet.

8, again, about 12, 15 feet. And then 10, I missed it from about five feet. So some pretty realistic chances there.

Q. Something awry with the putter?

J.P. HAYES: No, just one of those things. I hit good putts a lot of times and they just didn't go in. After seeing them all fall yesterday I was easy to get disturbed. All you can do is hit good putts and then try again on the next hole. They started falling. It was nothing with the putter.

Q. It is remarkable how well you are playing, (inaudible) basically the lowest 18 holes on Tour this year yesterday, you still had 4, 5 lip-outs, this week in the first three round, it is (inaudible) you could be even lower than you are?

J.P. HAYES: Could be. But I guess we all could be, but, yeah, if everything had gone in -- but I know what you mean, but I certainly I am not going to get greedy at this point.

Q. I guess what I mean, the fact that you had that many opportunities plus the near-misses, is that indicative of how well you are playing tee-to-green?

J.P. HAYES: Yeah, just had so many chances in these past 54 holes that you know, there's going to be some missed putts from 5 and ten feet because there's just so many chances, you just can't make them all.

Q. You seem a bit drained?

J.P. HAYES: I feel great. I feel wonderful. I did the same thing I did yesterday, a bottle of water a hole actually two on one hole today so 19 bottles of water today. Yesterday I had 18 bottles of water. It makes a big difference. I try to drink a lot. But when you are really -- don't feel dehydrated -- when it is not hot like this you don't drink that much. But it's just one of those things we have to do out here because it was pretty hot today.

Q. Was it because you were parched because of the situation?

J.P. HAYES: No, just didn't want to -- I didn't want to let it catch up with me. Just always stay ahead of that dehydration. Because once you feel dehydrated it is kind of too late to make that up.

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