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CHRYSLER CHAMPIONSHIP

October 29, 2004

Jonathan Byrd

PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: We thank Jonathan Byrd after his second consecutive 66, brings him to 10-under through two rounds here at the Chrysler Championship.

Let's talk about your day. Looks like a couple birdies and bogeys on the front but then ran off five birdies on the back to finish. Nice round for you today.

JONATHAN BYRD: Thanks. I obviously played the back really well, shooting 31 yesterday and 30 today, so I played some outstanding golf the last two days.

TODD BUDNICK: Talk about the season. You picked up your second win at the BC Open earlier. Has it been a successful year for you with the win?

JONATHAN BYRD: Yeah, I think so. I always look back and find areas of improvement, but I went through a surgery earlier this year, so I was out for about six weeks, so it's been a really -- you know, I've finished probably higher on the Money List in past years, but from a rewarding standpoint, it's been really rewarding to be playing really poorly and then going through a surgery and now playing the best golf I've ever played in my life.

Q. Can you take us through what the surgery was for and when you were out?

JONATHAN BYRD: I played the first three events poorly, and I went and saw my trainer in Vegas the week of San Diego. I pulled out of San Diego, and he told me he wanted me to go see a specialist because he saw some problems, and I saw a specialist in Pittsburgh named Dr. Mark Phillip Vaughn on Wednesday, and I had surgery Friday the 13th.

Q. That would have been, what, March?

JONATHAN BYRD: February. Then I was out for --

Q. What was it for?

JONATHAN BYRD: Sorry, two tears in my right labrum around my hip, so they fixed those and tightened up my hip, a very quick recovery. I was back in five and a half weeks and played the TPC, Players Championship, had a week off, then played The Masters, played poorly. My game was okay, I just didn't play well.

But it took a while for my endurance to come back. You know, my game has been good all year, it's just been a slow process.

Q. When you were about to have that surgery, were you having any thoughts of "I might not ever come back the same," or were they reassuring to you that you were going to be better after this?

JONATHAN BYRD: I mean, yeah, I was -- my body was strong, like all my muscles are strong, which helped with the surgery. But no, never any worries really. I just went into the surgery just knowing whatever happens happens, and I didn't look into applying for a medical because I thought I was only going to be out six weeks. My whole goal was being ready for The Masters. I played; I don't know if I was 100 percent ready, but I've just been trying to get back since.

Q. Was there a point when you started to feel more comfortable in recovering from the injury?

JONATHAN BYRD: I was comfortable the first tournament I came back, I just had to keep working hard and kind of build my endurance and get stronger and keep working on my game. The hardest part was I couldn't practice a whole lot. I couldn't really practice a lot after tournaments. I usually spend a good time at the range and work on my game, but I've felt comfortable ever since, and then to come back and win a tournament, the BC, when my year was going poorly from a Money List standpoint, and then to get a win and have some more good finishes to this point.

Q. A lot of guys have a lot to play for this week with the various -- the Top 30, Top 125. You're not really -- you're in the middle there. Is there anything that you're trying to accomplish other than just winning?

JONATHAN BYRD: I think winning is somewhat secondary for me this week. I sat down with my coach, Kirk Lucas, and my caddie, Chuck Hirsch, sat me down at 84 Lumber and kind of gave me a talking-to and just really wanted to impress on me that my demeanor needed to get better on the golf course; not that I was making a fool of myself, but when you get down on yourself and get frustrated, you make it harder on yourself.

Since then I've been really focusing on my demeanor to get you through those periods where you have little funks during a round, and then just to have more fun on the golf course. When I do that, I play good golf. I finished 3rd that week at 84 Lumber, so it worked, and I've been playing well ever since.

It's an example today. I played great golf, but I had periods where I've struggled on this golf course, and I've come out of those very well.

Q. Anything about here that you like or that surprises you? There's been a lot of low scores in two days. It didn't seem like it would yield as many.

JONATHAN BYRD: This course is not that easy, especially 9-under. I've played really well. I mean, I think guys like this golf course because it's challenging. It's an awesome golf course. You know, the wind kind of swirls a little bit here. You've got to shape your tee shots, hit draws, hit fades and hit shots into greens, and the rough is miserable, absolutely miserable, so your game has got to be good. You cannot fake it around this golf course and shoot good scores. Tiger might be able to, but most of us can't.

So you've got to hit fairways and greens, and that's what I've been doing pretty well to this point.

TODD BUDNICK: Can we go through your card?

JONATHAN BYRD: Birdie on 2. I've played 2 4-under in the last two years. I'm pretty proud of that. I hit a nice 3-wood and 8-iron about ten feet underneath the hole.

Bogey on 3, I hit a bad iron shot on 3 in the right bunker and hit a good bunker shot, missed about a six-footer.

Then bogey on 8, hit a poor iron shot in the left rough, didn't hit a good pitch, made bogey.

Then I looked at my caddie on 9 tee and told him, I said, "You know, I'm better than this, the way I've been playing," and I hit a great tee shot off 9, hit it about two feet.

Then 10, left rough, hit it about two feet.

Made about a 20-footer for birdie on the par 5, 11th, and that really kick-started my round.

Then I made two great up-and-downs on 12, and awesome on 13. I hit it way left of the green, kind of dead, made about a 12-footer for par.

Then a pretty easy birdie on the par 5, hit it on the back fringe and two-putted.

Then watched Mathias Gronberg dunk it for a car on the par 3. He hits a shot and it's halfway there and he didn't say, "Get in the hole," he says, "Car," so we know what's on his mind. Then I made about a 25-footer for birdie there.

I kind of had a standing bet with my caddie at 84 Lumber and here; we played the last hole for a bet, for a birdie. I win if I make birdie, and if I don't, he wins. I think I made two birdies on 18 at 84 Lumber. I birdied it on Sunday, and I've birdied the last hole the last two days.

Q. You're killing your caddie.

JONATHAN BYRD: So I'm getting in his pocket a little bit.

Q. Do you remember what you hit in on 9, 10 and 11?

JONATHAN BYRD: 9, I hit 9-iron, a little low-flighted cut.

10, out of the rough I hit a low punch 9-iron.

11, I hit it in the rough, pitched out and hit lob wedge on the fringe.

TODD BUDNICK: How long was the putt on 18?

JONATHAN BYRD: About 12 feet right above the hole, down grain, downhill.

Q. Are there any circumstance where somebody could get to No. 5 in two shots? Does the tee have to be up?

JONATHAN BYRD: Yeah, I think guys got there yesterday. The wind was not helping today, and it was a little wet because it was early, and I nailed a tee shot and I think I had 290 front. So today was like -- if you get within 275 you can get there, 280. It's a nasty hole location there today.

Q. Is it smart, though, even, not being able to see it?

JONATHAN BYRD: It's one of the best par 5s I've ever played. It's a tough tee shot, and then you've just got so many options hitting your second shot. You know, I just don't feel like there's a lot of birdies on this golf course at times, especially when it gets firm and fast. I think that's an opportunity if you can hit a good tee shot.

TODD BUDNICK: Thanks, Jonathan.

End of FastScripts.

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