ADVIL WESTERN OPEN

July 5, 2002

Jonathan Byrd

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Jonathan Byrd, thank you for joining us today, 2nd round 68, currently tied for 2nd. Kind of an interesting round. Followed up a bogey with an eagle on 15 and then made a great save on 18. If you could, maybe talk about your save on 18. That must have been a great way to end your day and go into the weekend.

JONATHAN BYRD: It was. Just like yesterday, came into the last hole and hit a poor tee shot right. Yesterday I was in the bunker like today, only I was on the lip, so I just chipped out and had an uphill putt and just hit a good putt, so it was very nice to end the day with a par instead of a bogey.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Talk about your expectations for the weekend. You probably haven't been in this position at this level, but obviously you played in the Buy.com Tour and in college you've been in this position. Just talk about your expectations.

JONATHAN BYRD: My main expectations are just to hit a lot of fairways and keep hitting a lot of greens, controlling my trajectory pretty well with my irons. My distance control has been pretty good, and I just have to keep doing. Expectations about winning and all that stuff, I can't think about that right now. It's too soon. So just keep playing good golf and try to get in a position.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'll take some questions now.

Q. You said, you know, you have had experience at being at the top of the leader board, but all of these other guys up there are guys who have won a lot. How do you put that out of your mind and kind of focus on your game?

JONATHAN BYRD: Of course, they've been there and that's an advantage for anybody, but tomorrow is a new day and, you know, what we've done in the past doesn't affect what we do tomorrow. So I've got to just expect great things of myself over the weekend and try to accomplish them and don't worry about results and all that stuff because it's not going to help. So I just try to stay relaxed. You know, if I stay relaxed and stay in the moment, you know, I'm going to play good golf.

Q. As you go into this weekend, can you think of a comparable situation you've been in, Buy.com or college or something?

JONATHAN BYRD: Let's see. I was in a good position in Boise, Idaho, last year. I think I was tied for the lead going into the last round with the final group -- or going into the weekend also. And Buy.com Tour in Greenville, South Carolina, I had a chance to win going into Sunday. It's all about getting the right frame of mind. It's Saturday, you know. I can't win the golf tournament tomorrow. There's just going to be so much excitement and so much emotion, it's just a matter of control and having fun. You know, if I enjoy myself, I can't go wrong.

Q. Were you worried that having an afternoon tee time at the course would be firm and you would miss some of the advantage the other guys had?

JONATHAN BYRD: No. I want to play this golf course the way it's supposed to be played, whether for the early guys it was easier. It's more of a challenge. And working this week, I knew I was going to hit on firm greens, and you have to control your flights and distances. That's what's fun. I want it to play difficult. It was nice to get a little breeze today because you have to control your shots. Those two par 3s on the back 9, you had to control your shot and it was fun.

Q. Is there something about the way the course is playing today (inaudible) and, I don't know, 15, 20 guys within 2 or 3 shots of each other. Was there something, the way the course was set up or the way it was playing, that caused this traffic jam?

JONATHAN BYRD: I don't know. The greens never got tremendously fast, and obviously they're soft so, you know, if you're hitting good iron shots, you can really get aggressive on the greens. I don't know what it played like this morning. I was asleep when they were teeing off, so I don't know if it was breezy this morning, but the breeze this afternoon made it a bit more difficult. And who knows why it's punched up, you know, whether a lot of guys played well or -- I guess that's the reason.

Q. You missed a lot of cuts earlier in the year. What's been the big adjustment? What's got you playing so well recently?

JONATHAN BYRD: I think the biggest adjustment is not trying. My worst attribute sometimes is when things start to go bad, I try harder and harder and harder, and that can backfire on you. It's a good trait, but it's also a bad trait. And I missed the cut the last two weeks, and I have no idea why. I was playing well. It's just a matter of playing your way, and sometimes you have to not try, just relax and have fun and let it happen. I think that's what I've done well this week and the few times I've played well. But when I've missed cuts, I'm making too many mistakes, too much pressure, too many mistakes.

Q. Specifically, what have you done this week? Does that include not only on the course but the amount of practice time and stuff? What have you done differently?

JONATHAN BYRD: Well, this week I got here -- I missed the cut so I got here Saturday. I got 9 in Sunday and played the Pro Am Monday and got a good day's work in. And Tuesday I worked all day. You know, I played 18 holes early and practiced for a couple hours, so I kind of got my work done on Tuesday and I took Wednesday off. You know, I had worked pretty hard leading up to Thursdays in the past, and so I decided I was going to take Wednesday off and get my mind right, and that's what I did. I think that helped me going into the first round because I was in a good state of mind, really relaxed.

Q. So what did you do Wednesday?

JONATHAN BYRD: I had planned -- I was going to go to malls and go to a movie and do all these things, but actually, I did an interview here about midday, I slept till 10 and I went to the mall and, you know, just did nothing. It's nice not to have a schedule every once in a while.

Q. What did you buy?

JONATHAN BYRD: I bought a couple protein shakes at GNC, bought a card for my fiance because she was arriving that night, and that was about it. I had a good dinner. That was about it.

Q. There have been 9 first-time winners this year, does that give you confidence as you look at the names on the leader board that it can be done?

JONATHAN BYRD: I think so. Watching Kuchar win -- I don't know all the 9, but the young guys like Kuchar and guys from last year, you know, the young guys are better than they were 5 years ago and we are -- we're able to contend, we're able to win out here. I think Tiger has shown a lot of young guys that you can do it, so it's just a different mind-set than it was 10 years ago. So we're just going to go out there and try to win.

Q. Were you brought up thinking that you really have to pay your dues and play a long time before you can start getting some wins and getting in contention?

JONATHAN BYRD: That's the way my life has been, the whole stretch. I think last year on the Buy.com Tour was the only time I won early. Other than that, it's been a struggle in college and high school golf to gradually improve. But there's no reason you can't get to the top quick. Guys like David Gossett have done that and Charles Howell, and sometimes you need that, just a different mind-set, a different viewpoint and it changes the whole ball game.

Q. What's been the highlight of your year so far this year, either on or off the course?

JONATHAN BYRD: Maybe that chip-in on 15 today. That was nice.

Q. Tell us about that hole (15).

JONATHAN BYRD: Well, Greensboro was my biggest highlight this year. I came in the last day and it was breezy, a little more breezy than it was today, and I came from the maybe 20th or so place to finish 3rd and made my biggest check of the year, and that was the best experience because I played just really good golf.

But today, 15, I had a really good drive. I think I told this -- no, I didn't. I hit a good drive down the middle to 206 and hit a 6-iron pin high to the thick rough, but I was only 15 steps from the hole, and I had a kind of into-the-grain, grassy lie and made good contact and it just came out perfect and trickled into the edge.

Q. Were you thinking about making that when you set up for it or not?

JONATHAN BYRD: I thought I had a chance, but I was mainly worried about controlling my distance and having a good contact out of the rough.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: What did you hit for your second shot out of there?

JONATHAN BYRD: 6-iron.

Q. You sailed you like playing in the green and you like firm greens. Is that what you consider your strongest point? Is that why you can kind of make a mark for yourself in those conditions?

JONATHAN BYRD: I haven't hit the ball that well this year. I've struggled with my irons the most. I just like a good challenge. I think all of us do. We want it to play difficult, we want it to play hard. But I have a little bit more speed in my golf swing which enables me to hit a few more shots, put a little more spin on the ball, so I feel I have a little bit of an advantage the firmer the greens are and the firmer the course plays. That's why I want it to play difficult.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If you could, real quick go over the rest of your birdies, No. 9?

JONATHAN BYRD: 9, I hit a mediocre drive on the right side, and I had I think 271 to the front and hit a good 3-wood in the front bunker, which is kind of where I was trying to hit it, and hit it out to about 5 feet and made it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 11 and 12?

JONATHAN BYRD: 11, I hit a good drive and was kind of behind the trees on the left side of the fairway and just hit a high 5-wood over the trees, short right of the green and pitched it up there about 5 feet and made that.

12, I hit a great 5-iron, good trajectory, and hit it 15 feet behind the hole to the left, right where I was trying to hit it, and made the putt.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: And then on 14?

JONATHAN BYRD: 14, I was trying to hit the same shot I did on 12 only with a 4-iron and I just -- I hit it right and had a difficult chip and missed about a 12 -- 15-footer for par.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Couple more questions? Thank you very much?

JONATHAN BYRD: Thank you.

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