CHAD CAMPBELL: You know what, surprisingly, the golf course was in tremendous shape. The fairways didn't even hardly look like it rained. And the greens, you know, they were a little bit softer. The staff did a great job or whether the course drains did or a little bit of both but it's in good shape.
Q. Were you able to fire at pins today?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah, the greens were definitely a little bit softer. You could hit it up in there. They are maybe starting to firm out a little bit when we got done, but definitely pretty receptive.
Q. Davis suggested maybe they let you off at the member's course.
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah (laughing) it was a good day, that's for sure. For sure. I'd like to get three more of these days.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Did it make it easier having the ball in your hand today?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I think so, a little bit. I didn't get that much mud on my ball, though. I don't know if I would have had enough mud on there to actually affect a shot or not.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Birdies and bogeys, bogey on 10 to start the day.
CHAD CAMPBELL: Bogey on 10. Hit 3-wood right and then left it short of the green and chipped up and missed about a 20-footer.
Birdie on 13 was driver, 6-iron to eight feet.
15, 7-iron to at least 25 feet.
16, drove it down the middle, hit 5-iron just over the pin long to a collection area and chipped it past about six feet and missed it.
JOE CHEMYCZ: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9.
CHAD CAMPBELL: 1 was driver, 60-degree wedge to six, seven feet.
2 was driver, sand wedge to about six feet.
4, driver, pitching wedge to ten feet.
6, driver, 3-iron, 9-iron to about six feet, five feet.
8, 3-iron to about 25, 30 feet.
9 was driver, 7-iron probably 15 feet.
Q. Having a five-shot lead, are you surprised to shoot this low score or are you surprised to have this lead so far early in the day?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I think so. The course is definitely playing tough but you know you still have chances to score out there. You just need to make the putts, and fortunately enough I was able to make those today.
Q. Because of the conditions, does it seem like an even better score than it is?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah, maybe. So especially after what we were warming up in this morning. That was pretty brutal this morning.
Q. What was that like warming up?
CHAD CAMPBELL: It was cold. It was freezing. You know, it got better, though, out there and I think the wind has let down just a little bit. So it definitely didn't get easy.
Q. Were you thinking 64 on the range then?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Not really, no, I wasn't. It just kind of happened that way. So, you know, I knew it was going to be a tough day on the range and I was telling the other guys earlier that, you know, first probably six, seven holes I was just trying to be patient, you know. And I just bogeyed the first hole and just knew it was going to be a long day, and I knew that I would be able to get some birdie chances, just had to be patient with it. So I was patient, and then I held that shot on 17, which was my eighth hole, and kind of got things going.
Q. Can you talk about the Ryder Cup and what that experience was like for and you how much that's played a role in your development out here?
CHAD CAMPBELL: It was an awesome experience, the outcome was not what we wanted, but just the whole atmosphere of being a part of the team that's representing your country is pretty awesome. You know, you stand on the first tee with everybody yelling "USA," that's a great feeling. It's something that you can't -- no other tournament can prepare you for.
People were trying to tell me that before I got there and I finally realized it when I stepped up on the first tee. Definitely, that was a big goal of mine to make the team last year and after making it, you know, definitely want to be back on the next team in '06.
Q. You took a large step up in class, winning, Ryder Cup player, how does that affect your goals, the way you view yourself, your confidence?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I don't really look at myself any different than before. I mean, I don't know, I guess I don't get caught up in everything. I just kind of go about my business and take care of what I need to do and work on the things I need to work on.
You know, that's all I can think about and that's all I control, so that's the only thing I do. I mean, I don't really know how to put it in perspective, but I don't really think about things like that too much like what -- I guess what I am, you know, what I've done and stuff like that. I'm just trying to win the next tournament that I play in.
Q. What was your reaction when SI same out with that article and the photo and how much grief have you taken over that?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I thought it was great. It was great for me, great to get my name out to a lot of people that didn't know who I was. So, you know, at the time it was great.
Looking back on it, I can't think of anything negative about it. A lot of people asked if it put a lot of pressure on me, and I don't think it really affected me at all like that. I think it was definitely positives that came from the article.
Q. So are you still the next big thing or are you now Ryder Cupper and PGA TOUR winner?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I don't know what I am. I'm just trying to put three more good days together here.
Q. You're one of those guys that can go low and keep going low, you don't back off, and a lot of guys can't do that out here. How are you able to do that? When you get in a groove, it seems like you can't stop.
CHAD CAMPBELL: I don't know. I don't know how to explain how you can just do it. I mean, there's times when -- I think it all comes off of confidence. I was telling the guys earlier, playing a little bit better at L.A. and playing better at The Match Play definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into this week.
I didn't play last week. Being rested and just being mentally ready to play, I think that helps you a lot. If you're out there and you get tired, it's hard to keep things going. So when you're mentally fresh I think it makes it a lot easier. But to have the secret, I don't know. I don't really have the secret to that.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Chad, thanks. Play well the rest of the week.
End of FastScripts.
