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FBR OPEN

February 4, 2005

Hank Kuehne

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Hank Kuehne, thank you for joining us. Good first two rounds for you this week, 69-68. I'm sure it's nice to get off to a good start and head into the weekend on a positive note. If you'd like to just start with some opening comments, a good first two days for you.

HANK KUEHNE: I played pretty solid golf both days, still felt like I kind of left a few shots out there, but everybody does.

I mean, the way things had been going in previous weeks, I mean, it's definitely been working a lot on my golf swing, changing equipment, ball. Basically I got 14 new clubs this year and a new teacher, new everything else. So it's difficult -- everything is finally starting to kind of fall into place and starting to play better golf.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Was there any point where you just started feeling better, maybe on the range this week or just during practice rounds.

HANK KUEHNE: It's funny, I felt great last week and I didn't manage to break par when they were shooting 35 under par there at the Hope.

Coming into this week, I felt pretty good with everything, and I just continued to work hard and go out and play. The golf course scores aren't going to be really low this week. I think today is probably going to be your lowest scoring day of any day I would think, so just basically shoot a couple under par every day, you'll be just fine.

Q. You haven't been exactly in line to get the Mr. Consistent award this season.

HANK KUEHNE: I've been consistently over par.

Q. Has it been -- you said you changed teachers. Has it been that that's kicked in or getting new clubs or just getting on a course like that you like?

HANK KUEHNE: It's a little bit of everything. I mean, I started out -- this was my first tournament last year, so all the tournaments that I played earlier in the year, I hadn't been to any of them, so this is the first time I've seen a lot of the golf courses, especially making -- I used my equipment for five years, and I'm making a change there. It definitely takes a little bit of time to get used to things.

In the off season at home, everything is pretty easy, but coming out and actually playing competitive golf, you've got to get used to your equipment, and I'm very happy with what I have, with Top Flite. I think everything is really good. It's just taking a little bit of time to get used to. My swing has changed dramatically in the last four months.

I've been working with Butch, and everything is on the right track. It's just this game isn't exactly an overnight fix.

Q. When did you start with him, and how long did it take to really start getting comfortable?

HANK KUEHNE: I started with him in September, end of September, and everything -- you know, I was very comfortable with Butch from the first time I was there with him. We had a lot of work to do. So it's been difficult. We've kind of been going in stages and trying to get one piece, and then the next piece, and the next piece, and everything has kind of started to come together, and now I've just got to go out and play with it.

Q. What's been the most dramatic changes you've made, swing plane, or setup, or different positioning?

HANK KUEHNE: I've changed everything. I'd say my swing is at least a foot, maybe even a foot and a half, shorter than it was last year, where the head is.

I mean, that's the biggest difference, just timing. I mean, you swing the golf club a certain length for a certain period of time, and the hardest thing to do is shorten a golf swing and actually have good timing.

When you swing as fast as I do, if you don't have good timing, it's not really going to go very straight.

Q. Do you give up a little bit of length with a shorter swing?

HANK KUEHNE: I mean, minimal, I think, if anything. I think my approach is a bit different now than it has been in the past. I don't hit driver on every hole and just kind of play it from where it ends up. I mean, I try to play golf courses. I hit a lot more irons, hit more 3-wood actions, hit driver when I'm supposed to hit driver instead of kind of hitting driver every hole and figuring out what to do from there.

Q. I was with you watching you when you came through 16. The fellows were chanting your name. How distracting is that when you're in a situation like that, when you're in contention?

HANK KUEHNE: That's part of it. If you don't like it, you don't come play here. People are amazing here, the fans. They must have like a handbook or something to know as much about all the players as they do (laughter). They've got to know something because they know where they went to college, they know their wives' names, where you're from, everybody. I think it's fun. I enjoy it.

It doesn't bother me at all. I mean, I think it's a little nerve-wracking. It makes a 150-yard shot -- you don't want to miss the green, that's for sure. If you miss the green, you don't feel too good and you want to hide under a rock.

Q. Is it possible to block it out?

HANK KUEHNE: Have you been out there (laughter)?

Q. Yes.

HANK KUEHNE: No, it's not. I mean, it's not possible to block it out. I can honestly tell you it's the first time I've ever been at a competitive golf tournament anywhere that they have a microphone so they can tell people to be quiet while you're hitting.

I mean, it's amazing, though. It's fun. I think it makes it pretty exciting. It's exciting for us. All the guys that I've talked to enjoy it.

I mean, towards the end of the day when they get a few too many cocktails, sometimes it gets a little bit out of line, but for the most part it's all harmless, and I think it's kind of fun.

Q. What kind of a shot did you hit there today?

HANK KUEHNE: I hit it about 25 feet just past the pin.

Q. Did they find that satisfactory? They were okay with that shot?

HANK KUEHNE: Kind of halfway. I mean, it was greened, so they were okay with it. It wasn't like a lot of excitement, but it wasn't bad, either.

Q. You said you played here last year. Is this a course you like coming to?

HANK KUEHNE: You know, I think the golf course is good for me. You know, last year I struggled here, played bad the second round, missed the cut, but I think the golf course sets up well for me.

The par 5s, I'm able to take advantage of some of the par 4s, as well, and if I drive the ball well -- you know, I don't remember it being as penal last year off the tee if you missed the fairway.

You know, this year if you miss the fairway on certain holes, you're not going to get it to the green or you've got to get lucky to get it to the green because the rough is so thick and it's pretty long in some places. I mean, it's at least four and a half, five inches pretty much all the way around the course. It's longer in some areas.

So I think you've got to definitely keep it in the fairway.

Q. How have you played 17 the first two rounds, gone for it, laid up? What's your strategy been?

HANK KUEHNE: Yesterday I hit it straight into the wind and I hit a good driver 30 yards short of the green and pitched it about four feet, five feet, made it.

Today I hit it in the water and hit it about five feet, made par.

I mean, today where the pin is there on the right, you really don't want to miss it right of the green because it's almost, I didn't believe, possible to trip, and I was trying to hit a soft cut off the TV tower and I just pulled it.

Q. So you're probably going to keep going for it on the weekend?

HANK KUEHNE: We'll see how it goes, but I highly doubt I will hit an iron on that hole unless it's downwind and it's going to get there. I mean, depending on the wind, even yesterday guys were trying to lay it up. The way the bunkers are, it's a tough layup, so I figure might as well take a crack at it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Can you touch on your round and we'll take one or two final questions? Started out on the front side and had birdies on 3, 5 and 6 right out of the gate.

HANK KUEHNE: 3 is a par 5. I hit it in the rough off the tee to the left and had to lay it up, and then hit a good wedge to about five feet, made that for birdie.

5, I hit driver down the fairway and hit a wedge -- yeah, hit a wedge about 15 feet past the hole, made that.

Then 6, I hit driver off the tee and sand wedge about two feet, made that for birdie.

Bogey on 9, into the desert, into a bush on the left, unplayable, 6-iron to the fringe, two putts for bogey.

11, driver on the fairway, pitching wedge to about 15 feet, made that.

13, that's just a tough hole.

The par 5s I'll hit it down the fairway, hit it at the green and make par or bogey. If I've hit it in the rough I have to lay it up and make birdie every time.

So I hit driver off the tee, 3-iron into the bunker just the front right bunker. There wasn't a lot of sand. I hit it from there over the green, down the hill, putted it about eight feet short and missed.

15, I hit it -- par 5 in the rough off the green, had to lay it up, hit a wedge about five feet, made it for birdie.

Q. Have you checked in at the Birds' Nest this week?

HANK KUEHNE: No, I was sober ten years yesterday.

Q. Well, just for the music, of course.

HANK KUEHNE: No, I've been sober for ten years and I've been married for three, so that's not a place that I need to go.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks, Hank.

End of FastScripts.

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