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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2006

Kenneth Ferrie

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK

Q. Your thoughts on tomorrow. You're playing with Phil Mickelson, final pairing of a U.S. Open. It's got to be pretty heavy stuff.

KENNETH FERRIE: Yeah, it is. It's something I've never done before, kind of the first time I've ever contended, being up there in a major, full stop. So it's going to be an experience, hopefully a good one. We'll see come tomorrow. We'll see come tomorrow.

Q. Plenty of great European players that are playing over here now, and the U.S. crowds know them, media. You're not that well-known over here. Are you feeling that the crowd is getting to know you and giving you a good reception?

KENNETH FERRIE: Yeah, I think so. I'm a -- well, I think I'm a likeable guy. A lot of people might say the opposite. I'm down-to-earth, you can see the emotions, I've always figured that's what people like to see. I'm just like any other normal guy. I'm from a normal family in England. I'm just fortunate I'm good at golf, that's what I am and I think a lot of people can relate to that.

Q. Can you talk about your putts on 18?

KENNETH FERRIE: There was three of them. I missed two, holed the third one (laughter).

No, I had a great tee shot down there, and I've taken driver down the left side, and just got really bad yardage, 140-yard to that front flag there. I've gone with a 9-iron and hit it just a little bit too good, and left myself a really awkward two-putt. The first putt wasn't -- the crowd seemed as though they could have done a bit better. I wasn't too upset when I hit me first putt. The second one just kind of bounced and bobbled. Never really had a chance, to be honest. Just a poor way -- not a poor way, but a sad way to finish, but, I mean, 71 in the third round of a major is never bad.

Q. Were there any surprises in terms of the course and your game, suited your eye today?

KENNETH FERRIE: My hole games is best on fairways and greens. That's been my game. That's my game in general. I don't overpower golf courses as Tiger and Phil are capable of doing. When we play it's kind of a plot me way out, compare myself nowhere near as good, but kind of a Jim Furyk sort of position, thinking your way around the golf course.

The golf course at the start of the week did look very good for my sort of game. I've said this the last three or four days when I've been interviewed. I'm a huge fan of the golf course. I think the way they've graded the course is absolutely superb. I haven't heard anybody really have any bad words to say about it. If you miss a fairway by few yards, you have a chance to play a shot.

Q. Mickelson, have you ever (inaudible)?

KENNETH FERRIE: Yeah, he's all right, isn't he? Not a bad little player either. Yeah, obviously Phil is a huge fan favorite. I'm a big fan of Phil's as well. He's great for golf, he's, they way he plays, the kind of style he used to use, crowd favorite, no doubt. I've bumped into him a couple times back in Europe, few times, said hello. Whether he'd remember me, I don't know. I've ran into him.

Q. You being the underdog tomorrow, playing alongside him?

KENNETH FERRIE: You think so?

Q. (Inaudible)?

KENNETH FERRIE: I was just saying, somebody told me I was the man to be with on the course. I'm guessing Phil's a bigger man.

Q. (Inaudible) playing with that kind of gallery and can you feed off of something like that?

KENNETH FERRIE: Yeah, if -- it all depends on how I start. If I get off to a nice start, bit of a roll and the crowd gets behind me, and Phil is playing well and crowd gets behind him, of course you'll feed off that, obviously. If things aren't going so good, it's a totally different situation. I've played pretty well all week and I can only assume the I'm going to go out there and do the same tomorrow.

Q. You're a self-professed humble guy, regular guy certainly anything but a regular stage that you're going to be out on tomorrow. How important is it to you to go out there and to be seen on a really on a global stage and sort of get yourself known to the US galleries?

KENNETH FERRIE: Obviously, I'm in the game of golf to be as good as I can be, and obviously America is the biggest stage for that. And if I can become a household name over in America, then I must be doing something right. That's kind of the plan.

Q. Any desire to play over on this side?

KENNETH FERRIE: Yeah, I would love to play over here. I don't think it would be full-time. Kind of same sort of schedule that a lot of the European play, half and half. I'm going to support the European Tour. It's where I started playing and, I mean, like I said I wouldn't be where I was today.

Q. It's been 36 years since a European won the U.S. Open. Any special pressure that comes with tomorrow or pride to carry that flag?

KENNETH FERRIE: At the end of the day, I'm going to go out there tomorrow, and I don't think many people are going to give me a chance to win. It's the first time I'm in this situation. I have no idea myself how I'm going to handle it. I could go out there and play lovely. I could go out there and totally shrink in the limelight. The pressures I'm going to face are the pressures for me. I can't carry the whole of Europe and hope that I'm going to win one for European. If I do, it would be superb, but I'm going to try to take care of it for myself.

Q. How much weight did you lose and how?

KENNETH FERRIE: Four stone, last winter, gym and diet. It was in the gym. I did it about four months in the gym in my off-season. Totally changed my diet, as well.

Q. In terms of your development in your career, to be -- to get to this point to play three successive rounds on extremely difficult track, great players went home, what does that mean to you?

KENNETH FERRIE: It means a lot. This is the biggest stage in golf. So far I'm front and center. Hopefully I will be tomorrow. Like I said, it proves a lot of things to a lot of people, to me personally to a lot of other people as well, that I can actually play this game and deserve respect.

End of FastScripts.

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