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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 18, 2006

Jim Furyk

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK

Q. Was that all you could ask for, having a share of the lead with five to go?

JIM FURYK: Yeah. I played my heart out. Got a couple under early and gave it back on 7 and 9. Had an easy pitch at 7 and made bogey, drove it in the rough on 9 and put myself in jail on 10, make a long putt for par and turn around and birdie the next two. All of a sudden I go from 4 or 5 down, all of a sudden I'm tied for the lead.

I hit it great coming in. I hit the ball perfect shot at 13, two good shots at 14, two good shots at 15, two good shots at 16, had a birdie chance at 17. The two mistakes that cost me really were putts not going in. Putt on 15 not going in, second one, but the first one was obviously horrible, just got caught up in the line so much and trying to get it up over that ridge. The greens aren't fast, and if you lose your train of thought or lose your concentration for a second, it's easy to leave them short.

I was trying to creep one over that hill, and I just never hit it. I got lost in the line, and the second putt on 15 was as flat and good as I could hit it. Caught a little piece of the hole on the left side, didn't go in.

JIM FURYK: I thought I rolled it in for birdie.

17, I thought I hit a great putt.

18, I got a bad kick, landed the ball at least five, six yards in the fairway and almost ended up going in the long rough, hit a great second shot and missed my little putt, which looks like actually might cost me a shot at a playoff tomorrow.

I'm disappointed. I played my heart out and it didn't work. You know, all of us I can look back and say, "Boy, I could have got it in the house at 4 over pretty easy today standing where I was on the 13th tee and thinking about hitting the shots that I hit." But I'm sure all those guys coming in behind me can also think of a way to save a couple of shots here or there, too.

You know, I feel I'm happy that I went out there and played well today. It was a lot of fun to be in the thick of it. But overall I'm also disappointed because I let an opportunity to win the U.S. Open slip by.

Q. A couple of guys have talked about the grass on the greens and how even a two or three foot putt really was at the mercy of the grass. How difficult was it coming in to concentrate on any lines when you know it's going to wiggle?

JIM FURYK: It's wiggly, and you have to just get out there and hit as best a putt you can and hit it solid and hope it works out. If your putting is a touch off and you get on greens where the ball is going to wiggle, it'll play with you pretty good.

I really felt like I stroked the ball well this week, felt like I hit a lot of good putts. I kind of could tell whether it was me or whether it was wiggling, but if you're just a little off, sometimes you start doubting, did I push it, I don't know. It's difficult conditions out there.

Q. (Inaudible).

JIM FURYK: Yeah, I wanted to see what happened. Ogilvy, kind of wanted to see how he finished. He actually pitched in for par on 17 and made a great up and down on 18, made about a six footer. He's in the house at 5, and I knew lefty was in trouble on 18. I was just trying to see if somehow after Colin finished at 6 over if there was any possible chance of 6 over being in a playoff, and it actually got close.

Q. Were you feeling like it might be okay?

JIM FURYK: No, but I wanted to watch it happen anyway.

Q. Did you feel the putt for par was probably

JIM FURYK: I thought it was an outside chance. I really felt like I had to get it in at 4 to playoff or win, and I thought 5 was an outside chance. I didn't hit a great putt but I didn't hit a bad one, either.

Q. Some guys have been coming in left and right saying I thought I made a putt here, thought I made a putt there.

JIM FURYK: Like I said, it's not it's crusty and it happens.

Q. In the context of championship golf, how difficult is that finish out there today?

JIM FURYK: Well, 16 is a bruiser. I don't care what the wind is doing, 16 is one of the hardest holes on the golf course.

You know, 17, I would put in the weaker half of the holes.

18 is a good finish. We shouldn't have struggled. Everyone is struggling at 18, and I think it's more the golf tournament than it is the hole. Where the pin is today, the ball will funnel down there. You should be able to get it in there 20 or 25 feet and give yourself a putt at it. I'm not saying you're going to make it, but all the guys I watched were struggling. I saw a lot of bogeys and a double. I didn't see a lot of pars.

Q. You mentioned a couple of holes that you wish you are there any that stand out as being just really ones you wish you had back?

JIM FURYK: 15. I hit my iron shot, wanted to hit kind of a smooth 9 iron and leave it below the pin, and I hit it a little harder. As soon as I hit the shot, I said, "Get down." Hit it up there pin high and left myself a tough two putt. I should have got that one down in two. If there's one that sticks out in my mind, that one really frosts me.

Q. (Inaudible).

JIM FURYK: Pin placements were difficult, but I don't think you'll hear any whining about unfair or anything like that. I thought the golf course was tough, but it was playable, and I thought they did a good job with the setup.

Q. With Phil having his success in majors, do you think anybody else will start adopting his path of taking days to examine major venues in the future?

JIM FURYK: You know, I think a lot of guys come to major venues beforehand, it's just y'all don't follow them around with a radar (laughter). I think a lot of guys do stuff like that, and it's just not heard of very often. It's hard to get a feel for how a golf course is going to play four weeks before because it's not in U.S. Open condition. You can get a look and get a feel for where the holes go, but it's tough.

End of FastScripts.

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