	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 14, 2004

Brian Bateman

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Brian Bateman in with the best round of the day, 4 under par 68, a 32 on the back nine to get to 10 under par.

Brian, great round today. Talk about your day and the thought process when you started.

BRIAN BATEMAN: Well, I've been playing well the last few weeks. I played well the first three days and I knew today that the wind was going to be out of the same direction, but it was going to be blowing a lot more. So it didn't really change my game plan, but I did think that the golf course was going to play the toughest today.

So I wanted to at least try to get off to a good start and continue playing the par 5s like I've played them all week. I birdied 2 and 3 and then I made a hiccup on the first par 5. I hit a bad tee ball there, really the only bad swing of the week and ended up making a 7. I didn't birdie the next par 5, 6.

So where I was today was three or four shots worse than where I was the first three days through that stretch of holes.

But I knew it was playing tough and I kept telling my caddie, we have just got to stay patient, pick our spots. I made a good birdie on 7 to turn it even, but even then, here I am 6 under par.

And the leader starting the day I guess was at 14, Davis or whoever was at 10 and so there were a bunch of guys at 9 and 8. I didn't have any expectations on the back side. Made a putt here, a couple pars and another putt. I didn't know where I stood till I tapped in on the last.

Q. What would you say is your closest brush, you won on the Nationwide Tour, but out here do you recall being in the thick of things on a Sunday before?

BRIAN BATEMAN: No, I haven't, unfortunately.

I haven't I think the learning curve for me has been a few years coming. I haven't figured out a way to put two or three rounds together in tournaments past and years past. I played good in New Orleans last year, and bogeyed the last two holes there that really cost me a top four or five there, but I learned a lot from that experience.

I don't know, I think that my biggest challenge has been to stay out of my own way and to not watch the leaderboard. Because I think that has an effect on players, at least it had an effect on me. So like I said, I didn't know where I stood to the last today. And if I had looked at the board on 12 or 13 and saw that maybe Todd was having some trouble or Davis was around even par, it would have changed the way I attacked the golf course. This isn't a golf course that you can take by the horns; you have to take what it gives you.

Q. Other than the leaderboard thing, what did you learn about yourself that will help you the next time you're in this position?

BRIAN BATEMAN: I'm proud of myself for the shots I hit coming down the stretch. I had an idea that I was close, thinking that I was probably top five six. But with the wind blowing like it was and the pins tucked and perched up on some of these levels of these greens, you couldn't be aggressive. I took some chances on the first few holes off the tee and it seemed to pay off.

So I think what I'm going to take from this week is that I can play when it counts. I look forward to the next chance that I have to maybe pull through.

Q. Are you in Bay Hill?

BRIAN BATEMAN: Next week, Bay Hill.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Take us through your card. You birdied No. 2.

BRIAN BATEMAN: 2, I hit a great 5 iron over on the left side about eight feet and made that one.

I hit 7 iron on 3 a couple of feet and made that one.

Doubled 5. I hit it in the hazard there.

7, I've been hitting three and 4 iron all week to the fairway. Today I decided to take a chance and drive it up there close to the green. It was a little downwind, so I hit a great drive there and I was only about 15 yards short of the green. I chipped it up a couple of feet and birdied there to turn at even.

I birdied the par 5, 12, from the green side bunker. Made a good putt on 14 from about 20 feet with an 8 iron.

16, hit a 6 iron in there about 12 feet and birdied.

17, I hit 6 iron on my second shot and 2 putted.

Q. Are you the type that's going to remember more what you did on the back nine or would you dwell at all about the tee shot in the hazard; that you might have been in a playoff right now?

BRIAN BATEMAN: No. I had so much golf left after the fifth hole that you know, in the course of 72 holes, you're going to make some bad swings. You're going to make this week in particular, you can make some good swings and the ball can just catch a swale or just catch a slope. You can have a really tricky up and down.

So this week, I played well. I did what I thought I needed to do today. As windy as it was, as tough as this course plays, I'm happy with 4 under.

Q. So you'll see the positives more than the negatives?

BRIAN BATEMAN: I'm not going to let one swing affect the results.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Brian, thank you. Great week.

End of FastScripts.

About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297