home

jobs

	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

VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 23, 2006

Eric Axley

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Thank you, Eric, for joining us for a few minutes. Congratulations. You just keep another 63, keep on playing well out there.

Something about this course, something about you changed?

ERIC AXLEY: No. Just made a few putts. Not feel like I'm making as many mistakes. I've been playing well for the last few weeks and just, you know, seems like my ball has ended up on the right side of the hole this week and making a few you putts.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Alright. Questions.

Q. You know, going back to, you know, Thursday, you said yesterday was stress free. Is today any different at all?

ERIC AXLEY: The only stressful thing about today I did not make many 10 to 12 footers. The first hole I made it from about 15 feet and then the other six birdies were probably I think I think 18 was the longest putt, about five feet. I just hit it close quite a few times and it was, again, pretty stress free, I guess.

Q. I saw you on 5. You had a really long putt and stopped short.

ERIC AXLEY: My speed control was really good today. I never had to mark many second putts. Rolled them up next to the hole. Just 10 to 12 footers did not seem to want to go in today.

Q. Thursday you had three bogies on your first 14 holes, now you've gone 40 holes without one. What happened in between that period?

ERIC AXLEY: I don't know. I think the bogies on Thursday, you know, one was a 3 putt. One was from just off the edge of the green in two on a par 5 and just kind of a freak bogey and the other was in the lip of a fairway bunker.

It was just kind of I didn't have a shot. I don't know. I just have played solid. I've hit a lot of fairways and greens and just haven't had many chances to make bogies this week.

I think Thursday I was 1 over with four to go and finished strong. I birdied three of the last four and since that point I've just kept it in front of me.

Q. Tied for first in greens in regulation sure helps back to back 63s.

ERIC AXLEY: It definitely helps. Definitely. Like I say, a lot of that is hitting a lot of fairways, too. I'm playing from like the middle of the fairway on about every hole so

Q. Back to back 63s, those are the second lowest consecutive scores second only to Corey Pavin who shot 64, 61.

Is this the best you've every been playing?

ERIC AXLEY: Obviously, I mean, yeah, I mean like I say, I keep going back to the same thing. It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything special but I'm not making mistakes.

Every tee shot I seem to hit it in the fairway and hit it on the green. It's not like I'm doing outstanding things to make birdies and pars.

Just like she said early just feel kind of stress free, so yeah.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Talk about your position. Playing in the final grouping tomorrow, it's exciting but I don't know if you've played in the final grouping on the Nationwide Tour, I know you've won on the Nationwide Tour.

Does that experience help or just talk about being in that position.

ERIC AXLEY: Yeah, I did play in the final group. The week I won, I was in the next to last group and we played 36 on Sunday so it was no re paring but the Tour Championship I did play in the final group and played well.

You know, drawing back from the Nationwide Tour, definitely it's a very competitive tour and it helps, you know to play in the final group in two somes and feel the nerves and being the last group out there so, yeah, it definitely helps to have been in that position before.

Q. You won that tournament after qualifying on Monday or something.

ERIC AXLEY: I did. I Monday qualified and won. That's how I got status last year.

Q. So yesterday was the first time I think you ever held a lead in the PGA event. This is your first season?

ERIC AXLEY: This is my rookie year. I've been up there close a few times in Tucson I think I know I was in the next to last group but in the second round I was got it going pretty well.

I think I was 9 under through 15 and was in second at the time and then in Canada I was one off the lead going into Saturday. I've been up there a few times but never held the lead.

Q. Did it feel different for you being in the final paring today, birdied the first hole?

ERIC AXLEY: It was pretty relaxing. The guys I played with were super guys and, you know, I didn't think much about it. Just trying to, you know, take one shot at a time and just keep playing golf.

Q. I guess just you birdied four of your last five, just keep adding total lead.

ERIC AXLEY: That was big. I missed the fairway on 14. I think it was one of the first fairways I had to missed and chipped out sideways and hit a great shot to about two and a half feet and made that one and then I drove the green on 16 and 2 putted and probably 35 feet, I'm guessing.

Then 17 I hit a great 6 iron to about three feet again and probably to about five feet on 18.

Q. How aware of the leaderboard were you during that point? Did you know where were you?

ERIC AXLEY: I glanced at it probably midway through the round. I didn't really see one coming. When I started playing well I never even looked at it. I don't even know right now I wasn't sure. I kind of got in a little groove there and kept playing.

Q. So you aren't a scoreboard watcher?

ERIC AXLEY: In general I will glance at it. I like to know where I stand. But for some reason there at the end I didn't really didn't care. I was trying to make birdies. My caddie was probably helping me. Every hole one more, one more.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Did you have any big par saves or did you just kind of cruise along?

ERIC AXLEY: I don't think I ever had a marked putt for par that I can remember. The only green I missed do you have that in there? I did miss a green somewhere.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: No. 2?

ERIC AXLEY: 15 footer straight up the hill from the fringe. I rolled it up there to two inches. I never chipped today. The green I missed I was two inches off the green.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Okay. Okay. Then also just talk about four stroke lead. Obviously that's

ERIC AXLEY: That's fun.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: You obviously can go lower.

ERIC AXLEY: You can. It's never safe here. I'm just going to try to keep doing the same thing I'm doing, hit a lot of fairways and greens and, you know, make the putts.

If you don't make bogies and don't give yourself that many chances to make bogies, you should do well.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Alright. Anymore questions?

Q. The lead, some people say it's hard to sleep on a lead. Are you going to have a hard time sleeping tonight?

ERIC AXLEY: No, I'll sleep good. I have a one year old baby. When she's not out I'll sleep real good.

Q. I don't know if it was on your mind to get off to a good quick start. Kind of made some statements through the round today. Birdied No. 1 and then aggressive on 16. Talk about those two holes.

ERIC AXLEY: In all practices rounds I hit 3 wood on 7 which is a par 4. I could hit 3 wood on the green.

I drove 16 everyday in the practice round and we got up there today and there wasn't much wind and in the past two days it's been in our face pretty good.

I didn't think I could get there but I thought if I hit it hard, it would just kind of take everything out of play and worse case would be in the green side bunker which would not have been a bad shot but it just came out real nice.

Q. Birdie at 1 got you off to a nice start.

ERIC AXLEY: Yeah, it did. Like I say, the only real only long putt I made today. It was from probably 15 to 18 feet and it's always nice to get off to a good start. It kind of relaxes you a little bit.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Everybody set? Thank you.

ERIC AXLEY: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297