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SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

March 29, 2007

Stuart Appleby

HUMBLE, TEXAS

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome our defending champion in, Stuart, with a 6-under par 66 today. Obviously there's something about this course in Houston that suits you so well.
Talk a little bit about the day and turn it over to them.
STUART APPLEBY: Got off to a good start, teed off on 10 and squeezed some birdies out early, really set the theme for the day.
You know, I played decent all day. I would have to say that, you know, I was not as confident with my putting as I felt the score showed. I was making putts.
Could have squeezed a little bit more out of the round, but at the same time, conditions got a little more difficult as the morning went on. Certainly getting a score under par comfortably by the turn, I was 4-under, 5-under after 10. Needed to do some work on driving.
Didn't drive the ball that great as often I felt that I should have, and I need to get a bit more comfortable on the putting green. I shot 6-under, that's good. I've got some more work to do.

Q. You sound like you shot 3-over by the way you're talking.
STUART APPLEBY: I got off early, hit some shots early, and that was -- the course was receptive. Beautiful condition. The greens are great, great condition. If we can get it dried out and get windy, it will be a lot more difficult golf course and, you know, you'll have to be -- it will just be different.
That's the way tournaments should be, should evolve into a harder golf course as the week goes on.

Q. Can you compare the 66 you shot today to the one you shot in the first round last year?
STUART APPLEBY: I can't really remember. I don't remember. I don't remember, but, I mean, I know I had the same score, but I think I was probably a bit more confident last year than I was going round to round.

Q. You found those vibes that you were talking about yesterday coming back here?
STUART APPLEBY: Little bit. Little bit. I knew that I was played well and putted well here. This course has got a lot more overseed on it like in Tampa. This is much greener, lusher golf course but still very firm. They've got it firm.
If they can just get the greens a little bit harder, they're not on -- it's soft enough now where you can be still aggressive. It's in great shape.
But the generosity off the tee has certainly made it -- there's a shot or two there I think in the round, so you'll see scores a lot lower. The score I shot last year, depending on the weather, you know, I don't think you'll see a victory or anything like what it was last year with that. See a lot more guys moving forward.

Q. When you come back to a course where you've won, how much of a comfort level is there?
STUART APPLEBY: I don't know. It's not something you go "I'm comfortable here. I know exactly what I'm doing." You still know the dangers and what works and what doesn't work.
You just have to -- I don't know. It's hard to describe. It's not like sleeping in your own bed when you go home. It's not like that. It's not like this is just an old glove.
You've got to respect the golf course. You've got to play it as it is. Does it fit your eye? Yes. Does it help to know that you've made a pile of putts on the course and the greens? Yup, that helps.
All that is there. Maybe it is sort of enough that squeezes maybe a shot, couple shots out of the tournament for you, but I'd like to extend that again here this week, but I'll have a lot more of a difficult time. The course is as vulnerable as last year.

Q. You talk about the courses changing as the morning went on. Could you talk about how it affected your decision-making?
STUART APPLEBY: The wind started to get stronger. Once the wind starts to play into the distance, the hurting or helping or cross, it just makes it harder to get it right. Makes it harder to hit the fairway and then you're in the rough.
Just little bit of things. You get the guys we've had recently and the wind last few days and what we'll probably get this afternoon, it's a lot harder golf course. You won't see someone shooting 6-under. If you do, you'll -- it will be a lot better golf than what mine was.

Q. You had said you hoped this place would kind of kick-start you a little bit, the whole vibe. Did you come in believing that would happen?
STUART APPLEBY: No, not at all. You still need to have your game. When I played well at Kapalua, I had my game. I never played a tournament that I played well before and going I'm playing so bad it just clicked.
It's never happened to me. I've always had something prior. You've got to come in with something good to really start. I wasn't hoping. Every week I'm out there trying to build and develop and work on my game, you know, obviously believing the next week it's going to come to fruition.

Q. You sound like you still feel a little iffy about -- about your game. Is that a fair --
STUART APPLEBY: Not really. I'm sort of comfortable with it. It's not at the best level it can be. It's close. It's better. I'm not really worried about trying to just play good every week and win. I'm more worried about playing poorer golf better. I'd rather -- Jim Furyk hits it to 20 feet. I miss it in the trap another 10 feet further. That's what it's about.
Golf is not quite better. That's probably what today was. It wasn't quite right, but it was a lot better golf.
Would I have been happy to shoot 3-under and play great? Maybe as long as somewhere in the days ahead just shot 8-under. You've got -- you can't just say I played it right and I'm getting lapped. That's not going to cut it.
The real secret is playing off golf like the stage where what your game is like Tiger, A, B, or C. His game was still beating everyone in the world with his C game.
It's -- if the game is not on, how much can I extract out of the round?

Q. What was today's round, A, B, or C?
STUART APPLEBY: Probably a C. A would be probably -- B would have been 2-under lower, 8-under. That probably would have been good. A would have been just more confidence.

Q. C is room for improvement?
STUART APPLEBY: Yes. I could have still shot the same score and said, "I shot 6-under, but I didn't feel as comfortable as the guy who shot 6-under." That's right. I haven't got a problem with that.
I'd rather that than a guy that's felt like he played awesome and nothing happened, and that's what happened to me when I first -- won the Honda tournament.
Missed the cut in Miami. Burnt the hole with the putter. Just burnt the hole. The next week I got a few things sorted out on the range after missing the cut, and I feel if I can get them to drop, I'm better off, and that's what happened.
Just got them to drop, and it's just some little thing. I get a little more comfortable with my putter and driver. I'll be a guy who shoots 3, 4-under every day.

Q. Were you doing scrambling?
STUART APPLEBY: No. The course was set up pretty easy. Not much wind in the morning. Greens were receptive. Pins were somewhat difficult, but the course is there to be had. It's not a difficult golf course in no wind. It's much more difficult golf course with the breeze. You've got enough trees to change the direction and swirl and make you wonder.
If they get firmer and a bit quicker, instead of hitting it 10 feet, you'll be happy with 20, and all ever a sudden at 20, you can't do anything. You're not going to make putts from 20 feet that often. From inside 10 feet you've got a 33 percent chance of making it. Twenty and out, might be one in five, one in ten.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Okay. Thanks, Stuart. I appreciate it.

End of FastScripts

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