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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2007

Jerry Kelly

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

BILLY MORRIS: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We're delighted to have Jerry Kelly with us. Jerry had a very fine 69 today, and at the moment is even par at 124 for the tournament. Jerry, as many of you know, earned five Top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour last year; finished No. 39 on the Money List; and in 2003, he tied the PGA Tour record for consecutive birdies with eight at the Las Vegas Invitational.
Would you like to make a statement, Jerry, about just the general round and general conditions? Let's do that.
JERRY KELLY: Sure. Augusta was Augusta. There's no course like it. And it is shaping up, with the conditions, to be a tournament like no other. (Laughter).

Q. You started off very fast; can you talk about the front nine?
JERRY KELLY: Just solid iron shots I'd say. I got the ball in the fairway a few more times than yesterday. I still didn't strike the driver as well as I would like, but I really set myself up for birdies with a couple of great iron shots, especially the one on 5 was very solid. I haven't been known as a high ball hitter for a long time, but I really worked hard on that on the range this week, and I've really been able to launch it higher than I have in a long time. So I wonder why I haven't been doing it for a long time. (Laughing).

Q. Can you talk about your saves on 10, 12, and 14, and even the second putt on 13 to hang in there.
JERRY KELLY: Yeah. You know, I feel very comfortable. I changed my putting about three or four weeks ago, and yeah, I never would have guessed that a blade putter would have worked for me. But I got into the setup that I'm using now, and the blade putter just felt so natural the way it would open and close for me.
So much easier on the fast greens with the speed anyway. I've always been kind of a knocker of the ball while I'm putting and trying to get that starting line, and now with this putter, it's as much of a stroke as I've had in a long time and my ball is starting on-line.
So getting those saves, I'm more confident about getting them now, and making one leads to another, rather than, you know, missing a few, and you start feeling bad. Even if I miss one, like the one on 18, I made a pretty good putt, and I'm still taking good things out of my putting.
Saves are almost, I'd say, more important than birdies around here. It's dropping shots that gets you in trouble. Pars out here are fine. The birdies will come. But saves are nice.

Q. What about the cold weather? You seem to play better in it than other golfers, and the weekend is going to be even colder. Does that help you, do you think, in this?
JERRY KELLY: Well, I prepare for it. I've got my hand warmers. I know what gloves I'm going to wear. It's the same clothing I wear at home when I practice all the time.
I've practiced -- I can't tell you how many times I've practiced when it's been below freezing. I mean, that's a normal occurrence for me. A lot of times I'll have to hit from inside of a trailer with heaters and hit outside, but you always want to get out there on the grass. You hit three balls and start to get frostbitten so you've got to go inside.
So I've definitely been used to it and prepared for it, but my body is getting a little bit old.

Q. When you look at the leaderboard and see some of the names, are you surprised you're not seeing some of the ones everybody has sort of talked about heading into the tournament?
JERRY KELLY: You can never count anybody out, around this place especially.
You know, I don't think a lot of the top players have really seen the course like this that often either. I mean, I was here for four years before missing last year, and I had never played it firm and fast.
So it's been a long time since anybody has seen it play like this. I've played extremely patient, which is not my M.O. but it has to be around here; otherwise it's going to eat your lunch. Hope to keep playing aggressive.

Q. As much as a couple of the guys complained yesterday about the winds and what they were doing and how it was playing. Do you kind of consider these conditions, one, it could be an equalizer for a player like you; and in the past you've talked about how the hockey mentality has helped you grind through things and get through tournaments, and do you feel it could help this week?
JERRY KELLY: Well, the reason, I don't know if it's the hockey reason, but I don't quit, period. Doesn't matter where I am; if I'm 10, 20 over, I could care less. I'm not going to quit. I'm going to try to make the next shot. That's the kind of attitude that helps around here, because it saves a lot of shots.
What was the second half of that question?

Q. The guys that were upset about the conditions, could that actually play in favor for you?
JERRY KELLY: I love hearing guys gripe about things, oh, it's going to be cold, it's going to rain. Usually I figure I have a couple-shot lead going into the AT&T every year. Hasn't worked out that way lately. (Laughter).

Q. One more thing on the hockey and the cold. Is it going to be more like -- tomorrow is going to be cold?
JERRY KELLY: Tomorrow is going to be cold, no question. They are talking about 20s. Yeah, lace 'em up, boys.

Q. Tell us more about the coaching help you alluded to outside, and were you surprised by the fast results, if you want to call it that?
JERRY KELLY: Shouldn't have let it out of the bag. (Laughing).
You know, Lanny Bassham, he's an Olympic athlete. He was a rifle shooter, and you know, people say that's an athlete, kind of like they say golf's an athlete. But it is. And the mental side, when he was talking about having to fire between heartbeats and, you know, having to just absolutely focus his mind, he developed his own process that helped him when he thought he choked and got a silver in '72 to dominate from then on, gold in '76, just dominated the sport for a lot of years.
You know, he's passed along some of the things he learned between '72 and '76 and going forward. I went and saw him Thursday and Friday right before this tournament. My problem is always having an active mind, and that's exactly what he's helped me with. Especially when you get on a place like this, if you're thinking about too many things, you're done, and he's given me a role clear focus on the process, and it's worked right away.

Q. Is that part of the problem with your major record not being that good? Did you just let things get to you too much because conditions are generally harder than regular Tour events?
JERRY KELLY: I try too much. I was talking about that with my caddie yesterday the first bunch of holes, and all of a sudden I hit my driver bad and I haven't hit my driver bad all year.
I try too much and that's exactly what I'm getting into with Lanny, is to try to get a good process and not worry about the rest, not worry about how to do it, but to work on the mental process that just lets me do it.

Q. Are you talking to him every day now?
JERRY KELLY: I'm supposed to be, but I'm not. (Laughter) Can't jump into this thing too deep. (Laughter).
BILLY MORRIS: Jerry, we thank you for coming in, and we wish you the very, very best of luck.

End of FastScripts

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