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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

April 21, 2007

Ken Duke

AVONDALE, LOUISIANA

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Ken, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. You birdied the last hole to get to 10. Pretty good round for the day and looking good at this point.
KEN DUKE: Yeah, I feel good. I didn't birdie the par 5s at all the first two days, and today I birdied three of them, so I think that's been the difference in today's round. I felt like I played pretty solid every day and finally got the par 5s.

Q. The one that got you to 10-under on 18 I guess had to be the best one of the day?
KEN DUKE: It was good. I felt like we played that hole perfect every day. It was a good tee shot and a great lay up, every day right in the same spot, just hadn't made the putt. Yesterday I three-putted it.
It's a great ending to a good day. I feel like I really played well all day, and you finally make one on the last hole.

Q. How far was it?
KEN DUKE: 15 feet maybe, something like that, maybe 16.

Q. How has your year gone? Would you walk us through it a little bit?
KEN DUKE: I struggled earlier in the year coming off the Nationwide. I had a lot of high expectations from winning out there. I just struggled early in the year and wasn't ready to come out. I've been working really hard with Bob Toski, my instructor back home. I feel like it's coming around.
Last week I played well. At this time last year is when I really played well on the Nationwide and kind of went over the hump and finally won out there. So with that going forward, it's no different this year, and I feel like my game is getting back to the right level.

Q. You're kind of one of the -- if you look at the leaderboard, you're kind of one of the old wily, grizzled veterans.
KEN DUKE: (Smiling) yeah, I've only been out here a couple years, but I've played all over the world. Yeah, it's good. I'm looking forward to it. I've never been in this position before on the TOUR, on the PGA TOUR, and I'm looking forward to playing tomorrow and see what happens. Just testing my game, that's what you want to do each week is test your game.

Q. It seems like there are quite a few guys up high on the leaderboard that are saying the same thing, that have never been in this position before, and you may be aware of the recent history of this tournament with its first-time winners. What do you think about it?
KEN DUKE: I think it would be great if it was my turn. No, I've always played -- I played well here in '04 at English Turn, and I've always played well in Louisiana at Lafayette, at Le Triomphe, so I feel like I have a lot of good karma in Louisiana.
It's no different this week. After the high finish last week, I feel like this is just rolling over, and that's kind of the way you do it out here. You get on a hot streak and you can just go for like a month and play really well.

Q. Did you feel some momentum from last week when you got here this week?
KEN DUKE: I did. Last week was a golf course that you really had to drive it well, and the greens were really, really small out there. I felt like that's my strength is driving it in the fairway, and you had to do that last week.
I think that's what's happened to me this week. You've really got to watch it here on this golf course because you make one bad shot, you're going to pay for it on this one because it's so long compared to last week's course in Hilton Head.
It's a great test here, and it's amazing what they've done since the hurricane and stuff to get it back in playing condition. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Are you a leaderboard watcher, and if you are, when did you realize where you were?
KEN DUKE: I didn't look at it much at all early. I ended up birdieing No. 9 to get me 2-under for the day, which that was good. I got one on 11, I got one on 13. Then I was kind of like, I might be a couple shots back here. Then 13 I hit a really good one, 14 I hit a really good one on the par 3, made birdie. Then there was a leaderboard right there and I just happened to look at it.
You know, I see it. I'm not looking for it. You see it as you go by. My caddie keeps me informed. We're just trying to take each hole as it comes because it can slip up on you out here.

Q. Talk about the 16th. How did you play that, and did you think about going for it?
KEN DUKE: 16, I kind of got lucky. They moved the tee up today so a lot of guys might be trying to go for it. I hit a 4-iron. I've been hitting 3-iron, but today I hit a 4-iron and pushed it in the bunker, which was probably the worst place you could be, but I drew a really good lie and got it up by the green and almost chipped it in.
I just didn't hit a good shot off the tee there. I never would have gone for it. Where I was on the golf course -- I play to keep the momentum going. I try not to do something I shouldn't have to do and try to keep the round going, and I never would have gone for it.

Q. It was playing about 318. There's only going to be about five or six guys today that are going to go for it. Is that a little bit surprising?
KEN DUKE: Probably those guys are the guys that can hit it far anyway, plus they might not really care about their score. I think if you go for a par 4, a drivable par 4, you should have a chance to make an eagle, and that place is so much trouble up there, you have to hit it absolutely perfect to make an eagle, I think. So I won't go for it. I don't hit it that far. I just don't hit it that far.

End of FastScripts

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