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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 11, 2007Jose Maria OlazabalPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA Q. Difference between today and yesterday? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: 12 strokes (laughter). Q. Why? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: I have to say, to be honest, obviously I had a wonderful run, I teed off 10 and I had a wonderful run from 16 to No. 4, made a bunch of putts on those holes and made a chip-in No. 3, so I think that turned the round. I didn't hit the ball much different than yesterday, meaning that I didn't strike the ball all that well. But, you know, managed to keep the ball in play off the tee more today than I did yesterday, and when those putts go in, it makes the difference. Q. After bogeying the first, what was your frame of mind? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: I was looking to that long flight back home, to be honest. It didn't look very good. But, you know, it's something that you have to keep on trying. It was early in the day. It was a good thing I birdied 11 straight away and then birdied 13. Well, that cheered me up a little bit. Q. How much less of a factor was the wind today than it was yesterday? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: It's less. It was less in the morning when we teed off at 8:00 o'clock, pretty much -- well, it was a little breeze but it was not much. But the wind is picking up. When we played pretty much the back nine, you know, it's blowing a bit. So it's going to be a factor. Maybe not as much as yesterday, but it's going to be a factor today, too. Q. Were the greens quicker? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: No, pretty much similar to yesterday. Q. Do you like this course, or is it one that's kind of grown on you over the years? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: Well, it's one that I don't feel comfortable on it, but I think the changes they've done around the greens, they are good. I think it brings more creativity around the greens, and I think that's part of the game. It's a shame that we don't see that more often. Q. Why don't you feel comfortable on it? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: Because the ball is not pretty much starting where I want it to, and that's -- Q. But is that you or the course? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: Oh, you mean on the course? Well, it's a course that -- over the years, for whatever reason, when I'm standing on the golf course -- maybe it's because you don't have anywhere to bail out. It's one of those golf courses that you really have to hit the shot good. If you just mis-hit it a little bit, you are going to end up in trouble. I think maybe that's it. Q. Does your comfort level go up a little bit after a round like this for tomorrow? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: It goes a little bit, but I have to be realistic. You know, the game of golf is a game of feel, and you know how you feel with your swing. The bottom line, that's what counts. Q. Did you impress yourself with those two bunker shots on your 17th and 18th, 8 and 9? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: The one on 9 I think was particularly good, yeah. I didn't have much green to work with, and it was all downhill. It was a good one, yeah. Every now and then I can hit a good one (laughter). Q. Did you make a long one on 17? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: I made a bomber. I was lucky on 17. I pushed my tee shot to the right, and actually the ball just turned into that shallow area down at the bottom. I don't know, I think it was something like 53 feet or something like that I made from there. That's what I said before. I mean, sometimes you need to have those kind of breaks to help your round. Q. Tell us about your chip-in on 3. JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: Well, it was not all that difficult. Obviously to put it in the hole was a bonus, but it was just straight up the hill. I had quite a bit of green to work with, so it was a regular chip. Q. As much penalty as is all over this course, does it still do a decent job of identifying the best players? Is it better than most golf courses? JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: Yeah, this is a golf course where you have to strike the ball well. If you're not striking the ball well, you're going to struggle big-time. There is no -- as I said, there is no bail-outs, and I think that's why this golf course is one of the best courses that we play all year round. The guy that wins here must have done a lot of things good. End of FastScripts |
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