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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2007

Denis Watson

KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA

KELLY ELBIN: Denis Watson, ladies and gentlemen, in with a 3-under par 69 in the third round of the 68th Senior PGA Championship. Dennis' three round total of 211 is 5-under par, two strokes out of the lead.
Dennis, it looks like it's getting tighter out there. Some thoughts on your round and where you stand right now.
DENIS WATSON: It really is. It's been tight since the first round. You get a little tight when you go play this golf course. I'm obviously very happy to be where I am. Especially after coming back from the debacle I had at 17 and 18 yesterday.
So, strange day today for me on the greens. Where I made two long putts and missed several makeable putts. So I guess it kind of evened out. But I just hate making bogey at 17. Like everybody else that made bogey.
KELLY ELBIN: Would you go through your four birdies and three bogeys, please.
DENIS WATSON: First hole I was just trying to make par. I holed a 35 footer, maybe 30 footer.
Then played very well until 5. Where I hit, I slipped and hit it in a bunker short of the flag. And I had a great bunker shot there and I made about a three and a half putt for par.
Then had a very easy second shot at 7. I missed a -- sorry, 6. I missed a pretty short putt up the hill.
Then 7, I had a 5-iron into the green and I pulled it just a little bit trying to sort of run it up the neck. And I had a funny lie with a bunch of leaves and things underneath the ball. And it just came out a little hard and was just trying to make par and it went in, so.
Then missed two makeable putts on 8 and 9. So that was, I felt pretty happy on that nine.
And then 10 I got a bit of a bad break in the fairway. I had a little bit of a downhill lie. It was in a hollow, I don't know how my ball stopped there. And it took off for my second shot. My 9-iron went about 170 yards. I made a good putt for par there.
Then a good shot at the -- I think it was a little bit unlucky at 11 with a 4-iron from 240 I had to the pin, and pitched on the front of the green and just rolled off the back edge. But then I was lucky to 2-putt from just off the back.
Then a really good shot at 12 that actually stopped quicker than I thought it would, but I made a 12-footer there for a birdie.
Hit the wrong club down the hill at 13. Putt almost went in.
Hit a really good shot at 14 with a 5-iron. That hole is, you just have to suck it up there and just hit a great shot. That's all you can do there at 14.
15, I missed a very makeable putt after a good 9-iron shot to about 10 feet behind the hole.
16, that hole's been giving me fits. My tee shot took a bit of a bad bounce and I had a tough lie. When you're hitting into the wind right on the top of an up slope. And I thought I had hit a great third shot. I was really surprised that it went full distance that I normally hit that club.
17, you know, I just pulled it just a tiny bit. I was trying to hit 7-iron and trying to hit a little right of the pin there. And it's hard to do when that water is sitting right there.
The last hole, I hit a good putt, just pushed it just a hair maybe.
All in all very happy. Looking forward to playing with my buddy Nick, tomorrow.
KELLY ELBIN: Very good. Open it up for questions.

Q. Through all your injuries can you just talk about what it's like to be back in contention. You've been in contention quite a bit this year and also through all the injuries did you ever think of walking away at all?
DENIS WATSON: It's wonderful to be playing golf again. To get out and do what you like to do is a wonderful thing.
As far as walking away from the game, I had doubts at times whether I would be able to get back. This last year when I was due to come out on the Champions Tour, I had been getting ready and to have my shoulder freeze up and go through a pretty what I thought was a severe surgery, I thought it was going to be less tough than it was.
But I was in rehab for a solid five and a half months before I started even picking up a golf club. Then I still had to put it down and go back to rehab for awhile after that.
So, yeah, it's frustrating. But a lot of other great things. I spent a lot of time with my kids. I have five little ones. Two sets of twins. I have Sloan and Saxon are with me this week, boy and a girl, four years old; and I have five year old boys and a six year old girl. You know, you can't, you can't deny that that's just a great time to be around your children. So I was around them a lot. We had a great time.

Q. What's your confidence level like at this point in this tournament right now?
DENIS WATSON: I would say my confidence level is building. I didn't play as well today as I did yesterday from tee to green for me. Although I still had a lot of opportunities. I felt a little uncomfortable, but I got it back together on the back nine and played really well.
Confidence is an interesting thing. It builds and then one day you walk out and you feel really good about what you're doing.
I almost feel really good about what I'm doing. I'm starting to make a couple of putts here and there. The putter doesn't shake quite as much when I'm getting nervous. Because those are tough things to come back from.
Somebody gave me a statistic that I played 30 times in 14 years. And most of those were some Nationwide events and when you don't do this tournament golf every week, it's a bit of a shock to the system when you get out there and you get in the lead.
So I think I'm building on the experiences that I've had and I'm enjoying it. And that part I like.

Q. Sort of toward that end of being comfortable, the fact that you will be paired with Nick tomorrow, when did y'all first meet and do you think that is a very good pairing for you?
DENIS WATSON: It's a great pairing. Nick is such an easygoing guy. Eduardo is a really nice human being. And I've known Nick I started playing golf when I was 14 years old, so I met Nick when I was 14, 15. We played a lot of junior golf together. We were at the same club. We have always been friends for a long time. I haven't seen him much the last ten years because I've been sitting at home playing with children while he's been out on the TOUR doing the real thing.
KELLY ELBIN: Dennis Watson, tied for second after three rounds. Thank you, Dennis.
DENIS WATSON: Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts

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