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STANFORD ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP

June 9, 2007

David Toms

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome two-time tournament winner David Toms in after a 4-under par 66 today.
David, you are at 6-under for the tournament. Maybe just talk a little bit about your day today. What, 10 of 14 fairways, 10 of 18 greens, 24 putts.
DAVID TOMS: It was just a good, smart round of golf I played today. On some of the greens I missed, I was kind of playing away from the flag, so I'm not concerned really about that stat too much. I felt like I was in control of what I was trying to do out there.
The tee ball was pretty solid today which set me up to be able to attack on a few of those pins and just a good round of golf. I made a couple of nice putts. I missed a couple of short ones, too, a couple inside four feet. Overall, just a good solid day. I'm in good position for tomorrow.
JOE CHEMYCZ: The short ones that you missed, where were those?
DAVID TOMS: Missed a short one on 7. I three putted 7. Missed a short one for birdie on 16.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Frustrating you missed those?
DAVID TOMS: I mean always but, you know, these greens are tough. They have a lot of grain in them right now and if you get cross grain you really have to commit to a line and a speed, and on the ones I missed, I didn't do that. So overall it was a good day. I'm in good position and I look forward to tomorrow.

Q. Playing head up with Adam tomorrow, what kind of advantage do you think you'll have with the home town sentimental crowd and the fact --
DAVID TOMS: I'm not sure I have any advantage over Adam Scott. You know, he's one of the highest ranked players in the world and deservedly so.
He's the next superstar, if he's not already one. He's a nice fella and good for the game of golf. He'll be tough. Obviously, he's won this year already. He played well last week. He's obviously on a roll right now.
Other than the fact I've had success here before and won a couple times, I have that going for me tomorrow. I'll be comfortable on the golf course. I'll be comfortable if I am playing with him.
So, I don't have any problem there. We'll just go out and see if I can catch him.

Q. How much harder is the golf course now than it was four, five years ago?
DAVID TOMS: I think it's totally different, you know. The added length is a factor on some of the holes where we have longer clubs in, especially with the pins we're seeing this week.
You know, they're just close to the edge and used to with the greens, having to keep them soft because it was bent grass and when it got hot you could -- as long as you could land it in the area of the pin, it would stop and now, you know, you try to get aggressive and land close to the pin and it rolls off the green, and then you have some kind of a chip or a putt or whatever into the grain up the hill before it goes back down, and it just makes it very, very difficult.
So you have to -- you know, if you go for some of the pins you have to be willing to face the consequence if you don't pull it off. That is the biggest difference, I think. And then, you know, the greens are bermuda. They're a great surface, but to me they're definitely trickier than the bent grass we used to play.
When you have a down grain off the slopes or into the grain, you have to pay a lot more attention to your speed and then, obviously, the line because it influences that.
So, the golf course is much more difficult and you can see that. It's reflected in the scores that you've seen in the last few years.

Q. Can you compare your ball striking and your mental set-up now as compared to when you were winning here before when you won two straight?
DAVID TOMS: I think because the golf course is different, I think it's a different approach. It's more -- I think you have to play a lot smarter on this golf course now.
Used to you could make a mistake and then make, you know, bunch of birdies, too, to make up for it with a lot of birdie holes out there.
Now, there's a lot of holes where par is a great score. You have to approach it differently. I've had to get into a little bit of different mindset to play this golf course and, you know, lot of times you step up on a hole and hey, par is a good score. When you used to play it, you didn't make a birdie on some of the holes you were disappointed.
Now you make your par and move on. I just think it's a totally different mindset. So it's hard to compare, you know, the way I feel now playing golf out there on this golf course than what we used to play.
I just think -- I think it does put more of a premium on your ball striking because you have to hit, you know, better shots to get the ball close. You know, you have to hit the tee ball good with some of the added length.
I feel as comfortable. The lines on the tees are pretty much the same. The shots into the greens, as far as the angles and everything, are pretty much the same. There's not a whole lot here where I don't feel like I can hit the shot and where I don't feel comfortable.
DAVID TOMS: Is that it?
JOE CHEMYCZ: Is that it? Anymore? In the back.

Q. This is a good tournament to win in its own right. Is that a good mindset to be taking into next week?
DAVID TOMS: I think it's just important to play well regardless if you win or just having a chance. You know, that's what I wanted to come here and do is have a chance on Sunday and put myself in that position and no matter how I play tomorrow, I feel like I'm on the road to feeling very confident about my game and in good shape going into the U.S. Open, which is -- you need to be because I know it's going to be a very difficult test up there. You know, regardless of the outcome tomorrow it's been a solid week for me and good preparation for next week.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Anything else? David, thank you. Play well tomorrow.
DAVID TOMS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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