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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 2007

Brandt Snedeker

OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA

Q. When is the last time you were 4-over and thought, "I am in absolutely great shape"?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: I don't think I could say I've ever been in this position before.
You know I feel like I played a great round of golf today. I drove it great, especially the last 14 holes, and started to hit some really good, quality shots and shot 3-over par and feel like I shot 65 or 66.

Q. What's the golf course like and are there spots where maybe it's gone over the edge?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, I still think it's fair right now. You'll have to ask the guys this afternoon. The greens were still relatively holding but they are getting borderline out there. I think they teased us yesterday with some of the easy pin positions they gave us and today they woke you up and let you know you we're at Oakmont and it's just going to be a tough round of golf. Glad I'm already done. I wouldn't want to be playing out there this afternoon.

Q. When you made ten pars in a row -- you might be the only one that's done that?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: I felt like I made bogeys on every hole because I had 10-footers for par and they kept going in. It was a good feeling to save par when I had a chance and I made one bogey on 17 I wish I had back, but besides that I played a pretty solid round of golf.

Q. The course, USGA wanted this course to play on Sunday like it did in practice rounds on Monday. Yesterday might have been an anomaly with the rain beforehand. So is this what you experienced Tuesday, Wednesday practice rounds?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: Probably so but I don't think they were planning on getting this much wind. So I would say this afternoon, I was hitting wedges and 9-irons and 8-irons that were releasing 10 to 12 to 14 yards downwind. I couldn't imagine trying to hit a 5-iron or 4-iron into some of those holes downwind.
So it's going to get really baked out but the greens are going to grow out a little bit and won't be as fast as they were this morning; so evens each other round.

Q. How tough is a sub-par round today?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: I don't see how you could do it. It would be considered one of best rounds of golf of the year to shoot under par. The wind is blowing so hard on some of these holes, it's virtually impossible to hit a lot of fairways. The rough is as nasty as it can be and the greens are as firm and fast as anywhere I've ever seen. You would really have to have an unbelievably good round of ball-striking and an unbelievably good round of putting to even consider breaking par out there today.

Q. At end of the day you're going to be right there?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I think so. I don't know. I'm extremely happy with where I am. I'm glad I am where I am, so we'll see what happens.

Q. Do you have a U.S. Open-style game?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: No. Probably complete opposite of a U.S. Open; more of a British Open. I don't really drive it that straight for as medium length as I am but I'm a great grinder. I love it when conditions are tough. I love getting up-and-down for pars. I love making eight, nine, ten-footers for par and I guess that style fits it. But had a good day with the driver today. If I have two more days with the driver like I did today I'll be fine.

Q. What happened on 17?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: Missed the fairway with an iron. Hit a 4-iron in the rough and the rough was just awful. Hit it in the right bunker and hit the putt to 10 feet and hit a good putt and went over the right edge. It's going to happen over four days.

Q. How much did you learn from --

BRANDT SNEDEKER: I learned what it feels like to choke, that's pretty much what I did. You need those experiences and you need to put yourself in contention and have a chance to win and if you don't you need to learn from it.
I had a blast up there, it was a fun tournament, I still remember it, I still can pretty much count down the back nine, my disaster after disaster on the back nine.

Q. You have won a USGA event before, the Public Links; any affinity for the USGA and the way it goes about setting up it's courses, and would this mean a little bit more than any of the other majors maybe?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: Definitely. I think anybody who has one of those gold medals has earned it and definitely has a different view of what the USGA stands for. I have a lot of friends out here that are officials that I saw from the Pub Links that I've seen from other U.S. Opens. It's a great organization. Protects the game of golf and sets up a great golf course.

Q. Would you argue, if you got into it in the locker room with one of your peers that said they go over the edge and don't set it up reasonably, they try to embarrass the best players, if you got into a conversation with somebody, would you defend?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: Definitely. I think they set up -- there's nowhere else we play a golf course like this. Everybody else strives to do this. They pick the toughest, hardest golf courses in the country and bring the best players to it and set it up how they think is fair.
Whether they go over the edge or not -- we come out here to compete and play against each other and the golf course. If 7-over wins, it's just a number. You're going to see a couple of guys who play a great round of golf each day that shoot right around even. That's the way they want to see it and that's a great way to play a championship.

Q. First weekend at the U.S. Open, your thoughts?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: It's going to be fun. I'm really going to enjoy it. I'm here, put myself in position to win. I'm going to try with everything I have in my body to win this tournament now that I put myself in good position and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it along the way.
I think first two days were kind of a walk-through and didn't really realize what's happening but now I'm teeing it up late on a Saturday at the U.S. Open and know what's going to happen. I'm here to compete and try to see what I can do.

Q. Will you try to replicate today, just keep yourself calm?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: There's going to be some bad scores over the next two days. Wish I could say I'm not going to make a double or a bogey, but it's going to happen. You just have to let it roll off your back and go to the next hole and realize everybody is doing it, not just you.

Q. Did you feel like you were peaking for something like this?

BRANDT SNEDEKER: I played really good last week in Memphis. Normally when I get hot, I get hot for a couple of weeks and I go cold for a couple of weeks. Just the way my game is. Working on trying to get away from that.
When the putter feels good like it does in my hand right now and when the driver starts coming around, I like my chances. I feel some good golf coming, yeah.

End of FastScripts

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