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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJune 15, 2007Jim FurykOAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA Q. How do you feel, general comments?  JIM FURYK: Well, I'm not happy with 75, I'm disappointed. I felt like I was playing pretty well yesterday and I got off to a rough start today and I finished poorly so in between I played some good golf. But I didn't hit enough fairways today, didn't knock in enough putts from inside 10 feet and, you know, I wish -- I should have been able to get that round in at 72 or 73 and kept myself a little bit closer to the lead. Those guys this afternoon, if this breeze keeps going up and the greens are getting firmer and faster, these guys could be in for a tougher afternoon. We'll see how the lead is at the end of the day and how many shots I'm back and try make a game plan for the weekend. Q. Why were the scores higher today? The greens or -- JIM FURYK: It's probably a touch breezier, and as I talked about here yesterday on the flash, the greens definitely held some of the moisture. I don't think the fairways held the moisture but the greens did and they're already much firmer at the end of this morning than they were by the end of yesterday afternoon. So the greens are firmer, faster, and I really thought the pin placements were tough today. I was -- I thought there was quite a few holes out there that had some of the hardest pin placements on that particular hole. So overall I thought the course played very difficult today. Q. You're still in good shape going into the weekend? JIM FURYK: I wouldn't say good shape but I'm still -- we'll see what the leaders do. I think I'll be within reachable distance. Obviously I would have liked to have gotten that round in at 72, 73, I had it 3-over with two to play and 17 making bogey on 17 stinks, being a short hole like that but I would have liked to have got it in, been 3, 4-over rather than 6 and would have felt much better about my position. Q. Paul had a 66, how remarkable is that? JIM FURYK: Very good. The measure of a good round and what the next best scores are, five guys go out and shoot 65, it's still a good round, but a lot of guys did it, and I don't think there's going to be that much under, so 66 is pretty good. Q. How tough were the pin placements and how much tougher can they get? JIM FURYK: Even though the greens are quite big, there can only be so many pin placements. There's a lot of undulation and slope, and it isn't that difficult to figure out where they can be. There are quite a few good ones left, but the amount of speed and the firmness of the greens is going to dictate the scores the rest of the week. Q. Do you think the golf course is set up fairly? JIM FURYK: Fairly is always that one word that no one can define, so -- (Laughter.) It's playable, I think if you hit a good shot it usually gets rewarded, although I saw Adam Scott hit two today that were perfect and didn't get in the pair weigh today, so I don't concern myself whether or not the USGA is playing fair or not anymore, I just play it and try to figure out how to get it in the hole. Q. Winged Foot last year it seemed like the members wanted it to be a good test and they let the USGA do it. Does it seem like the Oakmont wants the brutality of this place to come out? JIM FURYK: I think that might be overplayed. You hear the rumors about how there's -- you hear the rumors and members say that the greens get slowed down to play the U.S. Open, and I think a lot of that gets overplayed. This is a place that's very proud of how difficult their golf course is. I'll venture to guess that 99% of the members can't play this golf course very well or finish in severe conditions, but they're proud of that fact and that's what this place is about, they like having it very tough and they're proud of having possibly the toughest golf courses in the United States or one of the toughest courses in the world. So I'm not sure that turns into a cynical outlook of "I hope they shoot 80" but Winged Foots, Oakmonts, they're not places you're worried about guys being 5, 6, 78-under par at the end of the week, this is a place you're worried about letting it get out of hand and testing the players and their skills. Q. Western Pennsylvania, it's known as a blue collar, tough sort of place, Pittsburgh is, does it reflect that? Do you think the course reflects the city? JIM FURYK: I'll let you make that call, how is that? Pittsburgh is a blue-collar town, that's for sure, a lot of hard-working people, and it's a tough city and they're proud of that as well. So if you're talking about the people and the city here being a tough place and being proud of that and the course being the same way, then I'll go along with you, but, I don't know, I'll let you figure it out. Q. Phil said it's dangerous out there. JIM FURYK: It's just a mean golf course. It's set up tough and there isn't a lot of leeway for poor golf shots. Rarely do you hit a marginal shot and get away with it and oftentimes you hit a pretty darn good shot and it doesn't turn out well, so I just keep plugging away and get the ball in the hole 37 there are places to put the ball in the fairway and the green and difficult places to play and get it there. Q. Do you think you will bag a 70 this week? JIM FURYK: I would like to say yes, but this place is only getting tougher and harder. End of FastScripts |
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