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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 16, 2007

Aaron Baddeley

OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA

Q. Thoughts about playing with Tiger tomorrow?

AARON BADDELEY: I've played with Tiger in two Masters or something like that, so it's not abnormal to play with Tiger in a major. So I'm going to enjoy it and I feel like my game is good.
I don't know, Tiger is the best player in the world. But I feel like I'm playing well, my swing is good. I hit a lot of nice shots today, and I do feel great with the putter. So making a putt on the last and just really -- it was good.
I'll hit a few balls and there isn't much to work on because I feel like I'm playing nice.

Q. Capping the round with a birdie on 18, does that send you home tonight feeling good?

AARON BADDELEY: We talked about after we bogeyed 16 about getting one or two coming in, and that birdie was great to say carry it into tomorrow and hit three nice shots in there so it was good.

Q. We've seen good players fall apart playing with Tiger in the final round of a major before. What do you think in your make-up will allow you to step up and answer?

AARON BADDELEY: I think if I look back over my career and my life, the struggles that I went through a few years ago where I didn't play very good, I felt like as I looked back, I didn't have the character to be able to stand up under the pressure when I needed to. So those years were perfect for me to engrain the character in me that I needed to have to come and play in a major.
And I think that's what's going to help me tomorrow, my character and my faith in the Lord.

Q. Do you feel like you're ready to win a major?
AARON BADDELEY: Yeah, I do.

Q. We saw a couple of bad swings coming in; still on your mind at all?

AARON BADDELEY: No. I'm human. I'm going to hit bad shots. I feel great about my swing. You're going to hit bad shots. You're going to miss a fairway and a green, so I'm not worried.

Q. You were saying today reflecting upon two U.S. Opens in which you didn't make the cut, you're not the same player as that any longer, and I've noticed you watching you in practice rounds and press conferences that you seem to be very, very composed. Is that a big part of what's changed from that player three, four, five years ago?

AARON BADDELEY: Absolutely. I feel like -- I'm a lot more organized, I guess you could say, with my game and who I am as a person.
Everything is a lot more organized and I'm not searching and I feel very peaceful, very content with who I am and where I'm going; content with my game and where that's going. So it's good.

Q. When you're in trouble, like you were on 17, this course presents plenty of trouble; is that composure what enabled you to play steady golf here?

AARON BADDELEY: I think on the first hole of the tournament, I hit it into trouble and I hit a bad second. And Pete and I talked right then and we said anytime we get in trouble, we're going to take our medicine and get back in play.
It's easy -- it's nice when you're playing well, because it's easy if you're in trouble, let's get it out and wedge it in and make a putt. So that helps a lot, too.

Q. A lot of talk about Tiger and the course; what's the key for you tomorrow?

AARON BADDELEY: Just play my game, that's the key. I can't control what Tiger or Jim Furyk or Justin Rose -- I can't control what they do, and they can't control what I do. Which is the beauty about golf, unlike tennis, you can work on your opponent.
Hit my golf shots, that's what I'm going to do tomorrow.

Q. Do you say a prayer or go to church tomorrow?

AARON BADDELEY: No. But I'll definitely get up in the morning and I'll spend time reading the Bible and praying, and it's a normal thing that I do to grow in my relationship with the Lord. I won't go to church, but I will spend time praying.

End of FastScripts

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