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TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2007

Jay Williamson

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jay, for joining us here for a few minutes here at the media center at the Travelers Championship. Another great round. You started out really well with two birdies and two bogeys, you handled it and you have a one-stroke lead. What are you going to do tonight?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I don't know. I was okay last night and this morning I woke up and I was nervous. We went to the dinosaur park today and kind of hung out doing that. Maybe we'll go to the dinosaur park tomorrow. (Laughing).
Playing with David is certainly a pleasure. I think that really helped me today, because he's such an even keeled guy. He has so much success and I really just tried to hang in there. I think we both were. It was not an easy day, thank God I hit it in the fairway. My putter is a little suspect right now, but I really feel good over the ball. If I can make some putts tomorrow, I like my chances. It was an interesting day. I never really thought I would be back at Hartford like this. I mean, this is -- you know, hopefully it will hit me Monday morning.

Q. The last time you were in the final group on Sunday on the PGA Tour?
JAY WILLIAMSON: That would probably have to be at the Kemper Open with Steve Stricker, and I don't remember the year, 2002. It's been a while.
Unchartered territory, certainly, but I'm driving the ball well. My irons have been good. I'm thinking well, I'm not getting too excited. I didn't feel great on the first couple of holes today, but that's to be expected, making a birdie or two really helped. We'll just do it again tomorrow.

Q. Your story and everything, playing well the first couple of days is one thing, but standing tall today and what might happen tomorrow?
JAY WILLIAMSON: Well, today really helped.

Q. (No microphone.)
JAY WILLIAMSON: I tell you, the Nationwide Tour has done something to me. I can't really explain it, but it's doing exactly what they want it to do for me, they being, you know -- they being those that didn't want me back here. I'm not bitter about that. I didn't do what I needed to do. I wasn't good enough. The Nationwide Tour has made me better. It has made me, not necessarily a chip on my shoulder, but my skin is thicker and my game is better. Today helped. Today helped me and hopefully tomorrow -- I think I've told Joan before, I don't like being out here taking up space and I've felt like that before. I don't want to be out here if I'm taking up space, but I've proven the last three days, especially, today even, that I'm not taking up space.

Q. Dinosaur park with the kids, how long were you there? Did it kind of loosen you up?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I don't know if you've been there, it was a beautiful day, we strolled through the woods, and my little boy J.T. kept thinking we were going to see dinosaurs, and it was a good way to keep my mind off of it a little bit.
Again, there's a lot riding on this, obviously, if I really sat there and thought about it, I may be overwhelmed. I feel so much better now that I actually have a job next year. And I know that sounds really strange, but at the beginning of this year, my back was against the wall. Before I won on the Nationwide Tour I had no status. I never knew the next year where I was going to be. That's the toughest part about being a golfer out here until you've won, because you just never know. At least, you know, God forbid I have to go back there again next year, but if I do, my name will be on the list to play and I can make a living.

Q. Last year J.J. was sitting in the chair and you were sitting and talking about all the pressure being -- well having ties here in some form or another, he had ties here, you went to school here, and all the pressure of trying to win in front of people that know you. What would it mean to you if you were to actually pull a J.J. and win this thing, being another guy with Connecticut roots, are you going to start a trend?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I hope so, and I would be on the next flight to Flint tomorrow night. I'll play the Monday Pro-Am, I'll play Wednesday, I'll play whenever they want me to play. I can't tell you what it would mean, and I'm not going to go there until it happens. I have been in this situation a little bit before. It's not like I was out here picking up sticks for a few years. I've done okay. But it's time, you know, it's time to go to that next step. I'm not scared of it, because, to be honest with you, it would make my life easier. My life is way too complicated right now. It would make things a lot easier. I would see this guy a little bit more too. Right buddy?

Q. After all the years on the tour to go to the Nationwide, did you take it for granted?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I never took anything for granted, it's just really difficult to balance out here. We had our third child with George, who you probably heard over there. It's just -- I'm just pride myself on being a good dad, and it's hard to be a good dad and a good golfer. It's just really hard to do. And on top of that a husband and all that. It's not that I took it for granted, it's just that what you have to be out here, you have to be so selfish and you have to be so good, you just -- it's very difficult. People have no real idea, I guess.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Going back to the golf course, go through your round.
JAY WILLIAMSON: Did we play golf today? I hit a great shot on 2. I made birdie on 2, made about a five-footer.
Then I made a 10-footer on No. 3. I felt real good about myself, but I think I made the comment to you, I wish all the holes were downwind.
Then we get on 4 and 5. 5, I don't think there's any more room back there where they could put the pin. That hole played 243 and I made a bogey on 4 and a bogey on 5, so then I'm back to where I started. Didn't birdie 6.
Then hit a great shot on 7. I think that might have been the shot of the day for me. I hit a 5-iron about six feet on 7 and made birdie, and that was really important for me because I was kind of wavering a little bit.
I had some chances on the back. The golf course played a little bit easier because it was downwind. Hit a great birdie on 13, hit a great drive and 8-iron to 15 feet below the hole. I couldn't get to the hole today.

Q. Made another birdie on 15, I think it's been five years since I birdied that hole. The best short hole I think we play on tour -- or they play, I should say. Hopefully it's me tomorrow. It's a great hole. I finally made a birdie there and that was important too.
I made a great up and down on 18. Under the circumstances, it was one of the best shots I've ever hit in my life. I even got kind of excited on that one. That was almost like hitting a home run. Just for a brief moment there I felt I was just able to kind of breathe and be relaxed. And that's the kind of moment that I really look forward to and hopefully it happens tomorrow. If it doesn't, we'll go back to St. Louis and go to Peak and Peak next week. They have great water slides there.

End of FastScripts

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