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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 14, 2007

Jeff Gove

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

Q. Nice move today, huh?
JEFF GOVE: Thank you, yeah. It was good. It felt good to go out there and shoot a good round. It was playing tough, so anything under par hopefully is going to move you up. I was trying to birdie as many as I could out there.

Q. What was the key to your game?
JEFF GOVE: Patience. I was a little rushed earlier today on the first hole, and I said, all right, just slow down, do what you've been doing, and was able to manage the wind pretty well and hole some birdie putts that I haven't been making this year today. I mean, they weren't long ones, I just finally made some.

Q. Some good momentum for you for Sunday?
JEFF GOVE: Yeah, looking forward to it. I like the golf course. It's changing a lot. It's getting firm and faster. I made a few mental errors out there today, but I'll remember those for tomorrow, and yeah, I've got some momentum for tomorrow.

Q. Some of the younger players sometimes try to do too much. Are you trying to stay away from things like that?
JEFF GOVE: Yeah, yeah. It's my fourth year, so I'm trying to avoid that. You've got to remember the leader is way out there. You've got to just keep going, so that's what I'm trying to do.

Q. This is your biggest tournament so far as far as scoring. How much do you need it right now?
JEFF GOVE: Well, my year is about halfway over, and it's been a little disappointing. I've played good golf, but my scores haven't shown it. It's nice to get it going a little bit.
We'll try and do the same thing tomorrow and hopefully the putts will drop. But I feel like I'm going the right direction, whether it's this week, next week or a few weeks down the road. I feel like I'm playing like I did last year when I played well.

Q. Is it nice to finally have your scores start reflecting your stroke and everything?
JEFF GOVE: Yeah, yeah. You know, in golf it's tough. It's always a grind. You know, you hit a lot of good shots, and sometimes you shoot a high score and sometimes you shoot bad shots and shoot good scores. That's part of the game.
But yeah, it just feels good to know I'm working on the right stuff, and like I said, I like the golf course. You've got to hit a lot of shots, and there's some birdie holes out there. I finally made some today.

Q. Does the mentality change at all change when you go into the final day knowing, hey, I'm right here within striking distance?
JEFF GOVE: Not until like the last few holes, the back nine. You know, it looks like I'm quite a ways out of the lead, but at least I have a chance. I haven't had that this year. That's been frustrating. I've made a lot of cuts and haven't put myself in position on Sunday. It definitely feels good to be there, and I've been there before so it's not totally uncharted territory. I feel like if I can have a good practice tonight we'll go out tomorrow and see what happens.

Q. What a difference a year makes, huh?
JEFF GOVE: Yeah, nice to play a little better this year.

Q. Have you been at all surprised -- have you followed what's been going on with your last year's playing partner?
JEFF GOVE: Yeah, you see it on the internet and pgatour.com, and I kind of feel bad. I could kind of tell it was possibly going to happen. I mean, I don't wish any ill harm on anyone, and hopefully she'll learn from what's happened and grow from it. But yeah, I could just tell that it was either going to go good or go bad, so unfortunately it's gone the other way.

Q. You're talking in terms of her swing or her learning curve?
JEFF GOVE: Just everything, just her maturing in golf, that's all. Everyone has got different swings, so I can't comment on that.

Q. Joe Ogilvie says he still thinks that she did the right thing and that she can still play out here.
JEFF GOVE: I don't know. I don't know. You know, that's not for me to say. Like I said, last year I didn't care that she played, I just didn't feel like she was ready, that's all.

Q. Nice to have crowds following you for your swing this year?
JEFF GOVE: Yeah, cool. It's fun. We've had a lot of great comments from people, and volunteers and everybody behind me. Just whatever happens, happens. I just said what I felt like. People asked questions, and that was the experience I had. Hopefully experiences are going to get better as time goes on and she'll grow and learn. I think the ladies' game really needs her. She could be the Tiger Woods of that Tour and all that kind of stuff.

Q. Did you take heat for what you said?
JEFF GOVE: Oh, yeah, a lot of heat. Not from my peers, but from the media, yeah, definitely.

Q. Did it last?
JEFF GOVE: No, it didn't last, and I looked at my wife that night, and she said, honey, I believe in you, and I know you wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. Unfortunately it's kind of played out that way. Yeah, but like I said, it's just a game, and none of it was personal, it just kind of was the experience I had.

Q. Would you still say it?
JEFF GOVE: After last year? Yeah, that was the experience I had for two days.

Q. No regrets?
JEFF GOVE: No.

End of FastScripts

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