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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 14, 2007

Brian Gay

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Brian Gay, thanks for joining us here. Well, you've shot rounds of 63 and 66 the last two days to put yourself into pretty good position heading into Sunday. Depends on how Nathan Green finishes up, but playing some solid golf. Maybe some opening comments.
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, it's been really good the last two days. Got off to a slow start Thursday, but felt good coming in here. Hit the ball really good at Congressional last week and had really bad putting on the weekend especially.
So I was able to turn it around after Thursday, got hot yesterday morning, made some putts and I only missed one green today so hitting it well.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Your round of 63 yesterday, maybe a couple comments about that. It kind of came a little bit early in the day, and for those of us who didn't catch it on TV, maybe some comments on that.
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, I probably hit it similar today. I hit it close a few times. I think I only missed two greens. I had a bunch of chances. Today I didn't hit it close as often, but I still was able to hit 17 greens.

Q. There's been 63s and 64s and 65s. Can that happen tomorrow? Is this a golf course that sets up for somebody coming from behind, or is it a good front runner's course?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, there's some low scores out there. Yesterday morning -- Thursday afternoon it blew when I played. Yesterday morning it was nice. The greens were soft. Some of them were starting to firm up a little bit. I thought it was by far the toughest day today with the breeze, a little bit different direction. Yeah, you can shoot some low scores. The fairways are generous, so there's not a huge premium on driving real straight. So there's some low scores out there.

Q. Talk about your position going into tomorrow. Do you like it, comfortable?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, you know, I'm doing the best I can the last two days. I started at 1-over Thursday, so I was happy to play good yesterday and have a chance to do something on the weekend.

Q. What changed between Thursday and Friday?
BRIAN GAY: You know, I don't know. If I knew that, I wouldn't have shot 1-over (laughter).

Q. I mean, did you work on something?
BRIAN GAY: I mean, I didn't hit my irons very good Thursday, I missed a few short putts. 1-over is not that hard to do.
Like I said, I hit it really good last weekend at Congressional, so I don't know if I just wasn't ready to go Thursday afternoon or lost a little bit of sleep or what, but I turned it around yesterday.

Q. When was the last time you've been this close to the lead going into Sunday?
BRIAN GAY: Memphis I was in -- I don't know how many back I was. Who was leading?

Q. Adam Scott by two or three.
BRIAN GAY: I was in the next-to-last group.

Q. Do you draw on that a little bit?
BRIAN GAY: I think I was three behind maybe. Yeah, Memphis, I don't know, what did I shoot that day? Even? I don't know, I play too much golf, I can't remember my scores.
Funnily enough, I've never even played good on this course. After Thursday I was looking to see what flight I could get home on Friday evening, but I came out and turned it around yesterday. I've never really played well here, but obviously I can.

Q. What mindset do you take into tomorrow then, the mindset that you've never played well here before, or the mindset that you can play here after --
BRIAN GAY: I think I got rid of that yesterday shooting 8-under, and I said, well, obviously I can play here if I can shoot 63. So that gave me a good boost for today. I don't play very aggressive. I can't overpower a golf course. I get in play off the tee and pick my spots as good as I can from the fairways.

Q. Is there anything you can take from Memphis that you can use tomorrow?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, hopefully I can play like Woody did that day.

Q. What do you think it's going to take tomorrow? Is it going to take a real low number, or are scores going to be up a little bit?
BRIAN GAY: I don't know what the forecast is. If it's calm, the scores will be low again, unless the greens are really dry. They were a little bit drier today. Some were soft, some were dry. If they don't water, they should firm up. If they firm up and the wind blows, they won't be as low. Depends what Nathan finishes at and obviously what he does tomorrow, but probably a three- or four-shot lead.

Q. Course aside, you look at the leaderboard and the guys that are up there, including yourself. Is it going to be more the course and the conditions determining what the scores are or how well you guys handle Sunday in the lead that determines the scores?
BRIAN GAY: Probably how guys handle it, unless it's blowing 20 miles an hour or something crazy. But if the weather is going to be nice, it's just how well guys handle it on Sunday afternoon.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could touch on your round briefly. Five birdies, no bogeys today. Birdied the first one right out of the gate, the par 4, the 1st.
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, driver and a sand wedge out to the right about 20 feet, made the putt.
No. 4, driver and a 7-iron about eight feet.
No. 12, 5-iron, middle of the green, pin was over on the right, made a good putt there, 40-footer down the hill left to right.
16, I hit a 7-iron probably, I don't know, 14 feet right up underneath the hole, straight up the hill.
17, par 5, I was trying to scoot it on the front of the green. I thought 3-wood was too much, and I hit my rescue and went in that bunker 20 yards short, which I wasn't really happy about, but I had a good line and hit a great bunker shot to about five feet.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Brian, good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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