	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 15, 2007

Troy Matteson

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

Q. You started this tournament with a birdie and an eagle and got things going early on, and it just kind of kept going. Marvelous weekend.
TROY MATTESON: It was a really great week for me. I've been off four weeks, I've been injured and it's good to come back and play well when you come back. You never know what you're going to get after you've been home for four weeks, so it was really good for me.

Q. Are you 100 percent better?
TROY MATTESON: We're much, much better. I don't know if we're 100 percent, but we're definitely better, no pain and can go out and play every day and do the things that I need to do.

Q. Nice to finish birdie, birdie at the end, too?
TROY MATTESON: It is, especially on this course, the 18th being as tough as it is. I haven't made a whole lot of birdies there, so I'll cherish that one.

Q. People can start talking about it now, you're in the 70s in the points standings. This will move you way up. You can start thinking about playing deep into August and September.
TROY MATTESON: I think that's a good thought. Obviously I want to move up as high as I can. I'm still a young guy, so it's kind of a new race for me and just trying to figure out how to get into that Top 30 is going to be really important.

Q. What's next on your schedule? With a few weeks off, are you going to pack it in between now and the PGA?
TROY MATTESON: I'm going to play as much as I can. I need to play and play and play, and just be out here on the road because obviously four weeks at home just feels weird.

Q. You keep playing like this, we'll be talking to you a lot more.
TROY MATTESON: Thanks.

Q. What was going on when you were injured?
TROY MATTESON: I had seven cortisone injections. You know, it was weird because there wasn't anything related to the spine, just muscle stuff. Hopefully it'll go away.

Q. Was there a key to your game that improved round by round by round?
TROY MATTESON: I think I drove the ball well this week, and when you drive the ball well out here you've got a lot of chances at birdie. You've got a lot of short irons in your hand. Obviously there's some longer holes out there, but you're going to have a lot of chances at birdie. If you don't drive it well, this golf course is going to eat you up.

Q. It was a great Fall Finish last year, you had a lot of expectations going into '07. You've admitted that. At this point you haven't been playing that great through July. Do you feel like this is going to open up something big, just a second-half type the guy?
TROY MATTESON: Could be. We're going to find out here. Being a young guy, I don't have many years on the PGA TOUR under my belt, but this is definitely a good jump start to the end of the season.

Q. Talk about the 18th there, you put kind of an exclamation point on your round.
TROY MATTESON: For me the 18th hole is just a very difficult hole. I've made very few birdies there. I didn't make any birdies in the practice round I don't think, so it was good to get a birdie to that back pin and just pick up another shot. It's just so crucial coming down the stretch to not give away any shots on this course. Obviously it's quite a horse race this week, so it was good to get two at the end.

Q. Some people really took a dip today. You knew that was going to happen, right?
TROY MATTESON: Well, there's no wind today, so you should see a lot of 5-, 6-, 7-unders today, and that's what we saw out there. I think there was quite a few sixes posted. You've just got to get out there and get in the mix and make a lot of birdies because you know it's going to be a horse race to the finish.

Q. What does this kind of finish do for you coming down the stretch?
TROY MATTESON: I think it just gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and play and do the things I need to do for the rest of the season. Obviously I was at home for four weeks before this, so coming out and playing good the first tournament out is a real confidence builder.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297