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TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP

September 20, 2007

Steve Flesch

VERONA, NEW YORK

STEWART MOORE: Steve Flesch, thanks for spending a few moments with us here at the Turning Stone Resort Championship interview room. Great round of 66 today. You came out on fire. You're 6 under through 8 holes. At that point, what is going through your head when you have a round like that going?
STEVE FLESCH: I just was trying after I made the three birdies in a row, I made a great putt on the 7th, and, you know, a nice up-and-down out of the bunker on 8. I just was trying to get it on the green because I was putting well and the greens were perfect. Actually some of the best greens we've played all year. And just trying to get the ball on the green, give myself a chance.
And you know, stumbled at 9, but got it right back at 10. You know, I played okay coming in. Kind of played a messy back nine but didn't drop any more shots. Salvaged a really good round out of what could have been a great round.
STEWART MOORE: You've been on a pretty good run starting at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. Obviously you're a wire-to-wire winner at the Reno-Tahoe Open, played well at the Barclays. Didn't make it through Chicago to Atlanta. So you've had a few weeks off. Is that nice to recharge the batteries?
STEVE FLESCH: Up to that point I had played 12 in a row. So the fact that I didn't get to Chicago, yeah, it bothered me because I shot 78 or something the last round of Boston and missed by 40 points or something. But that didn't even bother me as much as just I wanted to play the FedEx Cup. I won't have a chance to get to Atlanta.
But at the same token I was so exhausted that basically my weekend in Boston that I shot like even on Sunday and then bad on Monday was just from fatigue. So I don't know if I would have been any good in Boston or in Chicago, but the two weeks I had off I played nine holes and that's it. I mean, I didn't do anything. Well, I got salmonella poisoning and all that, too. It was a nice two weeks, really (laughing). I lost six pounds, I mean, it's just, you know, it was supposed to be a restful two weeks but it became just a total mess. But I'm all right now (smiling).

Q. Did you play here at the B.C. Open last year?
STEVE FLESCH: No, I didn't.

Q. So what are your impressions of the course first time playing?
STEVE FLESCH: Well, I saw it on television last year. When I got here I was expecting to be able to get home on all the par 5's. And you know, they put in a few new tees in where I'm playing these holes and I'm like, My God, am I losing this much distance? I mean, these guys are hitting it on the green easy.
But apparently they put some length to the golf course. Some really nice water features. It's beautiful. Really, it's a beautiful golf course. One of the best we've played all year. So I'm impressed with it.
I think it's a nice move from B.C., not that B.C. wasn't nice, but I think Turning Stone's going to attract a lot better field than they were at the B.C. But I'm very impressed so far. Great facility, Turning Stone. And I know the players are enjoying being here.

Q. Take us through your birdies.
STEVE FLESCH: Yeah, now bear with me. The holes aren't burned into my memory yet. I kind of get on the tee, and I remember them when I get on the tee. But the first hole I hit a great drive down there. I hit a sand wedge about 15 feet. I made that.
4th hole, drove it down there perfectly, hit a little 9-iron to about a foot and a half.
5th hole, drove it in the bunker, ironed it out. Wedged it to about five feet, made that.
6, I hit a 6-iron about 30 feet and ran that in.
7, I hit a driver and pitching wedge 15 feet straight down the hill, made that.
8, driver and a 3-wood into the front bunker. Plopped that out about 12 feet and made that.
Double at 9. I pulled my driver into the right bunker. Skinnied a 3-iron into the lip and it plugged into the face of the lip, so I took unplayable. Dropped it in the bunker again, hit my fourth shot with a 4-iron this time on the front edge and two-putted for a smooth six.
I didn't know what I was going to make, I saw that ball sitting on the lip, and I'm like, Dear, God, what do I do? I called for an official, an excavator, an architect, I didn't know what I was doing.
10th hole, I drove it down there nicely, hit a pitching wedge about 4 feet.
And 12 hole par 5, driver 4-iron sand wedge to about 15 feet, made that. And then parred in. 17 of 18 greens, that's more like it.
STEWART MOORE: That's not bad.

Q. On a personal side, what are you doing in your off time as far as your hobbies and stuff?
STEVE FLESCH: Well, I've been told I need to find a hobby (smiling), because right now I'm just eating bad food and getting sick.
No, I'm away so much that when I go home I just like to see my kids. You know, I kind of just try and put the golf aside and immerse myself in my two little ones. And you know, when they're at school, I take them to school in the morning. I'll go practice.
You know, I need a hobby, honestly. I watch a lot of TV. I really pay attention to pro football now. I don't bet. I'm into college basketball, stuff like that. But I'm not a hunter. I'm not a fisherman, not enough action there for me. I'm not patient enough to sit there and wait for a deer or wait for a fish to bite. I just, you know, got to be something else. I don't feel like getting a boat because I don't want to deal with the upkeep of it. Got a lot of issues don't I? You know, I just keep myself busy doing nothing, you know.

Q. How old are your kids and what are their names?
STEVE FLESCH: Griffin is 9, in two weeks. And Lilly is 5 and a half.
STEWART MOORE: Speaking of your hobbies, you're a huge University of Kentucky fan. Can you sum up that win over Louisville?
STEVE FLESCH: Yeah you know, the ironic part is my caddy went to Louisville, so it's a little bit of a, you know, he went to the game, I didn't. We had plans with my kids. But he went to the game and it was at Kentucky, and he's got a Louisville license plate. He should have known to take it off going over to Kentucky. They were throwing cans at his car. It was great (smiling).
But Kentucky fans usually are pretty classy, but apparently that night they thought they'd won the super bowl or something. They were like kicking old people as they left the stadium.
But there was some funny text messaging going on. He said they're a football school now, Louisville and all that. And I was texting him along with my other Buddy that went to UK, and we said I guess you're back to being a basketball school now.
You know n the Big East he's all -- is Syracuse Big East?
STEWART MOORE: Yeah.
STEVE FLESCH: All right, so I got to watch what I say. Big East, great conference, and all this stuff. But you know, whatever. Being an SEC guy, I'm like come on. It's SEC, you know. You're not going to be better than the SEC.
So if you're going to lose one game all year, Louisville should not lose to Kentucky. We hadn't beat them in five years. So we probably won't beat them for another five. But it's fun to have the bragging rights till at least December when they play basketball.

Q. What is your caddy's name?
STEVE FLESCH: Billy Lewis. Yeah. And he's a -- I'm texting him all this trash talk right after the game and during the game. And after the game the only text message he sent me back was Congrats. And I'm like what, give me something? You can't be that easy. You can't roll over that easily (smiling).
He was just, oh, he was getting brutalized. Because doesn't the Big East play a lot of Thursday night games? A few. Well, you know my best buddy, which is funny, he said if you guys ever play a Saturday game you wouldn't know what to do. You'd feel like it was a scrimmage or something. It was on ESPN Classic, too. It's like Big East. You guys have to play on ESPN. It was just funny. We got a kick out of it.

Q. If the conditions stay like they are for all four rounds, what type of score would somebody have to shoot to win?
STEVE FLESCH: 19 won last year, is that right?

Q. Yeah.
STEVE FLESCH: I would say 15. But I don't think we're going to get any rain from what I've seen. So I would imagine the tour staff's going to really lighten up any water they're putting on the greens. If the greens firm up, scores will go up.
I don't care if the fairways firm up or stay wet. Because the fairways are still wide, even if they firm up, it just means the ball's going to chase down there farther. But the fact that they're soft right now, you've still got plenty of fairway to drive it to.
But if the greens firm up, it's going to be hard. Because there is a lot of movement, and the greens will get faster and it will be harder to get the ball closer to the hole. But I'm looking for 14 to 18. Probably 14. If everything firms up, it might be 12. But if it stays the way it is now, I'd say it would be a solid 15. And you know what, I've never guessed right anyways, so...

Q. I missed your one birdie, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8?
STEVE FLESCH: 10 and 12. Wedged it to about 4 feet on 10. And made about a 15-footer up the hill on 12.
STEWART MOORE: Great round. Thanks for coming in.
STEVE FLESCH: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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