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GINN SUR MER CLASSIC AT TESORO

October 24, 2007

Justin Leonard

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA

DOUG MILNE: Justin, thanks for joining us. We appreciate your time. Just a couple comments. Obviously your game has really come around since July. Tee two at the Buick Open, top 10 at Bridgestone, and then the highlight of the year, the playoff win in Texas for your third there. And then last week, a tee six last week. Just a couple comments on what's working for you.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Just starting to pull things together a little bit, and it's as much mental and kind of more of an attitude than just anything in particular with my game. It certainly helps to hole a few putts.
Just trying to play a little bit more aggressively and, you know, not get too tied into the results. But just trying to play a little more aggressively.
DOUG MILNE: I mentioned the three Texas wins, but you've also had some success in Florida with PLAYERS in '98 and then '03 Honda. Just a couple comments on what it feels like to be back here in Florida.
JUSTIN LEONARD: It's nice. I missed the humidity last week. It's so dry out there. But it's nice to get back close to a place where I played well.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. We'll throw it out for a few questions.

Q. Had you played the course here before?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No, I haven't.

Q. What are your first impressions, and how do you think it suits your game?
JUSTIN LEONARD: I think it suits my game fairly well. You certainly have to -- the fairways are very narrow and the rough is penal enough to make you think about it, so it's good to put the ball in play.
The greens are beautiful greens. I mean, you know, condition-wise they're probably as good as we'll see all year. So you know, looking forward to getting started tomorrow.

Q. How was getting around the course today? How long did your round take and how smoothly did it go getting from hole to hole?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, it's a little bit of a problem here because of the development that's going on. I'm not sure how many cart rides, but there's quite a few. I felt like we played at a pretty decent pace and it still took five hours. We're not going to set any fast laps this week.

Q. Are you guys staying down in Palm Beach Gardens or are ya'll staying around here?
JUSTIN LEONARD: We're in Jupiter this week.

Q. Your own place?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No.

Q. Also, talk about what the Texas win meant for you. I know you've won out here a bunch, but when you do win after going through a little bit of a dry spot what it does for your game and to get your confidence back.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, the biggest thing is the confidence, and it's something that I really lost my confidence early in the year. I think I was probably a little closer to playing some decent golf than I felt like I was.
I think in hindsight probably playing a little too much, trying to play my way out of it. But it's getting that confidence back. It had been growing before the Texas Open, but to go there and play the way I did and finally win a playoff was, you know, just validation of a lot of hard work.
We can't measure our success by results too often. There's a few players that can, but, you know, sometimes it's got to be in just progress. When you can win a golf tournament out here, you know, it kind of validates things to everybody.

Q. Now that we've been through a whole year in the FedExCup in fall series, what are your thoughts on the new format? Do you think there are any improvements that could be made?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, I think there are some improvements that could be made. It seemed like through the playoffs that the points need to be dispersed differently to where you get more movement. It doesn't seem like you could play -- have a good week and, you know, move up a couple spots. Didn't seem like the guys that -- because that's kind of when I was starting to play a little better.
I didn't really have much of a chance to move up unless I won a golf tournament. Hopefully that's something that will be tweaked. But I think all in all when you look at it from a fan's and sponsor point of view I think it was very successful.

Q. I remember in Michigan at the Buick Open you had played really well and you were waiting behind 18 as Brian Bateman had your destiny in his hands. You had a new glow, a new look at excitement about you. Was that one of the first building blocks to what ultimately happened in Texas?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, it definitely was. That was kind of my first big step in the right direction. That was a lot of fun to play well. I made a putt on 18 to -- it may have been to tie up the lead or something, I'm not quite sure how that all went. But that was fun.
And then it was hitting balls on the range with Jason Gore trying to get ready for a playoff. We were getting things over the radio that Brian had hit it I guess about 15 feet. You know, there's not too many players on TOUR that I would be rooting for to make a putt to knock myself out of a potential playoff, but Brian is one of those guys.
There was literally no disappointment that week, even though I didn't get a chance to win a golf tournament. Still happy for Brian. He and I grew up playing golf against each other. For me personally that was the first big step in the right direction, for sure.

Q. You caught my eye at the PGA National this year, Sunday. You kind of were quietly practicing on the putting green. You don't normally see guys doing that. Could you just take us to where you were back then mentally, and does that seem like a long time ago you were going through that phase?
JUSTIN LEONARD: It does in some ways, and in others it seems pretty recent. It was -- I was just a little lost at that point, and was -- had just had a conversation Dick Coop the night before. Kind of the first time we had worked together. Had decided I was going to go back and work -- try working with Randy Smith at that point.
Actually wasn't until the next week that I did that, but just, you know, trying to find some positive things to build on, and there weren't a whole a lot at that point. I think out of first six cuts that I missed I think three or four of them were just by a shot. It's hard to remember those when you're going through that.
But like I said, I think I didn't have as much direction as I needed with what I was trying to do mentally and physically, and, you know, there's nobody to blame for that other than myself.
But I think at that point, I talked to Dick Coop and was ready to make some changes and, you know, because sometimes that -- most of the time -- that newness brings a little more enthusiasm to it and a little bit of sense of purpose.
So it was just trying to find some positive things and, like I said, I think it was the next week where I decided to start working with Randy again.
But, you know, just trying to find something.

Q. What can you take from your round today as far as your chances this week? Seemed like you were able to make some birdies out there.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, I mean, it's Wednesday. Just trying to -- getting the lines off these tees is kind of tough. The areas where you're hitting to aren't really clearly defined. Today was just reaffirming what I saw yesterday, and you know, like I said, the greens are so good you're going to be able to make some putts this week.
I played solid, so I'm maybe not going to have to practice quite as much as I normally would. But if anything, I felt like I got a little more comfortable with the golf course and like I said, earlier, I think it suits my game.

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