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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 10, 2008

Jay Williamson

HONOLULU, HAWAII

Q. Jay, 3-under out there today. We didn't see quite as much wind as we saw during the practice round, but that's still a good round, 67.
JAY WILLIAMSON: Thanks goes to Mother Nature for not blowing today because when you come out of St. Louis not playing much, I'd much rather play conditions like today than when the wind is blowing 40 like it has in the past.

Q. Especially with the way the rough is up there, how tough were the greens out there today, too?
JAY WILLIAMSON: The greens aren't difficult really. To be honest with you, they're too good. They're perfect. They release the perfect amount. You know, I've actually looked for these greens for the last two months to prepare, and you can't find them.

Q. Not in St. Louis?
JAY WILLIAMSON: Not even in Florida to be honest with you. It's been too hot down there. They've just been watering the heck out of the overseed. It's a little bit -- I had to prepare a little bit and kind of adjust to them when I got here, but the golf course is really in nice shape. It's a good golf course. If you drive the ball in the fairway, you can shoot a good number.

Q. How much of an adjustment is it when you're used to playing the practice rounds and there is a good breeze blowing and then you get to a regular round and there's no wind? Is there a little bit of an adjustment you've got to make?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I've never seen the wind not blowing here. I've probably played five of these tournaments at least, and I've never seen the wind as calm as it was today. I don't know if it was an advantage for me, but it was a big favor from Mother Nature, as I said.

Q. That's probably why some of the other guys might be struggling a little bit when you see the scores out there is because they're so used to playing the wind, the clubs you normally hit now you can't hit?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I would actually say that guys are struggling because they're hitting the ball in the rough. It's not necessarily the fact that there isn't any wind. Although it's different, you can figure that out if you think about that a little bit. If you hit the ball in the rough you're probably going to make a bogey.

Q. The rough is that thick this year?
JAY WILLIAMSON: It's as bad as I've ever seen here.

Q. When we were walking in, you mentioned it was a busy off-season. What were you doing and working on in the off-season?
JAY WILLIAMSON: Well, it's a busy off-season from the standpoint that my kids are just at an age now where they like me to be around. You know how it is with kids; when they're around, it's hard to focus on anything else. A lot of that is probably because we have a two-year-old right now that is -- I guess the word I like to use is rambunctious. He's not at the age where you can let him do his thing; he'll hurt himself. It's a lot of being around.
People don't understand this; when I'm home, I don't really have anywhere to go. It's not like I have an office to go to. I can go to the gym or whatever, but I don't really have that place to go to get away. So it was a little bit different this year. I don't want it any different, it's just the part of life that I'm in. It's our choice because we decided to live in St. Louis where you don't go outside much in the wintertime. That's just the way that it is.

Q. You had mentioned how you were really up against it last year. That said, how important was it for you to come out and really hit the ground running and get off to a good start?
JAY WILLIAMSON: Well, it was really important, but again, I really didn't know what I was going to do today. If I shot 80 today, I would have said, well, you know what, it's my first day out. I'm a little rusty.
But it was just -- how can I answer that? I prepared as much as I can in the off-season. You know, not only mentally but physically. And I came here with a good attitude. I felt refreshed. I was excited to be here, and I played better today than I played a lot at the end of last year. So that's a good thing for me.

Q. And lastly, if you could just take us through 18 real quick.
JAY WILLIAMSON: You know, 18, usually that wind is blowing really hard right to left, and you just want to kind of hit a high draw out there and hope it stays in the fairway. I didn't hit a great drive. I kind of ballooned it up back into the wind and I think I cut it back up into the wind enough to have the ball stop in the first cut just barely through the fairway.
But I had kind of a funky lie where the ball was sitting up above me, and I could have really hit it anywhere, and it came out perfect. It was just one of those days.

Q. What did you hit?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I hit a rescue. I had like 260 to the hole. It came out perfect, and it was really -- the golf gods helps helped me there because they knew I played pretty well today. The ball rolled up there about four and a half, five feet, and I finagled one in there. Nice to be in the 60s the first day of the year.

End of FastScripts

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