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BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSICJanuary 17, 2008Justin LeonardLA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA JOHN BUSH: Justin Leonard, joining us from La Quinta on the phone with us. Justin, thanks for spending a few minutes with us. JUSTIN LEONARD: Sure. JOHN BUSH: Great round today. An 8-under, 64, if we could just get some comments on your day, please. JUSTIN LEONARD: I hit the ball very well today. And the greens are so good here, you can't help but make a few putts. And I just happened to make my share. But just all day long I gave myself a lot of chances and the one bogey at 14, and then followed that up hit a really nice 3-iron in at 15 and made that. Shifted the momentum a little bit. And it was a very solid day. JOHN BUSH: A tournament you won in 2005, so obviously a place you feel really comfortable, right? JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, I always enjoyed coming and playing at the Hope. It's a great place early in the year to get some of the rust off and it's a really relaxed atmosphere. Playing with in the celebrity rotation I played with Alice Cooper and a local member here at La Quinta, Skeeter Holt, he played awesome. And Meat Loaf was here and he was fun to be around. So it's a nice relaxing atmosphere and it's fun to be here. JOHN BUSH: All right. Questions? Q. Could you talk a little bit more about playing with Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper. It looked like you were having a lot of fun out there? JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, we did. I played with Alice a couple times, whether in this or -- I might have played with him in the pro-am before. But really he's a nice guy and very laid back. He's a good golfer. And he told me, if there's anything we can do to help you play better, just tell us, as far as putting out or this and that. So Meat Loaf couldn't be a sweeter guy. He struggled a little bit with his game today, but he made a great par on the last hole. And then playing with Skeeter, he's a member here, and I think he has played in 25 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic's and I think he did he hit just about every fairway and a bunch of greens today and he was fun to watch. So just a lot of good karma going with our group today. Q. Obviously, you played well at the end of last year, won a tournament, can you talk about how you feel coming into this year? Excited about what 2008 holds? JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, very excited. Finishing off the year well and then I had a nice off season. I played one event, the Shark Shoot-out, but other than that I really didn't touch a club. And I got off to a nice start at Mercedes not really knowing where my game was, because I hadn't played any golf the three weeks before that. So I was able to get home last week and work on a couple things and I put a new golf ball into play. I've been doing some testing with Nike and it's one of the new Platinums and I really am looking forward to 2008 and I think that to the end of 2007, you know, my whole goal in the off season was to try and carry over that momentum and so far I've been able to do that. Q. Can you talk about obviously you played probably La Quinta more than you played two of the other courses at least, do you feel more comfortable going over there? JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, just because it's more familiar. There was a little wind here today, and this is probably the golf course that you want to be on a windy day. The fairways are tight, but you can miss the fairways and still have some room to play. And so -- yeah, there's just that familiarity there that you just feel like you've played this golf course 50 times before and just because it never changes. So I can remember a few years ago this was the hard golf course in the rotation. And now with the addition of SilverRock and The Classic Club, you feel like if you play well, you can really go low. Q. Justin, it's still very early in the year but I just wondered how hungry you are to get back into the Ryder Cup equation. JUSTIN LEONARD: It certainly isn't on my radar screen in January, I don't know how much I or anybody else thinks about the Ryder Cup, but, you know, if I continue to improve the way I have and see the results that I've been getting the last couple months, then it will certainly be on the top of my list in June and July. Right now I'm still trying to come out of the off season and just build some momentum here for the beginning of this year. But again, if I continue to improve, I think that things like that should fall in line and that Ryder Cup will come, be more of a conscious thought. Q. Are you playing the Buick next weekend? JUSTIN LEONARD: Yes, I am. Q. Do you have any thoughts as to about the U.S. Open being there, maybe added emphasis on the Buick? JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, it's a tournament I don't normally play, but I'm going to play it this year because of the U.S. Open that's held there. And probably pay a little closer attention than I normally do just preparing for it and so that I feel like when I come back in June I'll have done that additional homework and it will be finished. Q. The Buick hasn't been on your schedule that much, why is that; and is the South Course a course that you like, not sure about, what are your thoughts on the South? JUSTIN LEONARD: It seems like this time of year we always play in really soft conditions. And the reason I haven't been there is because I don't feel like it suits my game very well. I don't really enjoy playing soft golf courses. I would rather see the golf course play firm and fast and narrow up the fairways and just make it difficult. Hopefully we'll have those conditions in June. I haven't really watched the weather, I would assume being the winter time it's going to be a little softer, but I just really haven't been there because I don't feel like it suits my game that well. Now seeing how they're kind of getting ready for a U.S. Open and they know that a lot of guys are coming to get a look at it. I think it will be set up more U.S. Open. JOHN BUSH: Justin, just real quick, can we get you to take us through your birdies, starting on the par-4 second hole, please. JUSTIN LEONARD: Sure. 2, I hit a wedge about six feet. 4, a 9-iron about six feet. 5, I had like 70 yards and hit it to a foot. 6, I was up by the green in two and kind of a bad pitch shot, came up 20 feet and made that. 10, hit an 8-iron about 20 feet and made that. 13, hit a 3-wood, par-5, hate 3-wood kind of in the middle of the green and 2-putted. From about 25 feet. Bogeyed 15. Missed a 3-iron just right of the green and left my chip about eight feet short and missed that. 16, hit a nice little 3-iron to about six feet made that. Made a nice up-and-down on the next hole for par. And 17, hit a 7-iron about three feet. 18, hit another 7-iron about 10 feet. JOHN BUSH: Justin, thank you very much. Keep it going tomorrow. JUSTIN LEONARD: Okay. Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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