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BUICK INVITATIONAL

January 26, 2008

Joe Durant

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Joe, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Buick Invitational. We appreciate you coming over here. Great round of 67 today, but you're at 9-under and the leader is at 17-under. He's got three holes to play.
JOE DURANT: Why am I in here? Is that what you want to know (laughter)?
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: I'm just wondering what you guys are thinking.
JOE DURANT: Well, what can you say? He plays great here. The course obviously sets up great for him, and we're just -- we're trying, but the guy is unbelievable. He's playing fantastic. Nothing else can be said.

Q. You started off well last week at the Hope. You must have some good thoughts about the way things are going for you?
JOE DURANT: It's getting better. My game is not 100 percent, but I'm seeing signs of life, though, and it's encouraging. But I've just got to keep working on the things I'm working on, and hopefully the rest of the year I'll continue to see improvement.

Q. Do you consider yourself a streaky player?
JOE DURANT: Yeah, I'd love to say I'm not, but I am. You know, I've always admired the guys that are just week-in-and-week-out consistently up there, the Scott Hoch types, Jay Haases or Phils, Tigers, Vijays, those guys. I guess I'm not cut of that cloth. When I get it going I can play, but unfortunately there are times when I seem to go to the other extreme.

Q. Does Stewart Cink fall into that category?
JOE DURANT: Yeah, but I think Stewart plays much more solidly than I do, especially in the bigger events. He's one of my best friends out here. We travel a lot together and spend time together.

Q. Do you think he's gotten the recognition he deserves? His record is pretty impressive.
JOE DURANT: He's got a heck of a record. You know, in this day and age, I mean, look what you're up against. You're up against maybe the best player ever, so it's fast company.

Q. Is it at all discouraging to shoot 67 on the South Course and lose ground?
JOE DURANT: It's not discouraging for me because that's probably my best round ever over there. You almost can't even try -- you can't even compare yourself to that, really. I've just got to go out and play my game day after day, and that's what I did today.

Q. From a practical standpoint, if he's up by a touchdown or eight and it's going to rain for the next two days, how long should we tread water before we go through the formality of playing the final round, or should we just pull the plug?
JOE DURANT: How many more holes does he have?

Q. Three plus tomorrow.
JOE DURANT: We all want to play. We want to play 72 holes. That's what a PGA TOUR event is, 72 holes. You know, we want to see him finish at 72, but the weather obviously doesn't look great for tomorrow, but we'll be out here trying to get it done.

Q. How tough would it be, just another player with an eight-stroke lead?
JOE DURANT: An eight-stroke lead, a lot has to happen. Whoever that person is would have to go out and really get off to a poor start and someone would have to put pressure on him pretty early in the round, make a few birdies right out of the gate to make him think that something could happen, especially on a golf course like this where the fairways are pretty generous and the rough is not that thick and the greens are soft. It would be difficult to catch someone like that.

Q. Is it safe to say you kind of have Tiger right where you'd like to have him?
JOE DURANT: Exactly (laughter). I'll just try to go out and play good tomorrow. Like I said, seeing signs of progress. Just want to keep playing well.

Q. When is the last time you played with him?
JOE DURANT: It's been a while. Bay Hill a couple years ago I'm guessing. I can't even remember. It's been a while.

Q. How is the course out there playing for you guys?
JOE DURANT: Greens are very soft. Fairways are dry right now. Today was the optimum scoring day. There was virtually no wind. There were some accessible pins. There were some good pins, but most of them were fairly accessible. The course is in as good a shape as I've seen it. I haven't been here in a couple years, but it's in great shape.

Q. Could we get the details of your birdies?
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: You obviously started on 1 and you bogeyed No. 2.
JOE DURANT: 2, I drove in the right rough and hit it on the front of the green but I almost knocked my first putt off the green. I hit it eight feet by and missed it coming back.
3 was a 5-iron and made that.
6, the par-5, laid it up with my second shot, which was a 5-iron and hit a wedge to about 15 feet, made that.
7, the par-4, hit a good drive and 6-iron to about four feet, made that.
10, birdie, was a driver and a wedge about a foot.
16, par-3, I hit a 3-iron and made about a 30-footer.
And 17, driver, 8-iron to about ten feet and made that.

Q. We were joking earlier, should there be a mercy rule?
JOE DURANT: (Laughing).

Q. You're the only guy I would ask that. I know you won't take it personally.
JOE DURANT: If there was ever a week for it, this might be it (laughter).
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Joe. We'll let you get back to practicing.
JOE DURANT: Sure.

End of FastScripts

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