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FBR OPEN

February 1, 2008

J.B. Holmes

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

JOHN BUSH: We have got our 2006 FBR Open champion J.B. Holmes with us, our current leader in the clubhouse. J.B. a 6-under 65. Great playing today.
J.B. HOLMES: Thank you, thank you. Played well. Hit my irons good, putted well, so just a good day.
JOHN BUSH: Just obviously, I think this is your seventh round in the 60s here out of eight rounds total, so obviously a place that you feel really comfortable.
J.B. HOLMES: Definitely. I really like this golf course. It sets up good for my eye. I putt well here, chip well here. So in general, I just really, really like this golf course.

Q. Did you drop some pounds?
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, I've lost some weight. I don't know how much. I haven't weighed myself in a while, but I'm trying to get in shape a little bit and get in a workout routine and lose a little bit.

Q. Has that affected your swing or your length at all? Longer, shorter, about the same?
J.B. HOLMES: No, it hasn't affected anything.

Q. I was out there on 16. Can you talk about that shot and the environment around there?
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, that place is just crazy. It's always a lot of fun to get up there and hit that shot. It's nerve-wracking, whether you're playing good or bad, so many people watching. I hit 8-iron there and just hit it right where I was aiming and it cut towards the hole and hit it about eight feet and made the putt, so it's always fun to play that hole.

Q. Did they say anything to you as you were making your walk to the tee?
J.B. HOLMES: No, I was playing with Freddie, so they didn't even know I was there (laughter).

Q. What's it like to come back to a place where you've won? This is where you kind of introduced yourself to the world, if you will.
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, it's always great to come back here, good memories. I always play well here. So I'm always excited for the FBR to come back around every year.
Just glad to be here.

Q. You had that victory, did it come so soon that you just thought, man, these are just going to come rolling in?
J.B. HOLMES: Yes. Well, it happened so quickly, and not saying I did it with ease, but I won by several shots, and I was saying, well, maybe just keep it going and just kind of fell into a little bit of a slump. And I've had some good tournaments here and there but haven't really played as well as I would like to.

Q. Why do you think you haven't won again since?
J.B. HOLMES: Well, I mean, I came straight out of college. It's a different lifestyle. You go from being around your friends all the time to being gone six, seven months a year traveling. It's a big change.
You know, I've gotten adjusted to the lifestyle more now, getting in more of a routine. You know, there's a lot of good players out here, and I think more because some of the younger players that struggle, it's not because they don't have the talent or because they're no good enough, it's just such a big lifestyle change and everything is just different than college and what you've been used to. Media attention, you know, crowds, galleries everywhere, it's just different.

Q. Do you like the lifestyle or does it bother you?
J.B. HOLMES: No, it doesn't bother me. I like it. It just takes getting used to. It's like anything else. When it's different from what you've known your whole life, you go from a college player where you get 15 people to watch a tournament to you're hitting it in front of 25,000, 30,000 people on one shot, it's a big difference.

Q. Just kind of following up on that first, a rookie on the TOUR, what do you think are the biggest challenges they face? And for you what was it, this lifestyle change?
J.B. HOLMES: It was the traveling, just being gone so much. I mean, all of it plays a part, but some people adapt to it better than others. If you've gotten out here from Q-school or Nationwide Tour, you're good enough to play out here. It's just how good you adapt and if you take your opportunities when you have the chance.

Q. What's the biggest life lesson you learned from that first year, something maybe you'd do differently do you think?
J.B. HOLMES: Hmm, I mean, just do your best as much as you can, don't get down on yourself. This is a tough sport to play for a living. You're not always doing good. You know, just keep your head up and keep plowing and do the best you can.

Q. Was it overwhelming at all at times because you win and all of a sudden you're on commercials and you're on covers with Bubba and Camilo as kind of the new generation of big hitters? You went from zero to 60 almost like out here.
J.B. HOLMES: Yes and no. I didn't play as well afterwards. I didn't feel like it affected me. You know, it's neat to see that stuff and everything like that. Maybe it affected me a little bit, but I didn't feel like it did. Who knows.

Q. Talk about the putter you're using and why you were using that and how long you've been using it.
J.B. HOLMES: I put it in the bag on Tuesday, so I've just kind of been fiddling around with putters and trying to find something that I like. You know, I struggled a little bit last week with putting. It's hard to putt at Torrey Pines on the poa annua anyway, but I was hitting some -- it wasn't good strokes. It wasn't just the greens.
I had a couple putters made, and I putted with it a little bit on the putting green and liked it, so I tried it in a practice round and putted pretty good in the practice round and putted so-so yesterday, but I putted pretty well today.

Q. The course was playing a little bit slow in the practice rounds because of the rains. Are you getting some run out there now?
J.B. HOLMES: Not a whole lot, a little bit. And then in the practice rounds, it was pretty wet in the practice rounds, but the greens are firming up quicker than the fairways. I think it's just going to get a little bit tougher from here on out because they've got run-offs and the greens get firmer. It should be fun out here this weekend.

Q. Do you get more confident out here than you do at other tournaments?
J.B. HOLMES: When you've got better memories, you always have more confidence when you get to a golf course that you really, really like, that you feel sets up good for you than a golf course that doesn't set up as good for you. Just mentally you just have a little bit better mindset, I think. You can still play well at other golf courses and still win at other golf courses, but me coming out like I did my rookie year and winning in this tournament, I have nothing but good memories here. Positive thoughts are always good.

Q. Do you remember how you spent that check two years ago?
J.B. HOLMES: No, I haven't spent it yet. It's in the bank (laughter).
JOHN BUSH: No bogeys on the card. Take us through your six birdies starting on No. 3.
J.B. HOLMES: No. 3, hit a 5-iron into it, hit it just a little bit right but it hung up on the fringe over there and I putted it up to about two feet, made that.
And then 5, I duck-hooked it way left and it went over the cactuses, through the ditch there on the left and it was almost on the other side. I don't know what's over there. I was over there towards 7 green and then just enough to wedge out, and I hit a wedge and cut it around the corner, or just off the edge, and made about a 15-, 20-footer for birdie.
10, I hit it up there 50 yards from the green, from the pin, hit it up to about 12 feet and made it.
11, I hit 3-wood off the tee, hit 8-iron from I think it was 178 to about 20 feet, made it.
And then 15, I hit 3-wood off the tee and hit a 5-iron in the front bunker, hit it up to six feet, made birdie.
And then 16, I hit 8-iron to about eight feet and made it.

Q. Did you think you made the one on 17?
J.B. HOLMES: No, I didn't hit a good putt. I was a little frustrated with myself. I was a little frustrated with the chip. It's a tough shot because it gets up on that ridge and takes off. You don't want to hit it too hard. I could have hit it better than I did and I didn't hit as good a putt as I wanted to, but it could have been worse.

Q. You had a couple nice saves, 18?
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah. I played pretty well out of the bunkers -- well, played great out of the bunkers today. But yeah, 18, the fairway bunker, it was a pretty good yardage for me, 120, I had like a half wedge. I had a good yardage on it. I pushed it just a little. I was planning on hitting it a little closer, but I'll take that shot every time out of there.

Q. Did you carry it out of the bunkers two years ago on 18?
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah. I did it yesterday, too. I hit that drive terrible today. If I hit it good, if the weather is good and I hit it good, no. If it's cold and the wind is in your face, it's not going to happen. But today I should have got over, I just hit a poor drive.
JOHN BUSH: All right, J.B., keep it going this weekend.

End of FastScripts

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