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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 15, 2008

Nick Watney

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thanks, Nick, for joining us here in the media center at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Interesting round you had out there today with those two eagles. Why don't you just talk about the day and your position.
NICK WATNEY: Overall, I'm pleased. I'm closer to the lead than when I started. I actually played very, very well out there, just had one very unfortunate hole. You know, time to get by that, get past it and see what happens tomorrow.

Q. Can you crust go over the 16th hole?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I hit it out-of-bounds to the left.

Q. Did anyone know it was out-of-bounds over there?
NICK WATNEY: I mean, I wasn't really thinking about it or anything, if that's what you're asking me. It was a pretty bad shot. It was quite a ways to the left.
And then I hit it in the intermediate cut and hit that in the water.

Q. What club?
NICK WATNEY: 5-iron.

Q. Did you know at that point -- are you a scoreboard watcher? Did you know you were at the top?
NICK WATNEY: I knew I was doing well. I didn't know how many shot lead I had or anything like that. I was just trying to finish the round.

Q. So obviously you had seen that Vijay had tumbled a little bit?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah.

Q. When you knew your tee shot was going left on 16, were you aware there was out-of-bounds on the left side?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I knew it was pretty far off-line, so I didn't know what was over there. And then I wasn't surprised when they motioned that it was out, though.

Q. A lot of leaders from yesterday dropped. Why do you think the scores overall were lower today?
NICK WATNEY: Well, the wind blowing made the golf course quite a bit tougher. I mean, 15, for example, yesterday was a 3-wood and a wedge, and today was a 3-wood and a 6-iron.
So I think the wind definitely made the golf course tougher.

Q. Assuming your eagles were 6 and 12?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah.

Q. On 6, what was the wind doing at that point?
NICK WATNEY: I actually hit my tee shot a touch left of where I was aiming, but it worked out and then I hit a really good iron in there, 3-iron about six feet.

Q. Close to the edge of the fairway on the tee shot?
NICK WATNEY: Maybe ten or 12 yards.

Q. Did you notice Tiger rising a little bit, and what is his presence as he's getting himself back in the tournament do?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I don't think it does much, because it's no surprise. You kind of expect it.

Q. You don't think it affects guys?
NICK WATNEY: I mean, it could. I don't know. I don't really -- I just expect that to happen, so I don't think it's that big of a deal, you know.

Q. The reason I ask, as soon as he got up to the top of the board, whether it was coincidence or not, you're OB, Vijay was falling; it just seemed like guys were tumbling, and obviously conditions are tough. That's why I was asking.
NICK WATNEY: I don't know. I think he was close to done when I was playing.

Q. If you were told you would be two shots out of the lead when you teed off today, you'd take that?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah, definitely a positive. You know, five back of Vijay, which obviously is a good front runner, so to be two back is a good thing, and overall today was positive.
I mean, I played really, really well most of the day. So I'm looking forward tomorrow.

Q. Is that easy to digest, what happened on 16, is it easy for you to look big picture here?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah, definitely helps ease the pain a little bit.

Q. Did you figure some things out today that were tougher the first couple of days? Was it the greens or what helped you today?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I played -- Thursday I putted well to shoot 1-under, and yesterday I played very, very well, just didn't make a lot of putts. Today, you know, the golf course was playing difficult and I was, what, 4-under through 15, so I was playing very well. I would just say it was just -- I've kind of been getting better as the days have gone on.

Q. Tiger said he mentioned he thought the greens picked up some speed today. Do you agree with that?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah, I think they did a little bit. I agree with that.

Q. Did it make them any easier, any different?
NICK WATNEY: Maybe a tad more closer to what we are used to, I would say.

Q. Were you pleased with how you finished even coming off of that, a lot of times --
NICK WATNEY: Yeah, I was pleased with that. You know, I stood on 17 tee for a while, and I knew, like you were saying, if I didn't get over that, I could make some big scores on those two holes, also.
So pleased with the way I finished. Like I said earlier, I'm two back, which you know, Thursday, if you say you're two back going into Sunday, you definitely take it.
So you know, look forward to tomorrow.

Q. Was it a good one on 17?
NICK WATNEY: I did, yeah, I think 15 feet.

Q. Just wondering, assessing the last couple of days, what's clicking for you?
NICK WATNEY: I'm just playing really, really solid. I think the biggest change, though, is my game plan. I'm picking pretty good spots to be aggressive, and then if the situation is not very conducive, then I'll try to play safe. That's my game plan.

Q. Are you becoming a veteran?
NICK WATNEY: Slowly, I would say. (Smiling).

Q. It looks like it's going to be pretty well clustered and there's going to be a bunch of guys within spitting distance. What do you see happening tomorrow, assuming the weather is supposed to be the same?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I think it will be close all day. I mean, if somebody goes out and posts a score like sound did today, Sean or Hunter, certainly have a chance. They proved that. I'm not sure about the wind tomorrow, but it's going to be a shootout, I would say.

Q. How are you going to keep your mind -- how are you going to stay focused? How are you going to discipline yourself with this? You're really going up against it tomorrow.
NICK WATNEY: Well, this is why we play. You know, this is why I play to be close to the lead, to be playing against Tiger and Vijay. I mean, those are who you want to compete against because they are the best in the world.

Q. Do you have a mind game you play to stay focused?
NICK WATNEY: I mean, not really. I don't need to be focused right now. I'm just going to think about today a little bit, figure out some things and then just forget about it and play tomorrow and focus once I get on the golf course.
But for right now, just relax and get over it today.

Q. Tiger was saying he was going home to work out and do other things; are you going to work out, hit balls, do anything?
NICK WATNEY: I might hit a few balls. I think I'm going to go running when I get back to the room just to try to clear the cobwebs out, like what my dad says, just to get a little frustration out, a little energy, and then just like any other day.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you very much.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦

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