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VERIZON HERITAGE

April 17, 2008

Justin Leonard

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

JOHN BUSH: We've got Justin Leonard after a 5-under par, 66. Justin, thanks for coming by. And if we could just get started with a few opening comments on what was obviously a great day for you.
JUSTIN LEONARD: It was a nice day, wonderful weather-wise. It was nice to play without a whole lot of wind. It seems like it's been windy the first part of this week and I certainly remember last year on Sunday, Monday, how windy it was. And it's nice to be here after last week when you play so defensively last week and you come here and play a little more aggressively.

Q. How quickly can you turn from playing defensively to going on the offense? Is that easy to do?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, it is easy. Last week is so challenging, and they made the golf course so much more difficult at the end of the week you're just totally drained. I kind of equate it to last week was like final exams, and this week is like spring break. You come here, it's such a relaxed atmosphere; we go on bike rides and do a lot of fun stuff with the kids. Golf is almost secondary here.
For me it's pretty easy to get in the mindset of coming here and kind of leaving some of the baggage from last week behind and get over here and relax and play a great golf course.

Q. I remember before you won here you were saying this wasn't always on your schedule and not really one of your favorite places. Since your victory here it seems like it's become a place that you won't miss or you make sure that you play?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, I've always loved the golf course but I really didn't play very well here. I never could really figure out why and still haven't, why I struggled here early in my career. But I love playing this golf course. I've had a little bit of success since '02. Anytime you've had success, especially when you've won, it's fun to come back and relive some of those shots and feelings, even.

Q. Is it as much a combination of not only the success you've had, but you were talking about the enjoyment of being here this week after The Masters, you have your family around, you have your friends around, things like that, is that as much a part of the package as anything else?
JUSTIN LEONARD: I feel it is. I think all the players enjoy coming here because of the atmosphere. It seems a little more noticeable after last week, after you're walking around on egg shells for a week, because of the golf course and just it's the first major of the year and all those things. You come here and you just kind of get embraced by the southern hospitality.

Q. Did you start on the front or back?
JUSTIN LEONARD: I started on 1.

Q. How important is it to take advantage of those morning tee times when you play here, knowing that the wind is almost always going to kick up in the afternoon?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, it's nice. It is nice. The golf course plays a little longer in the morning. It was pretty cold when we teed off. It warmed up pretty quickly. I've never really put too much stock in, well, I've got to play early -- I've got to play well because I've got an early tee time. You really don't know where you stand until Friday night. But it is nice to come out and play well.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about Anthony Kim, what you know about him, what you've seen from him so far.
JUSTIN LEONARD: You know, I think Anthony has got unbelievable talent. He's still learning a little bit about life on Tour and traveling and those things. But I think he's adjusted pretty quickly, by most standards. Is he 22 yet? Maybe he's still 21. I know at that age I wasn't nearly as mature a golfer as he is. He's going to win a lot of golf tournaments and create quite a bit of excitement for a number of years.

Q. Can you talk again about your mindset just throughout today compared to what you went through last week at Augusta? Do you still focus the same way or did you feel something really different out here?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No, I still focus the same way but there's not quite as many calculations going on, and your club selection and hitting shots here this week. It's pretty easy to tell. You don't want to short-side yourself here. A day like today where the wind is not really blowing it's a lot easier to go out and be comfortable with the shot that you're going to play.
Last week there's so many factors, where the wind is coming from, where you can't and can miss it. And then what the ball is going to do once it hits the ground is such a big thing there. You still have to focus the same but it's a little easier to be comfortable with what kind of shot you're going to play here.

Q. You mentioned bike rides and family time. Does that stuff stop today or do you try to squeeze that in?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No, we'll probably go on a little bike ride tomorrow and those fun things. That stuff goes on all week.

Q. It's pretty unusual in other places, you have to focus on golf?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, you really don't have the opportunity like you do here. This is such a family-oriented place that we rent a house, we cook in a lot. I think Hilton Head Island just lends itself more to that than anywhere else we go.

Q. How many weeks a year do you bring your family?
JUSTIN LEONARD: They probably only miss three or four events a year.

Q. If I remember right when you won here in '02, you said you gave your wife a lot of credit that you even showed up. Can you tell that story a little bit? Has there been a lot of "I told you so" since then?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No, we don't do I told you so's. Because she came here in 2001 and really enjoyed it. And I just I hadn't played well here. I'm not sure what my record is. I don't want to know what it was, but it seemed like if I missed the cut or if I made the cut, I was finishing in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and just not real comfortable with the golf course. I enjoyed playing it but without any good results it's kind of hard to come here with a lot of confidence.
And, yeah, Amanda said, "Let's go to Hilton Head one more year," because she really loved it here. And I did, too. But not quite as much because I just hadn't played that well.
Yeah, so she definitely gets a lot of credit for me coming back in '02 and playing well. And since then I've really enjoyed it.
Q. Was there one shot today that really got you going? Something happen out there today that kind of told you it was going to be a good day?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, I don't know if there was one shot or a hole today. But I played good on the front, shot 3-under. And 10 I hit a bad tee shot, hooked it in the water. Hit a 5-iron up to the green and chipped it in for par. That was probably the biggest shot of the day, just able to make par there.
I had a nice easy chip shot, but still you don't count on chipping in very often. So that certainly kept some momentum going for today, and I made a few pars after that and a couple of birdies coming in.
JOHN BUSH: Let's go through the card. Birdie No. 2.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Hit it pin-high left of the green on 2, hit a nice chip to about 8 feet, made that.
3, had a good drive, had a little bit of mud on my ball and I didn't judge correctly. Got it in the front bunker and hit a bad bunker and missed.
4, I hit a 5-iron to about eight feet.
5, hit it short of the green in two.
8, hit a 5-iron to about 12 feet.
16, hit a pitching wedge to about 12 feet.
18, I hit a 5-iron to about two feet.
JOHN BUSH: How long was the chip-in on 10?
JUSTIN LEONARD: It was probably 40 feet.

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