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AT&T CLASSIC

May 15, 2008

Ryan Palmer

DULUTH, GEORGIA

THE MODERATOR: Ryan Palmer in the interview room. We appreciate you coming in today. You are coming off a 6 under 66 today. Tell us about your day
RYAN PALMER: Relief, exciting and fun. It was -- it's been tough not getting to play as much this year, having to pass. So it's nice to finally come out on a Thursday and put up a low round and get myself in position for the week.
The weather was perfect. Not a bit of wind and no rain, so that's good. It was just fun. It was a calm day.
I felt real at ease today and just my swing was good. I rolled the ball better than I have all year and finally made a few putts. So it was fun.
THE MODERATOR: Do you have questions?

Q. Considering you haven't played that much this year, were you surprised at all what you were able to do today or did you see it coming?
RYAN PALMER: No, I've been playing decent. I've had good weeks on the nation-wide tour. Just hard knowing this is where it's like I belong, and when you are not out here playing, and when you get out here you only have so many more -- have 25 to 30 events I've been playing, so I have 15 to 18 events to play. So it's been -- I've been taking minor steps. Getting my driver in shape. The irons are good and finally got some new wedges this week that came together and putting the old putter back in the bag. And putting was the missing link and I think I got it solved today.

Q. A new putter in the bag?
RYAN PALMER: One I played for years. The same one at Virginia and same one I used Disney, even up till last year, John Deere, when I had to retire for a while. So it's time to bring it back out. It's an Odyssey Rossie II.

Q. Does it get frustrating because you -- if you feel like you belong here, does it get frustrating you haven't had a chance to play more this year or something you can deal with?
RYAN PALMER: I been dealing with it pretty good. It is frustrating being home and watching it on TV every once in a while. Then I've been playing nation-wide events which has been nice, kind of been a good preparation for me when I do get out here. But it has been frustrating. Especially events I love playing and not being able to play.
So I'm looking forward to it. I got a lot of weeks ahead of me. I get to go home and play Colonial next week which will be nice. So I just try not to get too down and realize this is the situation and make the best of it.

Q. Did you and your putter have a violent break-up at the John Deere?
RYAN PALMER: It was a quiet, violent break-up (laughing) let's put it that way. And I had the encouragement from my caddie to go ahead and do it. But I had some extras at home. It's nice to be back together.

Q. Where did you put it? Where was it physically when you weren't using it? Did you have it stored away in the some closet somewhere?
RYAN PALMER: That one was in a trash can in a parking lot somewhere. These are new ones I had in the garage.
You know, I put a new putting green in at home and I took about half a dozen on the putting green and was on the green with them and pulled -- I had three at home, the old Odyssey, and started looking good, feeling good. And took them over to Colonial and worked with them on the green. So it's nice the first round back with it, it came through. It was a good round.

Q. How important is that from a confidence standpoint? I mean, you make that change, you go out and play a round like this as opposed to if you had struggled today then you kind of have questions again. Just means a difference, it seems, like from a confidence standpoint?
RYAN PALMER: It's unbelievable how huge it is for me. When I get that putter feeling good in my hands, it makes my iron play that much easier, my short game that much easier. When I know I'm hitting my irons good it frees up my driver which I've struggle with a lot.
Normally when I get that putter on I'm making 10-, 12-footers a lot, it makes it that much easier to hit greens and attack more pins and just kind of free wheel it from the fairway.

Q. (No microphone.)
RYAN PALMER: I did good. I think I missed two fairways. I think I missed three greens. And made about a 12-footer for par on the last hole. It was a great ball striking day.

Q. What did you do on 13; did you drive it?
RYAN PALMER: Which is 13?

Q. A short par 4.
RYAN PALMER: Yeah. No, I hit the driver just short. It's tough where they put that pin. Actually had a 3-footer down-hiller coming back for par, made par there.

Q. Can we go through your birdies?
RYAN PALMER: Sure. I'll start on my back nine where I started. Number 10, hit a driver down the middle then laid up to about 120 yards, 125, and hit it about 5, 6 feet. 18, hit the driver and then had about 245, 250 to the hole and hit a 5-wood about 15, 20 feet, 2 putted from there. Number 2 I had hit pitching wedge to about a foot. 3, I hit 5-wood off the tee then I think I had 94 yards to the hole and hit it about 10 feet to behind the hole, made that one. 4, I hit a driver. Had a 5-wood just pin high right, then chipped up to about 2, 3 feet. Then on 7, good tee ball and another pitching wedge from about 147. I hit to about 7 feet then made 110-footer. Par on the last hole.
Like I said my control was spot on and my short game was good today and I drove the ball great. And when I needed to make a 10-footer I made one. So I'm going to sleep good tonight.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Thanks, Ryan.

End of FastScripts

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