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BUICK OPEN

June 27, 2008

Woody Austin

GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks for joining us, 66-67 here at the Buick Open, excellent position heading into the weekend. Maybe talk about that five-hole stretch you had today, 12 through 16.
WOODY AUSTIN: That's been my good luck charm for two days. I birdied 12, 13, 14 and 15 yesterday, and birdied 12, 13, 14, 15, and eagled 16 today; so that right there is ten of my 11-under.
So I need to play those holes that way again and try to play the other 12 holes somehow.

Q. You talked yesterday about staying patient and not trying to force things when they are not there. Did you tell yourself that when you hit that stretch where you made par after par after par?
WOODY AUSTIN: Yeah, I'm pretty disappointed with the way I finished. And like I said, to play the last 11 1-over and still shoot 5-under is pretty disappointing.
I got to that point; I started pressing, trying to make a birdie, and it just kept getting worse and worse and I never made another putt and I hit a terrible shot on the last hole and paid for it. Stuff you can't do.

Q. Is it putting that controls your streaks like that?
WOODY AUSTIN: Oh, sure. I mean, you have to make something to be feeling really good. You know, I made a 25-footer for eagle on 16. So I felt like I was going to make putts today, and then I didn't make another one rest of the day.
But I also didn't hit it three feet a couple times to give myself some confidence. I kept hitting it 15, 20 feet and I can't do that. That's not my strength. My strength is to get it closer and to make some, and if one goes in like 16, it's a bonus.
So 12 through 16 was a bonus, but you know, I need to tidy it up and I need to get the ball closer to the hole, because I can't put pressure on my putter. It's just not a good idea. I think I showed that on 17. I had a 15-footer and knocked it eight feet by. It's not pretty.

Q. Do you watch the board?
WOODY AUSTIN: I always watch. That's my personality. I knew exactly when I went out today, I wanted to get to double-digits by the turn. That was a goal. I feel like if I can duplicate yesterday's round, that would be good, but when I stood on 17 tee at already 12-under, I felt like I could catch him, and at least get ahead.
What you need to do here is you need to separate yourself as far as you can from the guys from one low round, because everybody shoots a low round here every day.
My thinking is: If I can get double all the 7- and 8-unders, I can go through maybe a struggle tomorrow or Sunday and shoot 1- or 2-under, but they still have to shoot nine or ten to catch you; whereas now where I finished in relation to that is half of a good round.
So I pressed a little too hard probably.

Q. How frustrating was it not making birdies in that stretch of pars, and the bogey on the last?
WOODY AUSTIN: Any time -- that's my first bogey of the tournament, so that stings. Also stings with a wedge in your hand. Nobody likes to bogey the last hole.
Frustration-wise, the 11 holes without making a birdie, on this golf course, you just can't do that. You can't play 11 holes out here and not make a birdie, and expect to be happy with it.

Q. Everybody I talk to, they are talking about not watching the leaderboard, but you said it's your personality to do that.
WOODY AUSTIN: Absolutely.

Q. Do you feel like it just helps you?
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I mean, like to know what's going on. That's who I am. That's just -- like I said, that's my personality. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you -- when people say they don't ever watch a leaderboard; hogwash. There's too many out there for you not to look at.
I think for you to walk five hours and not know what's going on, no, I don't believe that, and I'm not going to lie to you and say I don't.
Now, they may not watch them and look at them and study them or whatever, but to glance and see what's going on, I think everybody does that.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could touch on your run, 12 through 16 with your clubs.
WOODY AUSTIN: I drove it up there, had 52 yards, hit it right behind the hole and it was about eight, ten feet and made it.
13, I went for the green in two, and I pulled it over by the grandstands over there. Hit an awesome chip shot. Hit it to about 3 1/2 feet, four feet and made that.
14, I drove it right up in front of the green. Didn't hit a good chip shot. Hit it about eight feet past the hole and made that.
15 was the bonus, or it was the first bonus of the day. I didn't hit a good drive down the right side. I hit it just through the green, dead pin-high and just on the fringe. It was an easy pitch but you don't think you're going to chip in, and I chipped in.
Played 16 perfect. Hit a good drive down the right side and hit a rescue on the green pin-high 25 feet and knocked it in.
So like I said, it was a real good momentum I had going, and then I just never -- I never got it back. So just kind of ran out of juice.

Q. Without beating you up too much, you didn't make any birdies down the stretch, but there wasn't a lot of birdies coming in, either, you have players like Leonard and Furyk, and there was not a lot of putts being made out there.
WOODY AUSTIN: Yeah, but it doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't. I had a couple easy chances: 6, I had 10 feet, and 7 I had 10 or 12 feet. Those are two easy putts on 6 and 7 that I could have made.
No. 1, I really screwed up. I hit a good drive and I short-sided myself on the right side of the green, so that was a big mistake.
Like I said, when you know that you can go low here and everybody can go low, when you have it going like I had it going on 12 through 16, you have to feel like you have to take full advantage of that, and I had 11 more holes to take advantage of what was going on, and I didn't. So I'm not going to lie and say I'm happy with that.

Q. Lost opportunity?
WOODY AUSTIN: Absolutely. Like I said, irregardless of there not being a lot of birdies down the stretch or whatever, I still went 11 holes on this golf course without making a birdie. That's not good. I don't care who -- you can ask the guys who are playing bad this week, and 11 holes without making a birdie on this golf course is not good, especially for a guy who is 11-under.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Okay, Woody Austin, thanks, and best of luck this weekend.

End of FastScripts

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