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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 11, 2008

Brad Adamonis

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome Brad Adamonis to the media center here at the John Deere Classic after round two. You're halfway home, model of consistency, opening round 66, second round 66. Just one bogey after 36 holes. Talk to us about how you're playing and feeling heading into the weekend.
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah, hitting the ball really solid, and hitting my driver real solid and far and very straight. It's given me a lot of opportunities. I've hit my irons pretty well, and just getting a lot of good opportunities out there and cashing in on them.
DOUG MILNE: You mentioned out there the reluctance to take your brother's advice, but obviously he's doing some good for you. How much help does he provide you?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Oh, he's always been there for me. He's kind of told me where my game is at and told me some of the things I need to work on. You know, last week he said, why don't you just -- don't think so much, why don't you just go for your shots and not worry about it so much.
I hit the ball pretty good last week at AT&T, and then this week I'm hitting it a lot better. So his advice definitely helped me out.

Q. Is your brother on your bag this week then?
BRAD ADAMONIS: No, he just gave me a phone call and told me (laughter). But I lived with him for 20 years, so I think he can tell my tendencies just by talking to me. He watched me play a couple weeks ago in Connecticut, so he's been watching me play forever.

Q. Is he your only coach, or do you work with somebody?
BRAD ADAMONIS: No, I've worked with a lot of people (laughter). My dad, my brother, really whoever has a helpful tip.

Q. A 35-year-old rookie. What took you so long?
BRAD ADAMONIS: You know, it's really competitive out here. There's great golfers, and just getting the opportunity to come out and being able to play full-time, I think that was important for me.
Bob Toski helped me out with that a great deal when I was down in Florida. I met him, and he gave me an opportunity to play every day, gave me -- got me a free membership at a golf course, and that really paved the way for me. And then I started playing on the Nationwide Tour, and now here I am.

Q. How do you find this course? How does it set up for you?
BRAD ADAMONIS: It sets up great because I can -- I like to cut the ball with my driver, and I can just peel it off the left side a lot. I'm hitting my driver really good, so....

Q. Is that the key to this course, getting off the tee?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah, definitely, I think, one of the keys. You've got to do a lot of good things. But I think if you're hitting your driver solid down the middle, you're going to get a lot of opportunities.

Q. You were one of the last golfers off the course last night, right?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah.

Q. What was that like?
BRAD ADAMONIS: You know, 9th hole is a pretty tough hole, and I was like, well, maybe we don't have to play it, because it was playing into the wind. And I birdied it. I birdied 8 and 9, the last two holes.

Q. In the dark?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah, so that was a great way to end the day.

Q. You've never really been in a position like this where you had two really good days, and you're in position to kind of move up Saturday and take this tournament on Sunday. What's the feeling now after these two very good rounds?
BRAD ADAMONIS: It feels great. Just my main focus, though, is just try to play well tomorrow, take it step by step and then just see where that brings me, and hopefully I'll be in position tomorrow where I am today, and then I'll have a good day today.

Q. You're talking about being a 35-year-old rookie and looking to break through. Do you think when players in your position are looking at the schedule they look at the John Deere Classic as that's a place where I have a shot, where I can break through, a good opening --
BRAD ADAMONIS: You know, some guys may look at it that way, but I certainly don't. I think about just trying to play good golf, wherever that is that it happens. Golf is kind of funny where you never know where you're going to play well. Some guys may look at it that way, but I'm not looking at it like that.

Q. Being the position you're in, being such a late rookie, what were your expectations coming into this week's tournament? And then obviously have they changed with these two rounds?
BRAD ADAMONIS: They really haven't changed. I'm trying to get in that British Open (laughter). That's kind of -- I'd like to try to get into that tournament. I'm just trying to -- I'm not really trying to put any pressure on myself, I'm just trying to play as good as I can play, and if I can do that the next two days, I know I'll have a great tournament.
I had a good tournament about three weeks ago in Hartford, and that's kind of game plan I had, and I shot 68-67 the last few days, and that was pretty good for me, my first really good tournament on the TOUR.

Q. Did you bring your passport with you?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yep (laughter).

Q. This is a tournament known for first-time winners. Were you aware of that, and how did that play into --
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely going to try to win just like anybody else. But in order to do that, it's such a long process to get there, I'm just going to try to focus tomorrow and maybe try to improve a little bit with my practice today on some of the areas where I may need it.

Q. You said your brother called you earlier. Was it today or --
BRAD ADAMONIS: No, he gave me advice last week.

Q. What did he kind of say to you?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Well, he just said, you know, you're playing well. You have nothing to lose, so why don't you go out there and go for it, go for your shots. Don't be conservative, don't -- it's real easy to second-guess yourself out here and not really commit to your shot. I guess committing to your shot is really the key and just going for your shot. That's something I've done a lot better than I have in the past, and I feel more confident now, too.

Q. Could you illustrate that almost on the 18th hole? Obviously you got yourself into a little bit of trouble there not getting it on the green, and then it just seemed like you took your shot and you got very close. Would that illustrate how your motivation and expectations have been this week?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah, that's an example of it because I went right for the pin, and I didn't hit a great shot. But then you know what, I hit a good shot recovering, and I made a par. And that's realistically a good score on that hole for sure.

Q. How do you react to one of the internet, quote-unquote, experts picking you as the sleeper pick to win this tournament?
BRAD ADAMONIS: That's nice, I like it (laughter). Hopefully I'll have a lot more of those. That's the plan hopefully.

Q. What pays bigger dividends, the calls from your brother or the success at Hartford?
BRAD ADAMONIS: It's a combination of both, I think, but definitely getting a good tournament under my belt on the PGA TOUR. I had some good tournaments on the Nationwide Tour, which is pretty similar, but you know, having that experience I think is going to help me out for the weekend in order to -- who knows what's going to happen. Maybe I'll play poorly, maybe I'll play great. But I think just knowing that I was able to perform and execute shots, you know, when I needed to three weeks ago should help me out.

Q. How important is it for people to pronounce your name correctly?
BRAD ADAMONIS: I don't really care, I gave up on it a long time ago. I've been playing golf, and they always announce your name -- I'd say about 75 percent of the time they get it wrong, even when I tell them what the correct pronunciation is.

Q. I got here late. What is it?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Adamonis.

Q. Did you play at Buick? Were you in the Buick field?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah.

Q. Was it there where you had some issues where you had to stop?
BRAD ADAMONIS: No, actually that tournament I was at -- I had vertigo, and it's just -- my form of -- I guess everybody has different vertigo, but I have nystagmus along with it. Basically you never know when it's going to happen. It hits you and I can't really do anything for two to five minutes. That happened actually at the Travelers where I played well.

Q. I saw something on The Golf Channel, and I just kind of wanted to get an update on where we were.
BRAD ADAMONIS: I'm taking some medicine for it. Hopefully it's going to work out. But it's one of those random things. I just don't know -- I've seen some really good doctors, but we haven't really figured it out quite yet.

Q. Is that something that weighs on your mind in a round? I mean, how do you deal with it when you're out on the golf course for five hours?
BRAD ADAMONIS: I don't think about it. It's just, like, playing at this level of golf, you have so many distractions, you learn how to just not worry about certain things, and that's just another one of the obstacles that I try not to think about. But when it happens it's very unpleasant.

Q. How do you recover from it then after it hits you?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Well, I think I've figured out how to cut it down a little bit because sometimes it lasts longer than other times. I just try to close my eyes and breathe deep, say a prayer. Hopefully it goes away.

Q. Is it painful or is it just like a dizziness?
BRAD ADAMONIS: It's dizzy. I'd be looking at you and I wouldn't be able to see you; you'd be going back and forth. So I can't walk. I just have to sit down and wait until it goes away.

Q. Given your condition and given your history, how much are you cherishing this moment right now given the fact that you're third in a tournament and have an opportunity to win your first tournament, thinking about it and soaking this all in? What are your thoughts?
BRAD ADAMONIS: Yeah, you're right, that's one of the things that I'm trying to improve with my golf game, too, is when you hit a good shot, reward yourself, and when you play a good round, kind of reward yourself. I'm trying to soak it in and enjoy the situation, and here I am talking to you guys. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same thing.

Q. How will you reward yourself tonight? Obviously you had a very good round today. Is there anything that you're going to do, any extracurricular?
BRAD ADAMONIS: No, I'll be with my wife. That's always a reward. And see my kid when I haven't seen him for a couple hours. That's the best.
DOUG MILNE: If you wouldn't mind just real quickly running us through your birdies and just give us some clubs and we'll let you get out of here.
BRAD ADAMONIS: All right. I started off on the 1st hole. I didn't hit a very good drive on that hole. I hit it in the sand and I had about 120 yards. I hit a nice sand wedge about -- from 120 yards about six feet, made the putt. That was great.
Next hole, driver, 4-iron on the green and two-putted, made birdie from about 30 feet.
Then No. 6, I hit a 2-iron and a sand wedge about eight feet, made that putt.
I had some pretty good opportunities 7 through 11, but I didn't make any putts.
And then 12, I missed about a four-footer for par. So it was a little disappointing, but I just kept on moving on.
I made a nice par on 13, made about a six-footer, or maybe eight feet. That was key.
And then on 14, I hit a driver off the tee, which was kind of risky. It was a little into the wind. And I hit a perfect drive and pitched it up there about two feet.
And then the next hole I hit a perfect drive. I had a wedge in. I was in a divot, and then I hit a great shot out of the divot and made about a 15-footer for birdie.
And then 16, I hit about a -- I hit a 9-iron about two feet away and made that putt.
And then 17, I hit 5-iron into that hole, but I didn't hit a very good shot.
And then 18, you guys saw that, I made a nice par there.
DOUG MILNE: Thanks very much for your time, and good luck on the weekend.

End of FastScripts

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