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U.S. BANK CHAMPIONSHIP IN MILWAUKEE

July 19, 2008

Nick Flanagan

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

THE MODERATOR: Nick Flanagan, thanks for joining us after a third round 69. Birdied the last hole to assure yourself of playing in the final group with Gavin Coles, fellow Australian. Great day for Australian golf. I'm sure you'd like to make it a better one tomorrow. Maybe some opening comments?
NICK FLANAGAN: Yeah. I mean, obviously Greg Norman's leading by two, and we got told on the golf course. And that is a pretty good thing to see him there, and a good bit of trivia for us to know while we're out there.
Obviously, two Aussies on the top of the leader board here. Love to see him get through; be an amazing thing for Australian golf. And if he does do it, then I'll definitely be rooting for him tomorrow that's for sure.
THE MODERATOR: If you would make a comment about your birdie on 18. Hit a great second shot, had an eagle opportunity but able to make a birdie, and like I said get into that final group. If you could talk about your second shot.
NICK FLANAGAN: Just bogeyed 17. I knew 18 was kind of a little bit of an easier opportunity for a birdie, and I hit a really good drive down there. Hit it a hard as I could and got it a long way down there. Had a perfect number for a big hybrid and hit it in there till about 12 feet I guess. Thought I hit a perfect putt. Not to sure how I missed. But it was a birdie and retained a share of the lead.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. If we could take some questions.

Q. I know Greg's about twice your age but do you have a relationship with him, are you friends, and has he helped you along the way giving you advice or anything like that?
NICK FLANAGAN: When I first kind of came on the scene he was just leaving, when I first started playing golf, so I didn't have as much to do with him as a guy like Adam Scott has obviously had to do with him. Met him a couple times, and we've played -- actually played the Australian Open, the third round of the Australian open a few years back.
But I mean he obviously sent that letter to me the U.S. Amateur you know before my final match. And congratulated me on getting that far. And when you get things like that from a guy like him it's pretty inspiring. It really makes you appreciate just what those guys are like and what they've done.

Q. (Question about Australian golfers and golf in Australia.)
NICK FLANAGAN: We've got a lot of good players all over the place I guess. I mean, obviously Greg Norman's-- I mean, I'm not too sure if he is playing the Senior Open next week. I'm not.
But to have him leading, then you got two guys this week and even got a lot of players out in Europe. I think there's another five or six guys on the Nationwide top 25 again this year already.
So golf in Australia -- we have a lot of talent. It's our tournaments and things back home that aren't going as well as they have in the past, but the talent is still coming out. So if that keeps happening hopefully that will kind of keep Australian golf going the right direction.

Q. I asked Gavin the same question that I'm going to ask you. Should you go on to win and Greg wins, would it bother you at all that he would probably steal a little bit of your thunder winning here?
NICK FLANAGAN: Not at all. Greg Norman's one of the greatest players that's ever played the game, so he deserves every bit of media and every bit of coverage he gets. And I wouldn't be disappointed at all. I don't care if I get any media coverage at all if I win tomorrow. So it's -- I'd love to see him win, and I'd also love to win myself.

Q. When you started in junior golf, was -- about where was he at in his career?
NICK FLANAGAN: When I started junior? I started playing in around '97. So I guess my first kind of junior golf tournament would have been about '99, 2000. So he was kind of on the out then.

Q. But you knew about him?
NICK FLANAGAN: Obviously, we knew about him. And I always bought shark golf balls with the little shark symbol on it because it looked cool and it was Greg Norman's little signature.
But then once I kind of started becoming a good amateur I was looking up to guys like Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby and all those kind of guys.

Q. What about your relationship with any of the other Australians?
NICK FLANAGAN: Appleby and myself have the same coach so we've spent a lot of time together. He's helped me out a lot. I've gotten the opportunity to practice with him a lot and stayed at his house a lot and just seeing how those guys do it is definitely made me learn a lot quicker how to get it done.

Q. And did you say yesterday that you took a lesson from a local guy here?
NICK FLANAGAN: No, no. I took a lesson from Jason Day's caddie. Jason Day's caddie who is actually his swing coach as well, Colin Swatton. And I haven't seen my coach for a few months now and just needed some reinforcement of what was working on and he helped me out.

Q. The weather's suppose to be a little better tomorrow. Can you talk about the potential for a big shootout here? And so many guys have a chance to win and how do you go into the final round looking at that?
NICK FLANAGAN: If the weather is better, the scores are going to a lot better. It was hard to get into a bit of a rhythm out there with the weather being rough early on, so won't be as hard tomorrow morning and guys wild be able to go out there and kick start it early. I don't think 1-under tomorrow is going to get it done.
But I'm still playing well. I'm putting well. I just didn't hit it close enough to the hole on the greens today, and that's just a little bit of tightness from being in the situation of leading a golf tournament.

Q. Just a question about 17. Third shot, what kind of lie did you have? And then how important was it to follow that up with a birdie on 18?
NICK FLANAGAN: The lie I had was fine. It was a bit thick, but I was sitting up so it was one of those ones where you still got to be aggressive through it. And I just didn't hit it hard enough really and the club just went straight underneath it. But the ball was sitting fine. It wasn't as hard a shot as it probably looked.
But to follow it up with a birdie on the last, I mean, I was hoping to try to make a good up and down on seven, eight and then birdie the last and give myself a bit of a buffer but that didn't happen. I hit two really good shots into 18, three good shots and made a birdie, so I'm still there at the top and just one more die go and hopefully I can do it again.
THE MODERATOR: Nick Flanagan, thank you. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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