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U.S. BANK CHAMPIONSHIP IN MILWAUKEEJuly 20, 2008Richard S. JohnsonMILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN THE MODERATOR: At this time we'd like to welcome the 2008 champion of the U.S. Bank Championship, Richard S. Johnson. Congratulations. 64 today, great way to close out the win and become the sixth player from Sweden to win on the PGA Tour in history. So maybe some opening comments. Great first round, great last round, and you're $720,000 richer and jump into the race for the Fed Ex Cup. Maybe some opening comments. RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, it's been a great week. I mean, it started out with that first day I thought we got the bad end of the draw, and I got hot there and made that hole-in-one, and, you know, all of a sudden it felt like I could make some birdies. I haven't had that feeling for awhile. So it just opened the door where it felt like I got back to my old game. I'm hitting the fairways, I can attack the pins, and feel like I can make some putts. THE MODERATOR: We saw a great shot there on 18. Maybe a couple comments about that. You know you had an eagle opportunity and birdie pretty much clinched it for you once Ken wasn't able to make eagle. RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Me and Ken kind of went down the to the wire there. He had a good chance on 17 there to tie me. He just hit a good 3-wood and it just caught the bunker. But I had 241 I think to the pin and it was borderline. It was one of those if it was another day I might have hit 2-iron, but I just hit a soft 3-wood, and I caught it terrific straight to the pin, and it was just it was a relief when it took off. THE MODERATOR: Then final thing before we take some media questions. You have a two-year exemption, and, as I mentioned earlier you kind of jump into the race for the FedEx Cup. You know the playoffs are coming up here in a couple weeks, maybe some thoughts on that. RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, it was -- it's one of those, how I played this year so far-- I mean, we kind of planned to, after the Greensboro event, if I'm not doing something crazy, we're heading to Sweden for three, four weeks during the FedEx playoffs. But I don't know what happened with the standing but, I mean, hopefully I'm top 144 now. So we'll see. But, yeah, I don't mind going later to Sweden at all, but I'm very much looking forward to going home there though. THE MODERATOR: We'll take some questions. Q. Winning an event is something that can turn your life around. Has it sunk in yet, what you have accomplished? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Well it's always like that kind of thing when it's -- I came close a couple years ago, and it usually gets to you when you leave and you have dinner and maybe a few beers. (Laughter.) It usually -- I mean, I'm very happy. I mean, a good friend of mine Will MacKenzie won two years ago in Reno. I mean, he had a similar kind of season where he wasn't playing that great then came out and played unbelievable. So, I mean, we all -- I mean, we all know that we're all good enough out here that we can win. I mean, it's really neat to be able to pull it off. Q. You shoot 64, birdied the last two holes, hit some great shots coming in. I mean, if you could draw up a blue print for winning for the first time would this sort be way you wanted to do it? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Yeah, I birdied one today which was really nice. Then three-putted two and made a bogey on four. So I was kind of in the same situation there. Then on five -- is five the Par 5? THE MODERATOR: Five is a par three. RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Six then I hit it in the right rough. I was going to lay it up and hit the tree and I was still in the rough and I was kind of getting back -- like freaking out a bit again, you know, one over through six. But then I hit a great shot and made a 15-footer or something for birdie. Then all of a sudden just went, Okay, I can do this. From there on I played unbelievable. I mean, I hit it -- I hit it close very much on the back nine. I took care some of chances. But I hit it very well and rolled it in when I needed. Q. You talked about having those negative thoughts, maybe not negative but just like, you know, what is it going to take for me to breakthrough, so to speak. Just kind of expand a little bit on what you went through? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: I mean, it's hard. It's always like that, especially on the golf course like this when it was blowing today so you know that everybody is going to make birdies. And if you are one over through six, it's not really the situation you want to be in. So, you know. But my caddie Mike was terrific this week. And we started working together. I was very pleased how he kind of guided me through everything where it's like, you know, what it's okay, be patient, it will come; you are playing good enough you'll get chances. So you know I have a lot to thank him for at the end of the day. Q. You also mentioned that you haven't felt like you could really make a lot of birdies in awhile and, you know, when would you say the last time was that you could really make tons of birdies? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Well you know what, my last year. Because I went to tour school -- like it wasn't that great either-- but I went to second stage and won it by 11. And that was pretty much my highlight of last -- not that I am very proud of playing second stage, but, I mean, that was the best I played in my career, I would say that week. That got me through tour school as well as to just kind of feel like, you know, my game is down the fairway, attack with the irons then try to make some putts. I don't hit it 350 like some of these guys do. I hit it average on tour. That's the game that we're trying to live with. Q. (No microphone.) RICHARD S. JOHNSON: It's always, of course. But it's -- I don't know what happened in the British Open but, I mean, I would say Stenson and Alexander Noren probably takes more of the glory than me this week because of the British. You know, for Swedes the British Open is a big thing. But of course there are going to be a lot of media things in Sweden as well to take care of probably. But I'm very proud. I love -- I'm very proud to be from Sweden. It's always nice to see Chopra was the last one who won I think, and I was very pleased for him. Q. How does this change your life now that you are a winner on tour? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Well, I don't know, ask me next year. No, I mean, I don't think it will change my life drastically. You know, I'm probably-- you know, I'm like every other person, I got a mortgage to payoff as well, so that probably will happen a little bit. So, you know, it's just such a neat feeling now I can play the rest of the year and -- you know, my mom's biggest dream has always been to go to Hawaii, and she's turning 60 in December so I guess we're going to Hawaii. Q. You talked about how you were going to throw your putter in the lake last week. Something must have clicked this week. You really putted well today and pretty much the whole weekend? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Not the same putter. (Laughter.) No, I went -- after last week I kind of-- on Saturday I went out by myself to the practice green and just said you know what, just try to get back what you did before. I've been very technical in my putting and trying to make everything square and make it look good. Whereas I think I've been -- I am more of a feel putter. So I been trying to do the whole line thing. You know lining it up with the line and, you know, do the whole shebang that way. But on[] Saturday last week it's going to go back, no line, just aiming at a spot and just trying to putt more with feel. And I guess that's what I should have done in January. Q. What happened to the old putter? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: I gave it back to the manufacturer. I don't break clubs. Q. How will you celebrate this tonight? What are you doing? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Like I said, we've got a 13-month-old daughter so I mean she is probably heading to bed about 8:00. If I go out and spend too much time in a bar or something our traveling day tomorrow is not going to be very nice. But I will take my caddie and my wife for a couple drinks, and I'll head home, shower and pack up, and get ready for next week. You know, we're flying out early tomorrow morning and, you know, the celebration will have to wait when I got all my friends around me. Everybody's left, so. Q. Ask you the defending question. Should you become eligible for the British you will probably play there, and how would you feel about not being able to come back here if that happens? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: I haven't actually thought that far yet. I can't really say. It all depends what kind of position I'm in next year. But the British is a very special tournament for me. But also, again, this has become very special as well now. So, I mean, it's something that I have to wait and see. I can't really say. Q. Can we go through your scorecard. You mentioned you start off the first hole with a birdie? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: First hole I hit a good drive down there. What did I hit in there? I hit a 7-iron, yeah. I hit a 7-iron to 11.5 feet, made that putt. It was a nice putt. Then two, I hit in the right rough. Didn't have the best of lies. Got it pin high on the right fringe and just three jacked it. I was a little defensive the first putt. The pin was pretty dicey where it was standing. And four, hit it in the middle of the fairway but straight in a divot. Kind of had to hit one club more and just didn't really catch it and caught the right rough and didn't get the best of lies and just chipped it up and two-putted. Then six was probably where it all turned around for me. I hit my driver right, was going to lay up and hit a tree and came out to about 153 in the rough, I think I had. And hit a great eight-iron to about 12 feet. Made that. And that was really the turn around in the round. Then on the next hole, seven, par 3, I hit a 5-iron to 22 feet, and I rolled that in as well. It was a nice breaking putt. I got a good read of Ken there. So it was nice. Then ten, hit it in the right rough again. Seems like I hit it in right rough all the time. And hit a terrific shot out of the rough to probably 6.8 feet and made that. So that was nice. The next hole is a par 3. I hit a 6-iron to four feet, knocked that in. And 15, hit 3-wood down the middle then hit a terrific 3-wood just over the back and chipped it up to a foot. I'm very proud of that chip because I would have probably putted that awhile ago but got some new wedges, some new grooves. 17, had a rescue in the right rough again. And had a terrific 8-iron straight at the pin to 16 feet. And that was really what, you know, took a one-stroke lead coming into the last. Then the last hole I hit a terrific drive. And hit a 3-wood, and you can only wish at that point and time, and just straight at the pin and it rolled up to 20 feet and two-putted for birdie. Q. You mentioned you hit it right a lot in the rough. Sounds like you are still getting it pretty close out of the rough. Did you kind of notice that the rough was maybe a little bit thin and it was pretty easy to get a club on? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Well it was thinner than last year, but still I had some pretty rough lies in there. It wasn't -- I got lucky on some of them because I wasn't -- I didn't hit it miles in the right rough I was like a couple steps in all the time. I got some good lies, but also got some bad ones. I got a terrible one on 2 and also got a terrible one on 13, which I got it up around the green and hit a good chip up to six, seven feet and made that. So it was more of a -- yeah, I got some good lies but also got some bad ones. I mean, it's little spotty out there. Q. I think at different points of the day seven guys either had or shared the lead. Did you do the scoreboard watching and did you have a sense a lot of guys were going crazy? RICHARD S. JOHNSON: I said before the round, I said to my wife this morning, I think you need to get to 15 or 16 to clench this thing here. And, you know, it was -- I watched the scoreboard a little bit, but, you know, I had Ken in front of me all day kind of thing. I mean, I didn't take the lead until the 15th or something. So I was just trying to catch Ken all day. And George was right there too. I mean, we were just kind of head-to-head following Ken around. Then I had a good finish and made some birdies. Q. Want to go off that a little bit and explain how good it feels to kind of go out and get the win? 64 is a great round and you win the tournament you. (Inaudible.) RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Like I said to you guys, the other day, my whole goal for the tournament wasn't to lead by three on Saturday. I wanted to be there on 15 and have a chance. Because I knew, you know, 15 is where it's going to come down to on this golf course, you know, the last four holes. That was really my goal of the day, just try to be in contention when you get to 15. That's what I was just trying to do. Then, I mean, I hit three terrific 3-woods, the two on 15 and the one on 18 and that really clenched it for me there. It was really neat. Q. (No microphone.) RICHARD S. JOHNSON: I don't know about that. I am very happy with my new driver and my 3-wood. I got a nice set of clubs right now. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Congratulations. RICHARD S. JOHNSON: Thanks guys. End of FastScripts |
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