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RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 22, 2008

Jon Mills

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO

JOE CHEMYCZ: Thank you. We welcome Jon Mills in for a couple minutes. Thanks for taking some time. Maybe just talk a little bit about last week. You had a good run at U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. Talk about that, and then we'll open it up for some questions.
JON MILLS: Yeah, I guess going into the week I really wasn't striking the ball very well and tried to work on some things, felt like I never really found anything. It was just one of those things where you get on the golf course, get in competition and I kind of found something that worked. You know, I got myself at least in position to -- even a chance to win the tournament and a chance to play in the final group on Sunday. Obviously it was a good experience, and I didn't play as well as I would have liked, but still a good finish.

Q. You've had more success this go-around on the PGA TOUR than you did your first season on there. Do you feel like you're getting closer to maybe a big breakthrough at one of these tournaments?
JON MILLS: I think so. You know, my game, I feel my game is right there. The consistent level is definitely higher than it had been. I think that kind of continued from last year playing so consistent on the Nationwide Tour. But I think just overall comfort level being much higher this time around, you know, just I think playing golf courses again, and I think your experience can do a lot for someone.

Q. You've been in contention or thereabouts three or four times this year, and yet not really sort of a high finish. But how much is it about getting in position, even if you don't succeed right away, to sort of build --
JON MILLS: Yeah, I think it's definitely important to anyone, really. You know, like I said, that was the first time I had ever been in the final group on the PGA TOUR, so you just kind of go through that and you kind of realize it's another round, even though that's the way you've got to try to take it, even though there's a chance to win.

Q. Just to put a Canadian spin on this, we saw seven or eight years ago or maybe even a little longer than that, Mike Weir -- did you watch seven or eight years ago or even closer to ten years when Mike Weir was in contention and faded a bit and then finally won in Vancouver? Do you draw strength from stuff like that?
JON MILLS: I don't really think about that. I try to -- I don't know how many times you hear it, but you have to stay within your own game. For me, any time in my entire career, moving up a level, I've always had to kind of go through the process of getting in that position. You know, I did that last year where I kept getting up there on the weekends and falling back, and finally I kind of had a week where I finished off strong and I kept doing it the rest of the year.
It's just something, I guess, with my own game that I've noticed and I've kind of dealt with. But I feel like the more times I'm there, one of these times it's going to go the right way.

Q. I'm sure you're aware that there's been a lot of rain at the course over the last few days. Did you see much evidence of that when you were playing your practice round?
JON MILLS: Not really, apart from the greens being obviously soft, leaving some big ball marks. But I didn't see any standing -- I only played the front nine, but I didn't see any standing water. You're not getting a lot of roll in the fairways, but personally I kind of like that. It kind of makes the course longer, put driver in your hands on a lot of holes, whereas at times in the past I've hit 3-wood or 2-iron. If I can get the driver going well, I think I definitely have an advantage.

Q. Just curious, I know you haven't played in an Open or British Open, but I know you tried to qualify this year. Did you watch any of it last week?
JON MILLS: I did, I watched it even during the tournament. They had -- on the holes where they had leaderboards, they had a little screen, TV, half the size of the leaderboard with the actual coverage on. So whenever there was kind of a stop in the play we'd be sitting there watching the golf.

Q. In your view, which type of golf is more challenging or produces, let's say, a better champion, the kind of golf you play on the PGA TOUR, the sort of target golf, or that sort of golf? I realize it was extreme conditions last week but they're very different types of golf.
JON MILLS: Tough question for me to answer because I've never really played a true links golf course in any kind of golf tournament. But obviously what I've heard, when you get to a links golf course, you're playing every kind of shot there is in golf. Around the greens you've got to be really creative.
Some of the courses -- the last few weeks out here you've had some soft conditions so you can kind of just rip it down the fairway, whatever, and go at the pins and get really aggressive, hit high shots in there in fairly calm conditions. It kind of depends on the weeks, but anyone would have -- I really don't have too much of an opinion on that, I guess, overall.
British obviously you're going to have a lot of different shots, which could, I guess, overall be the better champion, really.

Q. Do you remember the first time you came to the Canadian Open, and also do you remember the first time you played this golf course?
JON MILLS: The first Canadian Open I played?

Q. First Canadian Open you actually watched or went to.
JON MILLS: Yeah, it was definitely here. I couldn't tell you what year it was, but we came out here multiple times to watch the Canadian Open. At the time I don't remember really thinking I wanted to be here, even though I was a golf fan at that time.
A few years ago when -- how many years ago was it -- last year obviously I wasn't here, but --

Q. 2004.
JON MILLS: 2004? That was the first time I had played it at this venue where I grew up watching it, so it's obviously a very kind of special event for me to play it here.

Q. Did you play here as an amateur?
JON MILLS: That year I played it as a pro.

Q. But before, at any point in time did you ever play it just as a regular paying customer?
JON MILLS: I think so, because at the time, as a junior, I was working with Dave Woods, and he had spent some time out here the first year or two, I think, that I knew him. So I would think I was out here a couple times. I don't really recall too much about it, but I definitely kind of remember the first time I played here in the tournament.

Q. The tournament organizers here have put together a bunch of fun activities for the players to enjoy beyond the golf course. Just wondering if you're going to partake in any of those and what do you think of those kind of --
JON MILLS: Yeah, I'm going to the Toronto FC tonight. I've never been to a soccer game. I've actually started to watch a little bit the last year or -- I watched the tournament going on in Europe a few weeks ago, maybe a month ago. Yeah, I'm excited to go to that tonight. I might even catch a concert or two by the end of the week.

Q. Do you think those kind of incentives are important to players, or is it just a fun way to unwind?
JON MILLS: I think it's important. It definitely helps with the players that travel with families and it's good to have those kind of activities. You've got a lot of European players, too, that are obviously big into the soccer. So you've two chances to go to soccer games this week. Hopefully I enjoy tonight and maybe even catch the All-Star game on Thursday.

Q. You've had some success in the past in this area. A lot of people don't remember, but you won the RCGA down at Whistle Bear.
JON MILLS: The CPGA.

Q. What year was that?
JON MILLS: That was three years ago, '05.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Jon, thank you. Appreciate it.

End of FastScripts

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