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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 10, 2008

Ben Curtis

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

Q. People in Michigan are getting excited, this is the best they have seen someone in a Detroit Lions outfit play in long time.
BEN CURTIS: I feel great. The game is right where I want it. Obviously I left a few out there. But obviously I need to go out there and hopefully shoot another low number.

Q. How much of an adjustment did you have to make this morning because when we finished it was 80 degrees and cloudy, but this morning you came out it was 58.
BEN CURTIS: Yeah, it felt more like the British Open more than anything. More than the PGA that's for sure. But what a change.
The wind's been pretty consistent all week, so I think that's helped obviously being a little bit cooler this morning the ball didn't quite go as far. But the greens were softer I think.

Q. Did the greens hold up pretty well with as much traffic as they got?
BEN CURTIS: Yeah, you know it was unbelievable, I hit 3-iron on number 3 and it backed up actually. So, I mean, it's one of those things where it was straight in the air and into the wind so it was perfect.
But, yeah, it's one of those things that it's totally hitting into the greens.
This afternoon, if we don't get any more rain, its going to be pretty firm out there.

Q. What's the plan now? You got a couple more hours, I'm going to take a nap.
BEN CURTIS: I don't blame you. But I might fall a sleep and I probably wouldn't wake up. I think the big thing is I'm going to go get the back worked on, just keep it loose, and just get a bite to eat and then head right back out.

Q. Wrap up the first 18, please.
BEN CURTIS: Pretty good. I played good. Missed a few drives, but other than that, I think there was three or four drives I missed, but other than that it was good. 18, even though you might say I mishit it there, I hit it good I was just three yards off line and had no chance.

Q. You won a Major, not from ahead, this one you're going to be either in the lead or one shot out of the lead depending upon how the last guy does coming in now. How does that differ if at all?
BEN CURTIS: Obviously back then I think being behind was better, but now I think it's not such a bad thing to be in the lead. Especially if you're playing as well as I've been playing this week.
It just feels good to be able to go out there and, you know, no matter what I do, I still got to play good. It's not like I can shoot 75 and win this thing or 72 and win this thing. I still have to shoot a red number. So, I mean it's, that's the mindset you got to have. I mean, you know, you can shoot 4-under and win or you could shoot 4-under and lose, that's just the mindset you got to have. You just got to treat it just like any other week, like just playing with your buddies and having a good time and that's what I'm going to try to do.

Q. Can you talk about the difference in the course Thursday, Friday to now? It's still hard?
BEN CURTIS: It's still hard. I think missing the fairways is a little bit more penal now. Because it's a little bit wet. You couldn't get much more than a 7-iron on it. But obviously it dried up a little bit and the greens were really receptive. I backed up a 3-iron on number 3 which you couldn't even stop with a wedge on No. 1 the first two days, so that's different. So that's just the difference it made. And I didn't think it rained that much, but obviously it did. The fairways are still quite firm.

Q. At Booz Allen you won and set the all time known record for rain delays.
BEN CURTIS: Yeah.

Q. How have you been able to handle those types of delays and those types of things seemingly better than some guys, at least this week there is more evidence of that.
BEN CURTIS: I think that year we had quite a few of them, if I'm not correct. So I kind of get used to them. My last tournament I played this year I was sitting in the club house for two days actually three days, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so I mean it was one of those things where you just got to try to stay relaxed and try to get your mind off golf and not really think about it, just enjoy it and when you get out there, go work, bus because the more you stress about it when you're away from it, when you get there, the more nervous and more anxious you're going to be. It's good to be nervous, but you don't want to be too nervous. You don't want to be too excited. You don't want to be going in there 100 miles an hour so you want to take your mind off of it.

Q. You're playing good today, are you glad you don't have to go sleep on it?
BEN CURTIS: I don't care. I got two kids at home, so I don't sleep anyway. You sleep whenever you get a chance, you know.

Q. Between now and the win you had at the British Open, what's the difference?
BEN CURTIS: It's completely different, there's nothing the same. The first couple days it was probably much the same conditions that we played in like that, 20, 25 mile an hour wind and being as firm as it could be. And we ended up waiting and stuff like that. But obviously St. George's had, that was my first Major and I was just enjoying it.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BEN CURTIS: Yeah, I mean I'm going to go get some lunch a couple hours before I tee off and head out about 45 minutes before we go and it will be a quicker warm-up, probably won't be as long. Just I want to save as much energy as I can.

End of FastScripts

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