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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 16, 2008

Scott McCarron

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

JOHN BUSH: Okay. We'd like to welcome Scott McCarron into the interview room here at the Wyndham Championship.
Scott, bogey-free 6-under 64 today. That was great playing and really exciting finish.
SCOTT MCCARRON: Thank you. I played well again today. I think I've only made one bogey so far this week, that 18th hole, which is a very difficult golf hole.
Drove in the fairway quite a few times, hit a lot of greens again today and was able to make a few putts and this then a bunker shot at the end which was exciting.
JOHN BUSH: We'll go right into questions.

Q. Can you take us through your shoulder injury and all that kind of stuff, not to --
SCOTT MCCARRON: It was an elbow injury. I tore the radialis brevis off the bone in January of '06. I played for about 7 months with it that way and finally had an MRI and they had to go in and scope it and re-attach the tendon back on to the bone.
I don't recommend that. It's not a lot of fun. It's a year, year and a half process to heal because there's not a lot of blood though in the elbow.
You've got to let the tendon re-attach itself. It was a long, long rehab. Even after about a year and a half, I could start hitting golf balls but my brain wouldn't let me, you know, go ahead and go after it because it kept waiting for the pain. It was very painful for the seven months I was trying to play.
It's in there good now. I should have no problems. Dr. James Bennett in Houston did my surgery. I feel like I'm a hundred percent healed.

Q. Was there ever a time when your brain wasn't letting you go at it that you were wondering whether you would play again?
SCOTT MCCARRON: Many times I wasn't sure if I could continue doing this because you never know when you have an injury like that if you can make it back, especially to play at this level.
My goals the whole time was to be able to play without pain and I've been able to accomplish that just through a lot of hard work and really letting it heal, too.
During that time when I wasn't supposed to hit balls I didn't push it. I really sat there and didn't chip, didn't putt, didn't do anything, just let this thing heal so -- but there were certainly times on my comeback, even this year at the start of year, that I thought I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it back in time.
But, you know, I'm a pretty positive guy and I don't let things like that kind of get me down. Never really was down for too long.

Q. So what did you do with your 12 to 18 months to keep your sanity if you couldn't hit golf balls?
SCOTT MCCARRON: I drove my wife and kids crazy. You know, I volunteered at school, crosswalk, guard duty, soccer, helped coach, fieldtrips.
Everything that I'm not able to do because I travel quite a bit, I jumped in and I did everything with the kids and had an absolute blast. We took vacations, took family vacations with friends and all these things that we don't get to do a lot just because I'm on the road a lot. So our vacations most of the time are out here at golf tournaments.
We just hopped in the car and drove around for six, seven weeks during that one summer. It was fantastic.

Q. Where did you go?
SCOTT MCCARRON: It was more like where didn't we go? Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Sun River. Went to Sand Point, Idaho to the Idaho Club a couple times. I think that's about it. Sacramento, went to Tahoe.
We just were all over the place driving. It was like the Griswolds (laughter).

Q. Scott, having an exemption here and not needing it, does it give you an extra special feeling about coming here to play?
SCOTT MCCARRON: Mark Brazil said a month ago -- I'm having to write sponsors and Tournament Directors for an exemptions in the veteran member category after failing to get my card back in the 13 events through my medical.
When I saw Mark at Wachovia he said, "We'll get you a spot if you need it if you'll wear Wyndham on the front of my cap."
I had Taylor Made send the about 60 caps. My sister punched the tape. We had the logo made up with Wyndham.
Before I got here I also took told Mark I would play in the Monday Pro-Am. He asked me and I said I would. I'm in on my own and played the Monday Pro-Am and I'm wearing the hat. I can't tell you how much I appreciate Mark for offering me that spot, even though I didn't need it.
Again, you know, there's six, seven tournaments out there on Tour that I've been calling every week, writing letters. I'm in a really awkward position having to do that now after 14 years on Tour.
Hopefully I can take care of that tomorrow so I don't have to do that. I really appreciate what Wyndham did, Kevin and Mark Brazil.

Q. Scott, with the way this course is playing what are you going to be going at it tomorrow?
SCOTT MCCARRON: Got to go low. I'm two shots behind Carl. He's playing really well. He likes this golf course shooting 61 here. We're going to have to take it pretty deep, I'm sure.
Looks like the weather is going to be nice again. The greens are fairly receptive. We saw a couple of pin placements out there. They'll be tougher tomorrow. You've got to be very careful where you're hitting into the green. You have to hit it so you're uphill. You can three feet on the wrong side of the hole and not have a very good chance.

Q. Did you get a sense early on of just trying to keep up with Carl today?
SCOTT MCCARRON: I got off to hot start. I birdied, 2, 3 and 4. I wasn't looking at the leaderboard until I think I saw it around 8, 9 and I was still four back.
So that was the first time I saw that leaderboard. So at that point I got a sense that Carl was still just putting the pedal to the metal.
I had a little lull in the middle of the round. Came back and birdied 12 and made a good par save on 13 and then birdied 16 and 18.
So you get back in the hunt. I'm two shots back. Anything can happen out here tomorrow.

Q. You talked a little bit about 15, 16, 17 that little area there, kind of an amphi-theatre that they're real playing up.
Is that somewhat unique on the Tour? Do the players notice what's going on in front and behind them?
SCOTT MCCARRON: I think it's great. Anytime you can have those holes likes that 15, 16, 17, 18, coming down, especially 15, 16, it's a lot of fun. Lot of fun for us. There's a lot of energy there. There's a lot of energy when you've got girls sitting there in bikinis in the bench.
If I was going to make the hole, I was going to join them. I think they did a great job with this golf course and they also put -- I thought they put the grandstands and the sky boxes very close to the greens which gave it a more intimate feel.

Q. You broke the previously existing record in this tournament for a 54 hole score. You're not leading. How odd is that?
SCOTT MCCARRON: Well, again, you know, one, records are meant to be broken and we're in a new golf course here so I think this golf course is playing possibly a couple shots easier than Forest Oaks did but if you can get the golf course fast and firm with some wind, I think it can play tougher.
So we just had perfect conditions for us so far this week but, yeah, breaking the scoring record and still being behind. Let's see if we can break the 72 hole record and be ahead.
JOHN BUSH: Take us through with birdie on No. 2.
SCOTT MCCARRON: I love -- lot of energy here. People around the golf course is having parties. No. 2 has got to be the best private tent I've ever seen. They put this whole tent and bathrooms.
When I drove it down the fairway I was waiving to them told them I'm going to come back and have a beer later.
I hit a nice little 8-iron in there about five feet or so and made that for birdie.
Par 3, I hit another 8-iron in there about 12, 15 feet, made that for birdie.
JOHN BUSH: 4.
SCOTT MCCARRON: 4, I think I hit another 8-iron in there about maybe about eight feet, made that for birdie.
JOHN BUSH: 13.
SCOTT MCCARRON: 13, hit a nice wedge in there that landed about a foot from the hole and spun back about 15 feet. Made that for birdie.
16, hit a nice 8-iron in there again. I'm going to go work on my 8-iron on the range. Hit an 8-iron about, looked like about six inches for birdie. Almost had the vacations for life. I told my life if we win that we're selling everything and going on vacation all year-round.
18, hit a driver which I thought was on the right side of the fairway. Had a real tough lie there and bumped a 7-iron into the bunker and had a very difficult shot.
Probably the only spot I really didn't want to be in. I hit it downhill bunker shot, downhill lie and told my caddy, Bradley, if I make this I'm going to make a snow angel in the bunker. Sure enough I did it. I chickened out on the snow angel. He was to roll down in the bunker. I thought he was going to do it.
JOHN BUSH: Anything else for Scott?

Q. Mark gave you the exemption but you played your way out of it; is that correct?
SCOTT MCCARRON: Actually I got in on my veteran member category. I'm number 2 on the list now or 3 behind Lee Westwood and Bob Tway.
That veteran member category comes after the top 126 to 150. That got me in by 8, 9 guys this week.
JOHN BUSH: Scott, play well tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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