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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

October 9, 2008

Patrick Sheehan

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

CHRIS REIMER: First question, one-on-one for you. Patrick, 5-under. Everybody is really bunched up top of the leaderboard.
Got to feel happy with being in that bunch, I would think.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: Yeah. You know, tied for the lead right now. Can't complain about that situation at any point in the golf tournament. It's a good start.
CHRIS REIMER: Without looking at any of the results in front of me, how has your year been?
PATRICK SHEEHAN: My year has been pretty good. I had a ball issue early in the year and then rectified that about halfway through the year but, you know, the second half has been -- lot of good stuff has happened and, you know, since then -- the first half I made a lot of cuts and didn't have a lot of very good finishes but it's been good the last few months.

Q. It's interesting, you talk about shooting 5-under. By the end of the day there will be ten guys at 5-under at this tournament in particular.
Is that kind of a strange mind play when you come into an event like this knowing I'm going to have to shoot 20-under to have a chance to win?
PATRICK SHEEHAN: Absolutely. When you come to tournaments like this and the weather is good -- I mean if it was blowing 30 like it was Tuesday, you know, even is probably a good score, but I think the weather is supposed to be like this all week. You know, I could tee off tomorrow and be 5 back of the lead easily.
Yeah, it's a different tournament in that respect that you've got to keep the pedal down all week and that's not easy to do all the time. I mean this course can -- if you play well you can shoot low. If you miss a few shots in the wrong places you could shoot 74 out here without batting an eye.
You have to be careful around this course but you can get it if you're playing well.

Q. You were 6 at one point, right?
PATRICK SHEEHAN: I bogeyed 17. I was pin high just right of the green in the rough and it was a delicate little shot, just a miserable lie, and just couldn't get enough club on it and kind of sent it past the pin on the other side the fringe.

Q. I never do that. I don't know what you're talking about.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: Yeah. It's common out here because with the rough the way it is -- I mean it's perfect bermuda rough about three inches high. If the ball goes to the bottom it's almost impossible to judge it properly. It's almost you're going to get lucky to hit a good shot.

Q. I don't know how unique this course is compared to all that you do during the year in places you visit.
LaCantera is going to be in the rearview mirror in a couple of years. But is this a unique course? Is it a course that people talk about?
PATRICK SHEEHAN: It's very unique.

Q. I know it's a tough course.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: It's a hard walk. The five years I've been out here, the Tour is going in a direction where if you hit it 320 you can kill it out here. If you don't, you're going to struggle.
This is one of those courses where placement off the tee is everything. You don't need to hit it 320 out here. It helps if you do but you can't do it a lot because the course won't let you.
But having said that, you still have to hit it straight but you don't have to be -- have to bomb it off the tee here all the time. This course is placement.
It's not very long. When it's this dry, it plays pretty short, you have short irons in your hand but greens are tough. You still have to play really good golf to shoot a good score.

Q. So this is going to be one of those courses that goes by the wayside, you never re-visit it.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: Couple of friends of mine at breakfast this morning were joking about the new course, we're going to be going to I guess in 2010. We all basically said, "It's probably 7700 yards."
Q. I think it's 71.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: 71? That would be a change for a new place for us because --
Q. 20-yard wide fairways.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: I'll probably like it because a lot of courses we play nowadays even if they're 71 five years ago, they've been moved back to 74, 75, and we start more par-5s converted to par-4s. It happens -- I've been out here long enough to see a lot of changes like that.
CHRIS REIMER: Any particular shots kept the round going?
PATRICK SHEEHAN: Not really. I mean I didn't hit any real close. I made a lot of putts today. I'm sure Tommy Scherrer and Frank Lickliter were shaking their heads watching me putt.
These greens aren't as good as they normally are. There's still some left-over repair work from the aerification. They're rolling pretty good and fast.
I know some guys were concerned about it but it doesn't matter what they're like. Guys are going to make putts. Doesn't matter what they're like. You'll be putting down I-10, guys are going to make everything. Doesn't matter. Week to week guys make putts.

Q. It's interesting, everybody talked about the greens today.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: I was asked that outside. I was told guys were complaining about them. I said I'm not going to complain about them. I made my share. They're not as good as they usually are.
These greens are usually the most perfect bermuda greens we play all year. They will be. They're not far from it right now. They're just not as great as they usually are. They're still very good.
CHRIS REIMER: Thanks,Patrick.
PATRICK SHEEHAN: Sure.

End of FastScripts

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