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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

October 11, 2008

Rory Sabbatini

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

CHRIS REIMER: Sensational 63. Open up by starting with the eagle on 11 and go through the back-9 if you could.
RORY SABBATINI: Yeah. 11, hit driver off the tee, about ten yards to the front of the green. Chipped with a pitching wedge and made that.
13, the par 3, hit a sand wedge to about four feet just past the hole, made that putt.
14, hit a poor drive but got a good break, bounced back in the fairway and hit a 3-wood from there on to the green and two putted for a birdie from about 30 feet.
15, hit driver and then a 9-iron about 18 feet just past right of the hole and made it from there and then 18, hit driver off the tee and hit a little pitching wedge to about, probably about 12 feet, 13 feet, right behind the hole and made that putt.
CHRIS REIMER: Back in the lead for three rounds. Got to be a good place to be, I would think.
RORY SABBATINI: Definitely. It's always fun to be in the lead but, you know, that's the beauty of golf. Every time you tee it up on Thursday you're tied for the lead. It's been a good week and I'm enjoying it.
I've got a new Adams driver in the bag, new Adams 3-wood and we built them on Tuesday and each round I played with them and they're just performing better and better. I'm actually having fun being on the golf course.

Q. You've had mercurial results here. Anything different about now as compared to, say, I think your top finish here is tied for 33rd?
You're obviously in control of the course a little better.
RORY SABBATINI: As I said to Kevin, my caddy, it's actually fun to be here when I actually know where I'm hitting the golf ball. Obviously this golf course is not one that sets up very well when you're spraying it. It punishes you pretty quickly and pretty harshly.
But if you're hitting the driver and putting the drives in play you can actually make this course play pretty simply and I've been successful at doing that so far this week.
And, as I said, I'm just having a lot of fun with it because it's a great feeling and, you know, I'm really enjoying being on the golf course.

Q. And the season has been a little mercurial for you as well. Is there a difference as far as how you're hitting it this week as far as the last several months?
RORY SABBATINI: It's been a frustrating year. Everything has been close. Being in a situation of, you know, everything been right there, just haven't had things collect and it's just been a matter of trying to be patient.
I'm not the most patient person with it and it's been kind of a tough experience for me but maybe something to learn from and grow on.

Q. You said it's been a frustrating year and I know that you've been close and everything.
Have you thought about how you might celebrate if you were to break through, another Texas guy win the Texas Open? Think about how -- celebrate pretty good at Colonial last year.
RORY SABBATINI: Obviously Colonial was wonderful last year. Winning here would still leave me one shy of doing the whole Texas swing. I would have to work pretty hard at the Byron Nelson. It would be fun.
I'm not looking to celebrate or anything like that. I've still got a job to do tomorrow and I've got to focus on that. I'm just going to continue doing what I've been doing the last three days and, you know, it's pretty common theme over last three days, been kind of a slow start and things have developed as the round has gone on.
It's just a matter of I know being patient out there is going to payoff and ultimately things will start to work. So, you know, I've got to remember that tomorrow out there.

Q. I know at the Masters in '07 you're familiar with how Zach has played when he's on his game. I think you tied for 2nd behind him at the Masters.
You looking at what he's doing now, he's one of those guys also had kind of a tough year and doing something this week. Can you talk about him as I competitor?
RORY SABBATINI: Zach, very, very tough competitor. As you said, when he's on, he's on. There's no doubt about that. He's a phenomenal player. I don't think there's anybody that owns a Green Jacket that isn't a phenomenal player. You don't stumble into that likely or get lucky.
He's obviously a very qualified player, he's very capable. He's got all the facets he needs out here on Tour and obviously this golf course puts a premium on your wedge game and that sets up perfectly for him because, you know, he really is -- when his wedges are on, it's hard to find anyone better than him.
But the situation being is I've got to go out there and worry about what I'm doing tomorrow. I can't control what he's doing. I've got to play my game and ultimately I got to get the ball in the hole.

Q. Talk about this course setting up for your game and his game as well, and I know the last few years lot of guys have won here, Eric Axley, Robert Gamez, Justin, him winning here kind of touched off a pretty good run for him.
Does it have that reputation on the Tour as well, the Texas Open you can right yourself a little bit?
RORY SABBATINI: Anytime you win it boosts your confidence. Golf is a game of confidence, fickle game. Ultimately the person who plays out here and has the most confidence normally plays the best.
You hit the ball well you got all the required parts of the game but, you know, you don't have to be exceptional in all departments. But if you can have the confidence and ability to trust in your game, there's nothing to stop you and that's just the situation.

Q. Rory, so many wedge holes out here, it should be a lot more birdies tomorrow. How low do you have to go do you think or do you keep going?
RORY SABBATINI: You got to keep going. I don't think there's any set number. The situation being that there's always going to be three, four guys that are going to go out there and post a really low number, you know. We saw it all day long today.
And it's just the situation that you can't get caught up in worrying about what other people are doing because you know if that was the situation, when I teed off there were guys that were tied for the lead already. You can get lost in that.
You know, you just have to forget about all that because there's so much this golf course out there that will give you. Ultimately you just got to get things going in the right direction, you know, and let things roll and if you get it going just -- even if you are even par through 6 holes, there's nothing to worry about it. So many birdie holes and so many opportunities. Every hole out there is a birdie hole. Ultimately it's going to happen. You got to be patient and let things work.

Q. Rory, you obviously know about playing hot because you've been as hot as anybody in the past.
Did you feel like you had a 63 in you? Do you feel like one of those is screaming to come out?
RORY SABBATINI: Definitely. Obviously on Tuesday I came back to the hotel and said to my wife, I said, "Well, we got all the equipment sorted out, we got everything we wanted."
So, you know, it's there now and, you know, it really is. It's just having everything where I want it right now is just -- it's making golf so much fun for me. It's making very enjoyable. It's enjoyable to be out there and be creating golf shots again.
Struggling as much as I did through the major part of year really, I think is -- I wouldn't say it taught me a lesson but it definitely helped me to learn from it and appreciate, you know, when you may not be hitting as good as you want to but still hitting it good to be appreciative of that.

Q. So what's the story behind the belt buckle?
RORY SABBATINI: My wife bought it and she bought it for me and so I've grabbed it out of the bag. It's the one that came out of bag.

Q. You do a different one every week?
RORY SABBATINI: I just --
MRS. SABBATINI: He has a whole suitcase full.
RORY SABBATINI: Whichever one comes out it's the one I wear.

Q. Indian?
RORY SABBATINI: Skull with an Indian headrest on it.

Q. I'm sure those are really popular somewhere. It could be a new thing tomorrow.
RORY SABBATINI: San Antonio.

Q. Have you and Zach ever talked about when y'all played golf at the Masters, what that was like or anything? You're going to be playing to go tomorrow for four hours.
RORY SABBATINI: No. Zach and I make a lot of fun of each other. That's about it.
CHRIS REIMER: To finish, I know the tournament had some of the people walking with you today from the Wounded Warriors Foundation. You've always been a player who has been very generous of your support with the troops. Talk about that.
RORY SABBATINI: It was great having them out there. They're troopers walking around this golf course. Obviously this is what we do, we have to do this, but they're troopers and this is not a fun course to walk, especially for a spectator, but they -- I'm sure, I hope they had a good time and they enjoyed themselves, but obviously San Antonio is pretty special to my wife and myself because this is where obviously they set-up their first hospital right here in San Antonio.
It's pretty amazing to be here and be in the position that I'm and obviously an area that we're very proud of and proud of the association with the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
But, you know, these guys really provide a service that we can never thank them enough for, not only to the country but everyone playing out here as a whole. Having them out there and being able to let them hopefully enjoy a little bit of what we do is absolutely fantastic.
CHRIS REIMER: Is there a website or place they can find more information about that fund? Birdies for Brave?
RORY SABBATINI: No, not Birdies for Brave. Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.com.
CHRIS REIMER: Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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