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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN OPEN

October 19, 2008

Marc Turnesa

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

NELSON SILVERIO: We welcome the 2008 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Champion, Marc Turnesa. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us. Congratulations. Talk about the day and the week as a whole.
MARC TURNESA: Well, it was a great week. I don't think I need to tell you that. But I just putted well all week and I hit it pretty well.
Yeah, to win this golf tournament means a lot, especially after coming up short a few weeks ago. It's been a great week and it's a great tournament and a great golf course. I'll be back.
NELSON SILVERIO: Very good. Questions.

Q. I saw that Butch Harmon was one of first guys to greet you coming off the green. Is there an existing relationship with your family being such in the golf industry?
MARC TURNESA: Yeah, he knows any family very well. Butch and my dad grew up together. The Harmons, they're New York boys as well, so my dad's had a relationship with him forever.
I've gotten to know Butch over the past five years or some. He's actually helped me out a little bit. I've been to see him a couple times. He's so far away. I'm down in South Florida and he's up here, so it's tough to see him.
But, yeah, I know Butch, and he's just a great guy and it was nice to see him.

Q. Were you surprised that the cavalry charge that we all expected never materialized, that you were able to stay in the front and remain the hunted?
MARC TURNESA: Yeah. I thought it might take a little bit lower to win this thing. As I was playing, the greens back nine were really, really firm. It was kind of strange, because the front nine didn't seem like that much of a difference. As soon as we hit the 10th hole, me and Chris DiMarco, both were surprised, because the balls were really taking off. I don't know if they just didn't water on the back nine or double cut and rolled, but it was firm on that back nine.
Also the wind picked up on the back nine, which we haven't had any of. So with all that, I think that's the reason why you didn't see real low numbers.

Q. What's it mean to win and kind of carry on the family name?
MARC TURNESA: Well, it means a lot. I don't really feel like I'm carrying on a name. I guess I am without even thinking about it. I'm just trying to play golf as best I can, and that's all I can really do.

Q. You did hit a lot of good shots today. I want to take you back to 14, your tee shot at the par-3. It looked for a second like maybe, just maybe, she was going in. I thought maybe that's where this thing may have swung in your favor where, you know, you're just tapping in and then you were able to just play the way you were playing the rest of the way. Talk about maybe how important to you that one shot may have been.
MARC TURNESA: I think it was very important, but at the time I didn't think so at all. I mean, I only won by a shot, so obviously every birdie I made out there was important. I was just trying to take it one shot at a time. I didn't feel like I had -- it's not like I felt good after I made that birdie. Like, you know, okay, now I just need to coast in. I didn't feel that way at all.
But that was a great birdie to hit it, I don't know, it was probably six inches.

Q. What did you hit into 17?
MARC TURNESA: 8-iron.

Q. Describe the putt.
MARC TURNESA: Yeah, the putt was pretty straightforward. A little downhill, left edge, a little left to right, and I hit it perfect.
NELSON SILVERIO: You mind taking us through your birdies and bogeys. Birdie on 3.
MARC TURNESA: Yeah, birdie on 3 was good because i hit drive in the right rough and had not a very good lie. So I hit it left of the green on a downslope and hit an incredible chip to about a foot.
No. 9, hit a good drive and hit a good second. I was in between clubs and came up a little bit short. Chunked my chip and had about 20, 25 feet or so and made it.
11, I hit a lob wedge in there to about five feet.
12 was a gap wedge probably 12, 15 feet.
14 was a 9-iron, six inches.
And 17, 8-iron, I don't know, ten feet or so.

Q. A lot players had trouble on 18. What was different about it today?
MARC TURNESA: Well, the wind for me. I don't know if it was blowing like that all day. I don't think so. But certainly for the last few groups the wind was right in your face and if just played a lot longer and it's the 18th hole on Sunday.
So with those things combined, you know, it played tougher than the last few days. The previous days, I mean, if you hit a good drive -- I think first day was sand wedge in, so today I had over 200 yards.

Q. Were you extra cautious today at 18 given your two-shot lead?
MARC TURNESA: I was cautious. Yeah, I was definitely cautious. I was trying -- I just took a line a little bit right of where I was thinking and tried to hit it on that line. I came out at it a little bit and it went in the rough.
From a that point, my caddie asked me if I was considering just hitting sand wedge, sand wedge, you know, laying it up. I said, No, I just want to get it up there somewhere.

Q. And you had sand wedge as it turned out.
MARC TURNESA: The second time, but I hit 4-iron, sand wedge instead of sand wedge, sand wedge.
I think either way would have been fine, but I just knew I said to avoid that left side, and I did.

Q. You come out last year and get on the Nationwide Tour, win, get your tour card, win here. Did something happen in the last few years, something click, you found something? You've come through the ranks pretty quickly now.
MARC TURNESA: You know, three years ago -- I been around for a while. I haven't been on those tours, but I graduated college in 2000 and I turned pro in '01. I was grinding it out on the Gateway Tour down there for quite sometime.
I think at the end of '06 it was like either -- or at the beginning of '06, you know, I was doing it all with sponsor's money. It's tough to do that. It's nice to get the help from guys, but, you know, it's -- I was just kind of -- I always played okay, but I never got through Q-School.
In '06 I got through all stages and got my Nationwide card. I think for me there was a time there in '05 where I just saying, you know what, I'm going to give this my last shot. It was January and I really had no money. I said, I'm just going to do the best I can, because if I have to do something else, I will.
That '05 season I played unbelievable on the Gateway Tour. I was like fourth or fifth on the Money List, and that's when I got -- then I got through the Q-School that year. Was or that '06, yeah.
And then I went to Nationwide last year and played well. This year has been kind of shaky, to be honest with you. But any time you win out here, it makes a -- it doesn't matter what you really did the rest of the year. It could make a bad year a good year.
So I wouldn't say I played bad, but I definitely haven't played great this year up until now.

Q. You're the fifth consecutive rookie to win here in Las Vegas. It's been a life changer for each of those guys. Beyond the obvious of getting the security and getting an unbelievable check, how do you think this will change your life professionally?
MARC TURNESA: I don't really know, to be honest with you. I know I'll be playing on the PGA TOUR for two more years, so I'm excited about that. To be honest with you, that's been weighing on me more than anything, is not having a job out here and the uncertainty.
I don't know how it'll change my career or if it will at all. But it's just nice to have a little bit of cushion because it's something I've never had before.

Q. Was Viking tough to get over?
MARC TURNESA: It was -- I mean, it was disappointing. But you know what, I did the best I could and it didn't work out. The same thing could have easily happened here today. You just got to get over it and move on. There's tournaments every week out here, and you just got to take the positive out of it and move on.
I would say fairly difficult to get over, but it wasn't that big of a deal. In golf you have a lot of disappointments, and I've certainly had my share. I will have more to come. You just move on.

Q. You said on the 18th green it might have looked on the outside like you were calm, but on the inside it wasn't that story. Can you talk about how you try to control your emotions coming down the stretch.
MARC TURNESA: I was just trying to breathe, really. That's the only thing I kind of knew how to do. You know, I was -- I wasn't out of control nervous, but I was feeling it. I was just happy to get it done.

Q. A follow up to that: When you have about a 25-footer there for par on the 18th, are there think any specific thoughts you can remember right before you hit that, what you were trying to do or how you were trying to control it?
MARC TURNESA: I mean, I was just trying to tell myself it's just another putt really. If you have that putt on any other hole -- I mean, I've 3-putted from 25 feet before, but, you know, 90% of the time you're going two-putt that pretty routinely.
It's just difficult not to think about, all right, I just got to get it down in two to win. When you think about that, that's not good. So I was just trying to approach it like, all right, let's make it, but with good speed.

Q. Had you sent a Q-School application in?
MARC TURNESA: Oh, yeah. Had it in for a month and a half now.

Q. How many times have you tried?
MARC TURNESA: I've been to Q-School five times.

Q. And just to clarify that it was '06 when you were saying it was a make or break year for you?
MARC TURNESA: '06 was the year that I played great on Gateway and got through the Q-School. '06 was the breakthrough year for me, for sure.

Q. What are your plans for tonight?
MARC TURNESA: I got a flight out of here at 8:40 tonight. I'm supposed to play next week in Phoenix, but I think I will spend the night here, maybe play a little bit with my buddies. My dad is in town and my cousin. I'll get a flight out tomorrow to West Palm Beach instead of Phoenix.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARC TURNESA: Yeah, I think I can handle that one.

Q. If you were writing the story about this weekend and what made you win it, what's the highlight of week for you?
MARC TURNESA: The highlight of the week for me, besides winning?

Q. Just in general. The main topic and how you got this done. You mentioned great putting earlier. Is there something else that keyed it?
MARC TURNESA: Nothing stands out. I think I told you guy a few days ago I really had no expectations coming into this week. I really wasn't hitting it that great and didn't know what to expect. I don't think there was one thing -- I guess the eagle on 18, that was nice. And I putted well.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARC TURNESA: I did have a practice round with Steve Marino. I'll tell you, that's kind of demoralizing really, because he's just bombing it by me about 30 yards and he's making everything. That's your next winner over there, Marino. It won't be long.
NELSON SILVERIO: All right. On that note, congratulations.

End of FastScripts

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