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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 16, 2009

Shigeki Maruyama

HONOLULU, HAWAII

DOUG MILNE: We would like to welcome Shigeki Maruyama after round two of the Sony Open in Hawaii, 2-under 68, and still right in the mix of things.
Obviously not the easiest conditions out there today, but you got the job done and you're still right there near the top as you head into the weekend. Just some comments on the weather and the course and how you feel heading into the weekend.
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yeah, the conditions were just as tough today as they were yesterday. The wind direction was pretty much the same as yesterday. It's just a little bit different. A couple of squalls came through. The rain made it difficult.
The greens were a little slower today than they were yesterday. But I hit the ball well. I hit some good drives, hit some good second shots and hit some good putts. Real happy to be where I'm at right now.

Q. It's one thing to shoot 66; quite another to have it two days in a row. Would you agree with that?
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yeah, it is. It's tough to follow up a good round like that, especially the round that I had yesterday.
But my goal this week, especially in these conditions, if I can shoot 2-under, I'm going to be happy every day. So to be able to shoot 2-under today, real satisfied. It was a good round today.

Q. When you came so close to winning a couple of years ago here, what did you take from that experience?
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: What I took from that experience was that I can play here; I can win here. This is a course that's suited for me.
And so in that respect, it was a good experience, a good lesson for me.

Q. Why are you putting so good?
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: The answer was, what I've been working on is my grip pressure; to keep the same grip pressure throughout the entire stroke.
And then here, especially you need to be really careful when you're downgrain, when you're with the grain, not to let it get away from you. And when I'm against the grain, I'm thinking and concentrating hard on making a good strike, to hit the ball solid on the greens. And that's helped out.

Q. I would be curious, what is the hardest golf course you've ever played, and what's the easiest?
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Probably the hardest course that I've played, or any of the major courses, any of the majors are difficult. A couple that come to mind are Shinnecock, Bethpage, the heavy rough and narrow fairways are real difficult.
The easiest courses on Tour are Las Vegas. Major golf courses are too long for me, 7,500, 7,400, big rough, fairways tight. No chance. (Laughter).
7,100, okay. 7,300 or over, no, no good.

Q. US PGA, 7,700 this year.
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Oh, my gosh. No thank you; sayonara (laughter).

Q. There was a forecast of 50-mile-an-hour wind. Did you hear that last night, were you aware that that was what was supposed to happen, and what did you think when you got to the course today?
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: To answer your question, I did hear about the forecast, and I started preparing last night, really when I came to the golf course, I prepared for the worst today. To be able to play in the conditions that we did, it made it a lot easier, because I was ready for it. I was prepared.

Q. Were you thinking at all about Muirfield in 2002?
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Oh, I don't like the cold. Hot weather, okay.
DOUG MILNE: If you could run through your birdies really quick and tell us the clubs.
SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: No. 4, tee shot 215, 5-iron, 21 feet.
No. 9, driver, middle of the fairway. Second shot 206, 5-iron, right-side bunker, miss. The bunker shot, about six feet, made it.
No. 14, tee shot right side rough, miss, and second shot laid up, third shot, 18 feet, bogey, miss.
No. 17, 188 yards, 4-iron, good, straight 4-iron about 15 feet, made it.
DOUG MILNE: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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