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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 7, 2009

Jeff Klauk

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

Q. How long has your dad been the superintendent?
JEFF KLAUK: He's retired now but he was there 21,22 years, I can't remember. He was at Eagle Trace when they had the Honda Classic down here at Eagle Trace before that.

Q. When did he retire?
JEFF KLAUK: After last year's tournament.

Q. Do you have memories of watching the Honda at Eagle Trace?
JEFF KLAUK: Absolutely. I went out and played a couple of years ago and couldn't believe all the houses, because there was nothing in third grade. I remember sitting up on 18 with my dad in the cart watching the guys finish. It's neat to be on the other side of it back then.

Q. Did you get any autographs back then?
JEFF KLAUK: Absolutely. I was a standard bearer, and I remember doing it for a lot of guys, Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, when I was younger.

Q. How old were you when you moved away from Eagle Trace?
JEFF KLAUK: Third grade. Eight years old. Something like that.

Q. Winning a golf tournament is never easy and you've done it on the Nationwide Tour. What difference is there between winning on the Nationwide Tour and trying to win this tournament tomorrow, for you?
JEFF KLAUK: Nothing, except the surroundings I guess. It's just 18 holes of golf, and you've got to really approach it that way.
Yeah, it's a much bigger stage, but you can't really worry about that. You just have to get in your own little world and just fairways and greens and just try to play like it's any other round.

Q. Looking around in this field, do you see guys that you know from the Nationwide Tour?
JEFF KLAUK: Absolutely. Just growing up around the TOUR, I know a lot of these guys, fellow players. So, yeah, I'm a rookie, but I've played with the majority of the guys before, and you know, playing with rock could he, he's probably my mentor back in the day.
He got me to go -- pretty much convinced me to go to Florida Southern. Before I moved to Naples, we played all the time and became close friends. Played with Vijay, almost all of the guys. Just golf tomorrow, hopefully.

Q. Had you played the Champ much before coming out here this week?
JEFF KLAUK: No.

Q. So just curious, when you stood on the first tee, or I guess at what point when you got out here, did you say, this is a lot like Sawgrass?
JEFF KLAUK: Well, I just like hard courses in general a lot better. I make a lot of pars, and you know, the tournaments where I have a tendency to play, have good weeks, are ones that are demanding where you don't have to shoot 23-under to win. I like the tournaments that are definitely more the high-scoring.

Q. Calcavecchia was comparing the finishing here to Sawgrass in difficulty. How would you compare them?
JEFF KLAUK: I would say this is harder. I obviously have not played Sawgrass in a tournament. I just played it recreationally.
Yeah, because the two par 3s are very challenging, and then 16 and 18 are very good here, too.

Q. A lot's happening on that leaderboard. How aware are you of that?
JEFF KLAUK: I told my caddie today I didn't want to look at it; and they are everywhere, so of course you are going to see them.
I go back to my Nationwide days, there's leaderboards there, too, everywhere. So you're kind of immune to them in a way. So you see it and you're like, great, but you try not to look at it.

Q. There are a lot of guys who haven't won, or won much, anyway, so you have to feel like you have a real chance, as good a chance as anybody else at the point.
JEFF KLAUK: Sure. It's just great to be in this position. I expect to be in this position. It's not like -- I mean, I'm not out here just for a year and that's it and go back to the Nationwide Tour. This is where I want to be, and contend and win tournaments on the PGA TOUR.
I have spent a lot of hard years and work getting to this point, so just go out and do the best you can.

Q. You've already had a couple of good finishes this year, what does that tell you so far?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, proof that I can play out here. Like they were on tough courses; Sony was tough, and obviously the South Course is very difficult, Torrey Pines.

Q. Do you try not to think about all that a victory would get you; for instance, the Masters in three weeks?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, I mean, you can't even really worry about it. That stuff is all great and stuff. I'd be lying to you if I said I wouldn't think about it, but you just can't. You just try to -- it's really, when you're out there playing, it's the easy part. It's when you have the downtime is the hard part.
Luckily I've got my family here, so I'll have a 3 1/2-year-old to deal with tonight and tomorrow morning. So I'll have something to keep me occupied.

Q. Is your dad out here this week?
JEFF KLAUK: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Got a bunch of family and friends.
THE MODERATOR: If you wouldn't mind just running us through your birdies and give us some clubs.
JEFF KLAUK: No. 3, that was a pitching wedge and I hit it in there about three feet.
No. 7 was a 7-iron. It was a pitch just short of the green and rolled up there about six feet or so.
9 was a 7-iron, and that was about 15 feet.
11, hit it in the water on my second shot with a 9-iron. Luckily it landed over the red line and rolled back, so I got to drop it right there and hit a nice chip for an up-and-down.
Then 14, I chipped in just short of the green.

Q. Is that a couple of chip-ins on that hole?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, last two days.

Q. Similar spots or very different?
JEFF KLAUK: Well, it's the same type shots, just straightforward. Just different locations.

Q. So are you ready to get back to that hole tomorrow?
JEFF KLAUK: Yeah, for sure.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for your time and best of luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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