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OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE PRO-AM

April 19, 2009

Larry Nelson

LUTZ, FLORIDA

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Larry, thanks for joining us. Finished up with a 70 today after you eagled 1 and birdied 6, then it was up and down, I guess.
Just some thoughts on your day. Nice finish for you.
LARRY NELSON: Yeah, best finish I've had in two or three years, I guess, three years. You know, I was really happy the way I played the last three holes. Didn't hit a very good 4-iron on 17, but hit really three good drives coming down the stretch. Hit good iron shots. Didn't get anything out of the one on 15, but hit it close on 16.
So overall, I was really happy about the way I played. So I think since it's kind of still early in the year, I may have another chance or two before the year's out.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: If you could, just maybe take us through your birdies. Start of with the eagle. What was the shot sequence on 1?
LARRY NELSON: 3-wood and then pitching wedge -- no, yeah, pitching wedge, and just hit it exactly where I needed to. Just kind of rolled down and looked like it went in like a putt. That's what my son told me. I couldn't see it, so...
PHIL STAMBAUGH: How far was the yardage?
LARRY NELSON: It was 135, something like that. Then I missed the green on 6 was where I made birdie, and I chipped it in from left of the green for birdie there.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: How far?
LARRY NELSON: It was about probably five yards off the green. Then you'll have to run me through the backside.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: You had birdie at No. 12, the par-5, and then a birdie on No. 16.
LARRY NELSON: Right. No. 12, I hit a 5-iron just short of the green and chipped it about a foot and a half and made it for birdie.
16, I hit 9-iron about four feet and made it for birdie.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: What about 17, bogey there.
LARRY NELSON: 17, I hit 4-iron and just didn't hit it very good. It required a pretty solid 4-iron, and so I didn't hit it quite as solid. I was lucky it didn't go in the water.
But I couldn't get close enough to the ball to get a lot of club on it, and kind of pulled my chip and ended up missing it from about 15 feet.
I would have loved to have had a chance on 18, but drove it just -- had a little bit of a sidehill lie and the pin was tucked way over to the right, so it was not really kind of a go situation.
Had I been 15 feet over to the right in the fairway on a flat lie, I would have been able to hit it at the hole. With the hanging lie, with the ball above your feet and the water to the right, just not much of a shot.
So I hit it in the middle of the green there and two-putted.

Q. You said you hit it far right on 18?
LARRY NELSON: No, No. I had a hanging lie. I hit a really good drive down the middle of the fairway, and just the ball was six inches above my feet. I was just on the slope in the fairway. Pin is tucked way right with the water right. There's no way you can get at the pin.
I would have loved to have had the opportunity to have been able to have a flat lie there and gone at the pin.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Questions.

Q. Eagle right off the bat. Did you have the feeling this could be your day?
LARRY NELSON: No, because I still had 17 more holes to go. I was under par the day before. You get under par early -- I mean, I kind of look at it, yeah, it went in the hole, but if it hadn't have gone in the hole I would've made birdie because it was going in very slow.
So you just kind of forget about it as quick as you can and go to the next shot. That's pretty much what I did. Really didn't hit the ball. I don't know whether it was me or it was just the fact it was hard to get the ball close to the hole.
I know there were some good scores out there, but it seemed like the scoreboard was going up and down, people make bogeys and double bogeys and birdies.
So it was difficult, and I was fortunate to make one more birdie eagle than I made par, or bogey.

Q. Are you a scoreboard watcher?
LARRY NELSON: I love it, yeah. I like to be involved in the game. I love to watch the scoreboard. I was ahead of Nick probably twice today, and he was ahead of me three times. He was ahead of me more than I was him.

Q. Do you hear the noise going on and go, What in the world is going on back there?
LARRY NELSON: I didn't hear too many cheers out there today. And you really can't tell -- a lot of times it's louder for the celebrity than it is for the pro, even though you may be leading the tournament.
The moans don't carry very far. You couldn't really tell. Only when you look at the scoreboard.

Q. (No microphone.)
LARRY NELSON: Could I hear it?
PHIL STAMBAUGH: You need the mic.

Q. He birdied 15 right after you hit the tee shot on 16.
LARRY NELSON: No, I didn't hear.

Q. Do you feel like you did as much as you could today?
LARRY NELSON: I left some shots out there. You don't hole it out every day either, or chip it in, you know, from positions, so felt like it kind of equaled out. I was happy with some of the shots I hit coming down the stretch when I really had to.
We kind of live for this kind of situation or position, and I haven't been in it for a while. Being in to yesterday helped me going into today. There was a lot of shots I would love to have back. My tee shot on, like, 14 after birdieing the par-5. On 12, I guess 12 is the par-5. I birdied 12 and then just hit it in the bunker right. You have 70 yards of fairway there, and I hit it in the right bunker and made bogey there.
And then bogeyed 17. Yeah, there were some shots I would love to have back. I hit some good shots and had some breaks, but I learned something. That's good. At 60 something if you can learn something, that is good.

Q. Throughout your career, I know you've played in tournaments with Nick forever. Have you ever battled him down the stretch? What were you feeling when you saw him putting up double bogey after birdie? Have you battled him down the stretch or ever seen anything like that before?
LARRY NELSON: I don't think he and I have had any head-to head battles down the stretch. Nick's a great player, Hall-of-Fame player. He's played well enough out here a few times and hasn't quite finished and hasn't won.
So as disappointed as I am for me, I'm happy for him. I think it's great for you our TOUR and for him. It was tough out there today. This is not a golf course that you can play safe or scared on. There's just no bail-outs sometimes. So he did a great job. I was real happy for him.

Q. How did you feel on 17 tee, and did you hit the correct club or would you possibly...
LARRY NELSON: I hit the correct club; I didn't hit it the correct way. I was trying to hit a 4-iron and hit it really solid and I just hit it a little bit thin. I'm kind of working with something on my golf game, and sometimes I have a tendency to get too low on the downswing and hit it fast.
So thinking about that on that tee, I really tried to stay up. I actually stayed up too much and kind of came out of it. So it's something that I'm working on. I'm not quite finished yet. But obviously next time I have that opportunity, you know, I'll hit a good shot.

Q. Did you feel good at that point though, when you're stepping up to the ball?
LARRY NELSON: I had no problems. No problems. I was excited about hitting it, and really felt I was going to hit it close. I had a perfect club for the shot.
Tell Nick congratulations for me when he comes in.

End of FastScripts

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