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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

April 25, 2009

Jerry Kelly

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

MARK WILLIAMS: Jerry Kelly, leader after three rounds after 54 holes, a 3 under 69 today. Good playing, just talk about your round. Bogey free, and only a couple bogies all week.
JERRY KELLY: Yeah, I've been recovering really well. The swing is better. It's not flawless, as anybody's is. But when I've put myself in tough spots, it's been the lesser of two evils, I guess. Let's just say I've played smart.
And I'm going where I can get it up-and-down from. And I've recovered very well. That's probably been the key.
MARK WILLIAMS: Last week you withdrew through injury. Have you had any effects of that this week at all or is it perfectly fine?
JERRY KELLY: It gets tired. It doesn't spasm anymore. But, you know, I can feel where it was. Last week it was still spasming and still making it difficult for my putter to actually travel through. Even so it wasn't worth me playing. Then I got the flu on on top of it. About the worst fever I've had in eight, ten years.
So anybody who knows me knows that I don't make a 10 and withdraw. I made a 10 because I was going to withdraw. I was on my way back to the clubhouse (laughing). I had no chance of going on. So I don't feel bad about my withdrawal at all, because I always play.
MARK WILLIAMS: So I guess that old adage of beware the injured golfer stands true.
JERRY KELLY: Well, that one didn't work last week.

Q. It seemed like you were pretty steady throughout most of your round. But you did pick up a couple of birdies, was the goal to play steady and if birdies came it came, or were you trying to be aggressive or just steady?
JERRY KELLY: My goal was to be comfortable. I'm not going to force shots that make me uncomfortable. I'm going to try to stay comfortable.
You know, I've got a swing that's not new, but it hasn't really been tested as much as I'd like to have it tested. And that's because I haven't played as well in the last few years.
I think I'm probably a little stronger and a little more consistent than I've been. But, you know, it's got to show up in terms before you can really trust it and let it go.
I'm just trying to be comfortable with what I've got. If I do that on the mental side, then I know the birdies will come, and, you know, I'll be on the correct side of the on hole and things like that.

Q. Are you feeling comfortable?
JERRY KELLY: I'm feeling really comfortable right now. Yeah, I feel great. I tell you, oysters after the round, it's a great thing.

Q. You talked yesterday about how I asked you a question about getting in contention, what is harder? Getting in contention or remaining there? You said you never had a problem getting there, but remaining there has been the issue with you over the years. Have you started challenging yourself today on on the back nine and trying to keep going and keep pushing, keep expanding your lead? How do you carry that into tomorrow?
JERRY KELLY: Really, I'm always aware of where I stand. I look at leaderboards. I like to know those things. I don't like any surprises coming at me.
It's just a matter of me and my comfort level. You know, I fully intend to be able to sleep tonight. Fully intend to come out and try to enjoy the round tomorrow.
You know, all the cliches are there because they're true. You know, I'm going to try to have fun and see what happens. That's the key to my success is when I come to a place like this, I have fun outside the course -- outside the ropes and inside the ropes. That's huge for me.

Q. Was 18 kind of typical of your day?
JERRY KELLY: No, 18, you know, I had a lie that was perched up so high on some Bermudagrass, and I didn't think there was anyway that I should hit utility or 3-wood off that lie, because anything squaring off the top of the face with any kind of open face is gone in the water. Which I showed that with trying to hit a fade with the 4-iron, and even that pushed all the way over into the bunker.
I had two of the harder bunker -- three of the hardest bunker shots I've had - two from the fairway, and one from the side of the green. And my timing was great on both the wedges. My feet were outside, well above both times and I hit great shots.
You know, I'm not as worried about getting into trouble as I am feeling really good about how I'm getting out of trouble.

Q. How was the conditions out there today?
JERRY KELLY: The conditions were tough. It swirls in these trees. It really does. Doesn't seem like it's one consistent direction to just know what you have to do and how you have to hit it. You're always trying to maneuver it in one way or another into, across, or downwind.
It's like a British Open. It's more forgiving than a British Open, but there are plenty of difficult spots out there with some of those bunkers that Pete Dye built, which are fairly similar to some of the British Open bunkers.

Q. Does that change your strategy having the lead going into the final round?
JERRY KELLY: No, not in any way. I really haven't had any strategy other than know the shot that I need to hit. It's another one-shot at a time thought that there really isn't anything but that.
When the wind is blowing like this, and they vary the tees, you can't come in with any kind of concrete game plan, because everything's going to change when you get to the tee. It could be a little different wind and what not.
I tend to open myself up to, again, just being comfortable with the shot that I choose, and trying not to force anything.

Q. You mentioned you're always aware of the leaderboard and watching. They were sort of creeping up today and then fell back. Does that change your game at all when you see that up there?
JERRY KELLY: No. I was playing well coming down the stretch. I hit some balls close. I ran some good putts just by the edges. They've been putting the pins on some very tough spots where very few times, I mean you're going to have inside of ten feet if you're going to have one grain. Most of the putts out there are at least a two-grain putt, which means double breakers, uphill then downhill. Those are much more difficult putts because you don't feel like you can give it the run that you'd like to. Because, you know, if it's uphill and down grain you smash it uphill, it's bye-bye down grain.
They've done a good job of setting pins. It's difficult, and it's going to be another one tomorrow.

Q. Can you talk about the birdies?
JERRY KELLY: About the second hole, just knocked down a little sand wedge from I think at 87 yards. Knocked it to about four or five feet. Then on the fifth hole, had a little wedge out of the left bunker. And it was a nice double breaking putt from about 18 feet or so. Then 15, good drive out there to avoid the bunkers, and then a pitching wedge to about six feet again.
MARK WILLIAMS: Any of the par saves anywhere in your round that you want to look over?
JERRY KELLY: Yeah, the 3rd hole was big. I've been saving a lot of pars all week. I thought I hit a good 6-iron on the 3rd hole. The wind didn't let it turn, and I saw why it didn't let it turn, because it knocked it down about, you know, 18 yards short of the pin.
It was buried right on the edge. I was standing outside of it, and had a ridge that I had to get over and have the ball feed down.
Just cleared the bunker, and it ended up going down there about ten feet and made a great ten-footer. That let me realize that, okay, I'm on the same kind of track. I can recover from bad shots, don't worry about it.

Q. Some of your stats for the year don't look that great as far as hitting fairways and greens. Yet you're 12th in scoring. You've always kind of had this ability to score. Can you talk about how you develop that and why you're so good at it?
JERRY KELLY: Just basically just cleaning the range every single night. Playing against all the assistant pros when I was 8 through 12 years old. After 12, they wouldn't play me as much (laughing).

Q. You were saying a minute ago you've you were having fun on ask off the course this week. I know you're here to work, but have you had a chance to see some things?
JERRY KELLY: All I need to see is the food in front of me. That's what I love about this town, and that's what I do. I do food well here. I'd have to say besides Drago's, which is just my favorite of all time for the charbroiled. Bayona was fantastic. Susan Spicer came out to the table and gave a little dissertation of what she's doing.
Went to G.W. Fins last night, and that was great. I enjoy my food, and that's why I like it here so much.

Q. How long has it been since you've been in this position?
JERRY KELLY: You could probably tell me easier than I could tell you. I don't know, and I don't really care (laughing). It's all about where you finish tomorrow. Today doesn't mean a whole lot.

End of FastScripts

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