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AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 18, 2009Grant FuhrRick RhodenSTATELINE, NEVADA THE MODERATOR: Let's start with Grant. Take us through the round. GRANT FUHR: Where would you like to go with it? Lots of good things. Actually hit the ball really good the last couple days. And the putting at the start of the round was pretty good. Somewhere in the middle it disappeared and reappeared at the end. So a bit of a roller coaster. THE MODERATOR: Is this going to be about the short game tomorrow for you or what's going to be the magic? GRANT FUHR: Well, obviously I think I've got to make a few more 4-footers. I think I've missed six or seven the last couple days but made up for it a little on 4, made a Hail Mary that fell in the hole. So I think tomorrow if you can make your 4 and 5-footers it's going to give me a chance anyway. THE MODERATOR: Rick, take us through your round. RICK RHODEN: As bad as I putted yesterday, I putted pretty much good today. I had eight birdies, so I've got nothing to complain about. I hit a lot of balls at the very end. The last three were pretty much tap-in. That was good. Grant played great. He made two eagles, good gracious. But we had a fun group to play with. Tony's great to play with. I always like playing with Grant. He hit the ball really good today. He could have shot better. I missed maybe two or three putts that I could have made. You think you can make them all when you're putting good. But I played pretty good. I shanked a ball today, which I haven't done in a long time. At least it didn't cost me a double bogey. And pretty much the last two days I did all my scoring from 11 on, 12 on. I've had five birdies today from 12 on and yesterday I had four. So it will be a lot more fun to get some early so you don't feel like you have to get them at the end. But out here you take them whenever you can get them. THE MODERATOR: Grant, at what point in the last few years did you arrive at the belief that you could win this tournament? GRANT FUHR: I don't know if I really ever arrived to believe. But the game has gotten better and better every year. I think moving to Phoenix has helped a lot. Getting a chance to play with Rick a bunch. I think as you play with better players you learn a lot about the game, and it's definitely helped me. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. 112 degrees in Phoenix this afternoon, so this doesn't seem that bad? GRANT FUHR: This is not that bad. I can live with this (smiling). Q. You mentioned playing with Tony. He's been on a little bit of a roller coaster week with what's happened on the news and also taking the lead yesterday. Did he mention anything about any of these kind of things; and also what did he seem like out there? GRANT FUHR: I think he's a great guy. It's the first time I've had an opportunity to meet him. And we had a lot of fun playing. He's a great individual that's a real joy to play with. RICK RHODEN: Pretty much the same. I played with him last year the last day. He's got a real good game. He got a little wild off the tee on some shots today, which cost him. But he's got a good game. He could get 30 something points tomorrow too. He's a guy's guy. He's a guy that's fun to be around and play with. Q. A few distractions, especially on 17 with him; do you roll with the punches on those? RICK RHODEN: They're more distractions I think for him than us. We don't have to dodge people like he did. Q. Grant, you've been in contention going into Sunday before. But if you could talk a bit about that in years past and also having to play with this guy in the final group on Sunday? GRANT FUHR: It's fun to be hanging around again. Obviously you want to have a chance to win. So that's always fun. But to get a chance to play with Rick again, I enjoy that. Obviously Rick's as good as there is. So it's fun to play. It's fun to learn from them. It's fun to be competitive. We enjoy each other's company. So I'm really looking forward to it. RICK RHODEN: There's guys you like to play with because -- I don't ever wish anything bad. We root for each other, you know? I don't root for a guy to play bad. I just want to play good. So I try to tell everybody I play with, "Knock it in or whatever. Hit a good shot." I think it's the only way to play, really. It's all about, I don't wish anything bad on anybody. You play your best and you beat me or I beat you, that's just the way it is. Q. It looks like we might see some record scoring here this week. Are either of you guys surprised by that? RICK RHODEN: I don't think 68's going to win, that's for sure. Yeah, I don't know what the record is. But is it 78, something like that? Any one person, there's probably four or five guys that could get close to that. You never know. Golf every day is different. About the time you think you've got it figured out, up it jumps and gets you. I think it would be a safe bet to say I think it's a good chance that might get beaten tomorrow. But, again, you've got to go and play. The last day is always a little more nerve-racking. Q. Did you feel like because of the attention on Tony today that maybe how good you guys played was kind of lost? I mean, I think his 32 is probably the single round record and you had a 31 today. RICK RHODEN: It's not lost or we wouldn't have been on the top of the scoreboard or being here talking to you. Q. I mean the attention to it, you guys played incredible today. You had, what, a 67 -- RICK RHODEN: I shot 67. I had three bogeys. GRANT FUHR: 67. RICK RHODEN: But it's the same as if you play with Michael or Elway back 10 years ago, same kind of deal. I'd rather play with a lot of people walking around than nobody. (Laughter). Q. Rick, are you aware that nobody has -- are you aware that no one has ever successfully defended, is that in your head at all? RICK RHODEN: I think Dan Quinn won two years in a row, didn't he? I think he did. I know I haven't. Q. Grant, can you estimate the length of that long eagle putt? GRANT FUHR: Give or take, I don't know -- maybe 60 feet. It was one of those that should never have gone in. I had a lot of 4-footers that should have went in. That one shouldn't have. Q. Grant, you seemed real focused out there. Do you think you're more focused this year than last year or two years ago? GRANT FUHR: Still having the same fun. You focus for 10 seconds to hit a golf shot and have fun again. Q. I haven't seen you that focused since 1987. GRANT FUHR: Getting better at picking targets now. RICK RHODEN: When you're playing good, you look like you're more focused. THE MODERATOR: Thanks. End of FastScripts |
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