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AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 19, 2009Dan QuinnBilly Joe TolliverSTATELINE, NEVADA THE MODERATOR: Billy Joe, tell us what happened out there today for you to be in contention and -- BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Well, apparently what happened for me to be in contention -- I played well on the front nine. I made the turn with 17 points or something like that. And I was trying -- I figured that by the time I got to 14 tee box, you know, I needed to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 25, 26 points on the day to have a chance. Now, with that being said, what got me in the hunt was guys just didn't play as well as they normally play down the stretch. You know, Rhoden, he didn't make as many birdies as he normally does. Quinn let two guys back in it. I mean, I didn't see the end, so I don't know really what happened. But I didn't birdie 16. I bogeyed 17. So everybody out there had a shot at it. The field's getting tighter. There's more guys that can play. More guys that can go low. And it's like I said the other day, you've got to be in the last group, because the last man standing's the guy's that got the advantage. Q. Dan, what was your mindset going into those last couple holes? DAN QUINN: What was my mindset? I birdied 16. Almost made out 17. I hit a bad drive on 18. It is what it is. Q. You felt it was within your grasp? DAN QUINN: Oh, yeah. I felt like -- I birdied 11 and 12. I thought I was in the driver's seat. Almost birdied 13. Then I got a horrible bounce on 14 and made a bogey. Hit a bad shot on 15 and made a bogey, which is two big points, looking back. 15 was from the middle of the fairway. I scraped it down 16 and I reversed them. I made the birdie and they both made par. Because Fuhr could have made birdie there and been in the hunt. 18, I hit a bad drive. I didn't hit it a little over the top. Tried to get cute on the last one. Tried to keep it underneath the hole, have a 8-, 10-footer up the hill. Tried to hit a 60, probably should have chipped a 54. It is what it is. I had to make birdie and I didn't. If I had made birdie it's mine. Q. If you could talk about that one shot into the water. DAN QUINN: 108 yards. So back home that's about 100. It was downwind, out of the rough. I tried to hit a hard 60. I just pulled it a hair. I should have hit it -- looking back, I probably should have chipped a 54. I can't hit back home about 90-yard 60 anyway. So it was questionable whether I got it there. I came over the top of it. I came over the top of the shot on 17. Almost made the putt. But I had to make a birdie, and I just didn't do it. The door was wide open, though, that's for sure. Q. How were the greens this year compared to last year? BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Well, I really didn't have much problems with the greens. I putted pretty well for three days. They're getting better. You know, you just know that when you play with as many guys that we have -- this is not like the PGA TOUR where there's a bunch of, 165-, 170-pound men running around on the greens. You've got 225, 250 pound guys, some 300-pound guys, and 90 percent of the field doesn't know how to get the ball out of the hole. So you deal with a lot of footprints late in the day when you're playing in the final few groups. So you know there's an opportunity. You don't hit a bunch of greens, there's an opportunity you're going to make bogeys. Because you just can't run at your pars. You can't keep the speed up because you're in the hunt. And you can't give two back. But you know they were about the same as they've been. And I didn't have much of a problem with them as far as speed or anything else like that. It's just everybody's putting the same stuff. Q. Dan, did the wind affect you guys on the last three holes? I remember I think your last four approach shots were all to the left. DAN QUINN: Yeah, it picked up a little bit. 16 had a good headwind. But I just -- whatever, I had a little -- I was queasy all day. I didn't have, what do you call it, as good a swing as I felt like I had yesterday and the day before. So I was just kind of grinding it out. I was dehydrated and had to go to the Port-A-John on 14 tee. I don't know, had to figure out why I came over a couple shots coming in. I don't know, just did it. Q. Dan, is this tournament, the way it unfolded at the end, is this your toughest loss, by any chance? DAN QUINN: It would have been a loss if I was leading by 1. I really had to make birdie. So I'll be honest, I don't care if I came in second or tenth. I had a chance to make birdie to win the tournament, I felt. In hindsight I would have liked to have put it on the green because Rick actually had a pretty tough 2-putt. He hit it 20 odd feet past the hole there. But it's not that it's -- I'm disappointed. Obviously I didn't win. But, again, you come here trying to win and I was standing on 18th fairway or 18th tee with a chance to win. That's what you shoot for. And I played good. I didn't putt good all week. Made a couple good putts, though, coming in. But as I said, if I would have had a 2-point lead and did that, I would be a little more disappointed than having to know that I needed -- par was going to do me no good. So that's just the way it is. The door was open for -- I birdied 2 and 3. Hit a good drive on 4. Looking back, there's a couple shots I wish I could have hit better. 3-putted 5, but made bogey from the middle of the fairway on 9 and 15. Those are little points that if I was playing really well I wouldn't have done. I made five birdies, though, so I had enough in this format standing on 18th tee just to make birdie. I hit a bad drive and that's what happens. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys. End of FastScripts |
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