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BUICK OPEN

July 28, 2009

Nick Watney

GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN

JOHN BUSH: We'll go ahead and get started. We'd like to welcome Nick Watney in the interview room at the Buick Open. He is currently No. 11 in the FedExCup standing. Just been a tremendous year for you, Nick. If we can get you to comment on being at the U.S. Open.
NICK WATNEY: Yes. Played 9th so far this year. I love the course here, so I'm looking forward to a good week.

Q. Talk a little bit about your season. Obviously you got started at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. So comment on that win for you.
NICK WATNEY: Yeah. Yeah. It's always nice to play there at the end of the year. Had a good title there at the Buick Invitational. Always nice to get it done.
JOHN BUSH: All right. We'll go into questions.

Q. (Indiscernible).
NICK WATNEY: It's always nice. I think different courses fit your eye differently, and I really like the golf courses around here. And I've played some good rounds and some not-so-good rounds, but hopefully I can learn from my past here and eliminate the bad rounds and have a good finish.

Q. Have you learned anything about the course that suits you? Guys would say it fits their eye or there's nothing tricky, what you see is what you get.
NICK WATNEY: Yeah. I think if you drive the ball well here, you have an advantage. And I think that -- or when I look back, driving -- when I drove the ball well here, it kinds of opens up the scoring. So I think that's a big key.
JOHN BUSH: Let's talk about the FedExCup a little bit. When do you start thinking about that and how do you look at it now? We're going through the last tournaments actually before we start the playoff. What's your thoughts?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I mean I think as far as the playoffs go, I'm in good shape right now, but it can never hurt to be any higher, so I'm just going to try to play good in the three tournaments before the start of the playoff, try to get as high as I can.
I'm looking forward to get started, and I haven't played too well the last two years, or three years in the playoffs, so hopefully I can get a little something going here and have a good run throughout.
JOHN BUSH: We all know the playoffs are different, but we don't know what it's like for a player. What's it like for a player?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I mean it's an exciting way to finish the year. Everybody would love to play four events. I have never played in a Tour championship, so that's my goal to try to make it through there. And you know, just hope for an exciting finish to the year.
JOHN BUSH: Did you play other sports where there might have been a playoff? Because golf there's not a playoff type of sport.
NICK WATNEY: Yeah. Growing up I did. I think everybody watches all the other sports' playoffs, so I think the Tour, before the playoffs were there, the Tour kind of -- actually the PGA pretty much wound down a little bit, but now the PGA week off and the four events hopefully have a dramatic finish.
JOHN BUSH: What's it like for a player? Or you're like -- after you get in the playoffs, you're like one and done if you don't advance. Do you feel that? Does it affect the way you play?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah. I mean, you know, one of the worst things for me is to be at home while there's other guys out playing. I mean it's not the greatest feeling when you don't qualify for an event. So yeah, I definitely think you feel that and it puts kind of an added influence on, well, there's always next week. There may not be if you don't play well, so it's different for golf, for sure.

Q. What is it about this event this week that has become kind of a regular destination on your schedule the last couple of years?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I mean I like the golf course, and I think it fits in nicely with the schedule.
You know, coming home between the British Open and kind of a pretty taxing flight and stuff like that. So I like to take a week off. And then it's just a good atmosphere around here, and the greens are always good. The course is in good shape. So I just like to come.

Q. What's it been like going into a Major now as someone who people think might have a shot of winning?
NICK WATNEY: You know, it's a nice feeling, but I'm the type of player that if I get too far ahead of myself, I don't score very well.
So it's nice to see -- a little bit of extra attention is nice, but I can't really buy into it too much at all, because it'll take away from concentrating on what I need to do.
So it's nice, but at the same time, it's just kind of -- it is what it is. It's just a little bit of attention, and if you don't perform, it goes away pretty fast.

Q. What will you try to work on in your game right now to get ready for Hazeltine?
NICK WATNEY: I think just some little things. Putting, I definitely need. Putting has never been a strength on the Tour. So I'm always working on my putting.
So I think I'm just doing a few bad things -- a few little things that add up to a shot or two here and there that can take you out of contention over the span of four days.
So I'm just trying to tighten up my game a little bit and continue to work on my putting.

Q. You mentioned your putting. Is this a good place to maybe straighten that out because they always talk about how true the greens are here?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah. Definitely. I was doing a little practice putting this morning. Greens are rolling pretty true, very fast downhill, so yeah, there's no excuse for not putting well here.

Q. We've had two Major winners this year that I don't think many people would have picked to have won the Majors that they won. How does that affect a guy like you, because you can fit in that same class of players who are trying to break through.
NICK WATNEY: Well, I think if you ask the players, I mean they're not surprised at anybody winning, or those players winning tournaments. Lucas has been good out here for a long time.
Stewart has contended in Majors multiple times, and Cabrera obviously his second.
But as far as how it affects me, yeah, I mean it gives me a little bit of -- definitely a little motivation. I mean I've played with those guys a few times, and you know, it's great to see them. As far as quality of people, they're great guys, and you know, it's good to see exciting, and hopefully I can join them.

Q. To follow up on something you said, you've played with these guys, you see things about them that the rest of us don't see. What is it that you see in these players that enables them to take that next step to be Major winners?
NICK WATNEY: That's tough to say. I mean what do I see in them? I mean I think at the end of the day, although a Major is, you know, adds more weight and more media attention and whatnot, at the end of the day it's a four-round golf tournament.
And you know, just like the winner at this event is going to be the best for these four days, those guys were the best for those four days. And for whatever reason that week they had it going and they made the putts and made tough up-and-downs and got the job done.
So it's tough to point out one or two things that, you know, this is the reason why Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open. I mean he was just better that week, I would say. He was just the best that week.
JOHN BUSH: Nick, I would get you to address also you're currently No. 14 in the President's Cup standing. Can you talk a little bit about that being one of your goals and you're putting a little bit of pressure on yourself?
NICK WATNEY: Yeah. I would love to play a President's Cup. It would be an honor, for many reasons. Obviously playing for your country is an incredible thing and I think something everybody wants to do.
Playing for Fred Couples, he was my idol growing up, so that would be just a great experience. And it's in San Francisco, which is an hour from where my parents live. So it would be -- it's definitely a goal, and I'm really, really trying to make that.
JOHN BUSH: All right. Anything else?

Q. Speaking of the President's Cup, do you know that golf course well?
NICK WATNEY: I've actually never played it. But if I were to qualify, I would know it pretty good. I would make a lot of trips there.

Q. And Couples you say is your idol. Give us some comments about what he meant to you in terms of getting you involved in golf.
NICK WATNEY: Well, I mean just when I -- I think one of the first matches that I can remember is the one that he won. Any chance I had to go to a golf tournament, I would always try to watch him.
I mean I think he's just one of the coolest guys, and then getting to know him now has been amazing. I think he would be a really good captain just in terms of letting the players do their thing, and it would be an honor to play for him.

Q. You wore Ashworth?
NICK WATNEY: I did. I did. I wore a lot of Ashworth when I was a kid. And yeah, I had pictures of him on my walls when I was growing up, so he's definitely part of the factor.

Q. How has winning this year, how has that elevated your confidence in what you can do out here on Tour?
NICK WATNEY: Well, it's nice to -- I mean winning is great, but I feel like winning a second time kind of validates it. I think people can say, well, anybody can get hot for a week and everything went right, but winning for the second time has kind of been just kind of validated it. And you know, it's just an incredible feeling. So every time you get a little taste of that, I think you want it more and more.
JOHN BUSH: All right. Nick, thanks for coming by, and play well this week.
NICK WATNEY: Thanks.

End of FastScripts

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