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NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL INVITATIONAL

August 1, 2009

Gavin Coles

COLUMBUS, OHIO

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Gavin Coles in, Gavin with a 4-under par 67 today, 10-under par for the tournament. Maybe just talk about your play this week and what's been working so well for you to date.
GAVIN COLES: I think as we've seen today, I hit a lot of shots close. I hit a lot of close shots today, even with 3-irons. It's been pretty good hitting on the occasion, and then I probably haven't driven it as good as I normally do.
Yeah, just hitting it close and making them when I hit it close sometimes.
JOE CHEMYCZ: You are not the longest hitter on Tour. How is the golf course from a distance standpoint for you this week?
GAVIN COLES: That was the second question; you couldn't wait to get that one out? I think I'm running last in driving distance, yeah. But you know what, if it's long for me, it's long for everybody. A lot of guys are hitting clubs they don't normally hit to par-4s, as well. They had some diabolicals out there today. 1 and 2 were a very nice welcome to the golf course today. It's one of those courses where you've just got to be patient and hit it in the middle of the green and two-putt like I had to on the last, grind over a six-footer there, not trying to hit it past the flag there, you just don't want to go long. It's a very patient golf course.

Q. You were talking the first day about even though the course is playing long, you could pretty much throw any club at the pin and have it stick. Is the course still playing that way, and is that helping you like you said, attacking the flags the way you have been?
GAVIN COLES: Well, as I said, it's a patience sort of game, but yeah, if the fairways are soft you know the greens aren't rock hard. You can't run it onto the green, either. If the greens are soft and the fairways are soft, then it's manageable for everybody.
You know, I think if the fairways were firm and the greens were soft, then guys would be shooting a lot lower than what they are now.

Q. Are you surprised at the numbers that are being put up this week given the history here?
GAVIN COLES: Not really, because the rough is not really up and the greens are somewhat slower than probably what they would be if they were fast. Okay, the greens are probably a bit softer which helps out. You can hit a few shots close. But you know, all in all, it's sort of relative, isn't it. You're hitting longer clubs in and you've still got to be precise, even though on some holes you could be hitting three or four clubs longer into the greens.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Any big putts today?
GAVIN COLES: Oh, I think the one on -- I don't know, what hole was it, 8, the par-3. That was about 20 feet, I suppose, maybe, if it got to 20 feet. It might have been shorter than that. That's about it, really, today. Most of them were under 10 feet.

Q. Can you give us the lengths on the birdies?
GAVIN COLES: No. 3 was about three feet.
No. 4 was about five feet.
7 was, as I said -- no, 7 was about two feet.
8 was 20 feet.
16 was like four feet.

Q. Very precise with your irons, obviously.
GAVIN COLES: Well, short iron on par-5, 9-iron on No. 7, and a sand iron on No. 16.

Q. And then the lone bogey today on 11?
GAVIN COLES: Yeah, I think that was only my third green I missed all day. I think I've only had two bogeys and I've missed some greens. I don't think I've missed too many. I just didn't judge the thickness of the rough and didn't hit a very good shot, simple as that.

Q. Anything in your game leading up to this tournament that led you to believe you might play well here?
GAVIN COLES: Last week I think I was No. 1 in greens in regulation through three rounds and hit like an absolute dog on the last day. My putting has probably been horrendous for most of the year, as you can tell. I think I've made a total this week, a 30-footer, a 20-footer and two 15-footers, and that's it in three days. Most all my birdies have been under six feet, as I said.
It's all putting as far as I'm concerned. If I can just keep working and improving in my putting, which I have been, it's slowly getting better, then I think I'll be all right.

Q. Some of the other guys were saying yesterday or the first two days that because of how soft the greens were, some of the spike marks were getting in the way of the line of the putt. Has that calmed down today or is that still a problem?
GAVIN COLES: That's golf, mate. They're the conditions we've got. I missed one from here on the first hole yesterday. That's golf. That's the way it is.

Q. Can you talk about the position that you're in? Is there maybe a tendency to be more aggressive tomorrow or will you keep doing what you've been doing all week?
GAVIN COLES: Well, I don't think I'm one to overpower a golf course so I don't think there will be any aggression out there unless I've got a short iron in. I think I'll just be playing the way I'm supposed to play the game, which is drive it in the fairway, hit it to inside roughly 20 feet right or left of the flag and putt to the corner. Mark O'Meara won The Masters doing that. I think that's how I have to play this golf course, and if they put some pins out like they did on No. 1 and No. 2 here today, there will be lots of guys hitting it to 30 feet left and right of the pin and trying to hole 30-footers. They just won't be able to get it anywhere near them.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Gavin, play well tomorrow. Appreciate your time.
GAVIN COLES: No worries.

End of FastScripts

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