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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

September 5, 2009

Jim Furyk

NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Jim Furyk into the interview room here at the Deutsche Bank Championship after a 4-under par 67. Jim, if we can just get some opening comments on your day, please.
JIM FURYK: Well, obviously pleased with the finish. To go out there and shoot 4-under today and get it to 12, I'll be in good position for the last two rounds.
I struck -- yesterday I said kind of the key to everything, talking about it in here, I struck the ball so well, and I didn't expect to go out there and hit 13 fairways and 18 greens today. I was able to -- you know, I hit a few bad shots, got loose once in a while but was able to score well all day. When I made a mistake or hit a bad shot, I was able to make par most of the time, and I did hit quite a few good shots and set myself up and was able to knock some putts in for birdie.
Obviously not the round I played yesterday, but it was a good score at 4-under, and the goal was accomplished, to put myself in good position for the last two rounds.

Q. Obviously the three of you guys fed off each other out there.
JIM FURYK: Yeah, I'm not sure I've ever played in a group where all three guys played so well; we're 34-under par. We'll all be up there close to the lead, and it was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of good golf and a lot of good golf shots, and obviously I saw some putts go in. We all made our share of putts.

Q. Does that really help you out there, watching the guys with you play that well?
JIM FURYK: Only when you're playing that well. If you're at even par, you feel like you're shooting 80, so it can kind of -- if those two guys were 12-under and 10-under and I was around even par trying to make the cut, no, it doesn't help too much. Then you feel like you're playing probably worse than you are. But if you're playing well right along with them, yeah, I think it helps a little bit.

Q. It seems like every year you've played here you've gotten progressively better, gone deeper, moved up the board in the final result. Is there a reason for that, familiarity, comfort, more at-bats or course changes or wily veteran savvy?
JIM FURYK: Do you want to throw slugging percentage in there, too? (Laughter.) I don't know. I will say definitely the first time I played the golf course and the first time I came, I was very uncomfortable on it as far as the look of it, where I was supposed to hit the ball. I think they went back and redesigned it for the second event we were here. I talked a lot to the staff and the architect back in Ponte Vedra, and he convinced me to come out and give it a try and look at it again. I thought it was a definite improvement, and I thought it was a nice upgrade.
And then when they've gone back in again and redesigned for the second time, I actually -- now I look out and I -- I grew up in the northeast. It tends to flow and look like a course up here does usually. Before it had a little bit more of a modern TPC type look to it.
The course hasn't changed that much, but the appearance to me, it's just everything is more appealing to my eye, I think. The last redo was a major upgrade; it really improved the golf course in playability and Ã¦sthetics, so I'm just more comfortable here now.
But I think also my game has been in good shape towards the end of the year the last couple years. I've felt really good about it and played real well through the end of the playoff schedule last year and hope to do that again.

Q. With the scores low yesterday and the conditions the way they were this morning, do you realize that you've got to keep your foot on the gas?
JIM FURYK: Well, I think you always do. You realize it's only the second round, so you kind of -- you've got to look at a golf tournament as a round of golf, and I just kind of finished up the front nine right now. There's a lot to go, and no reason to not be aggressive or not to keep your foot down.
But I was asked why the scores are so good, and I think that the golf course is in perfect condition. The greens are really good. They're really hasn't been much wind or elements out there. We've played in perfect conditions and perfect weather so far.
But I think the greens are starting to firm up. The golf course is starting to firm up. It was really soft on Wednesday morning in the pro-am, and it's starting to firm up. I could see those greens getting a little bit firmer and more difficult and scores not being so good.

Q. I just want to get your thoughts on the way O'Hair played today. He had been in a little bit of a funk the last few months; I think he shot a pair of 77s last week, and there's been more of that than there was of this, since he's going to be on your Presidents Cup team with you. A pretty good young player?
JIM FURYK: Presidents Cup is a long way away, so I never get too worried. He didn't play very well last week. As you said, he comes out this week and he's 12-under par. A week can make a big difference. Presidents Cup is, what, five or six weeks away? I haven't counted, but it's somewhere in there. So it's a long way away.
I like Sean's game. He's really a -- his game is mature for a young player. I think he's a good, solid person. You know, he's got a lot of tools in his game. He's got some length. He hits the ball very well. He can shape it both ways. And he's got a pretty decent short game. He's only 27 years old, so he's got a lot of time to mature and get even better.
But he's got a good, solid game, and I'm happy for him. I know he's a hard worker, and I like to see -- being one myself, I like to see guys that go out there and grind it out and work hard week in and week out. I like to see those guys do well and succeed, and he's doing quite well.

Q. Sort of by the same measure, can you talk a little bit about Goosen? He's been struggling with his game the last couple years, kind of came back this year. What did you see out there?
JIM FURYK: Retief's struggling is different than most people struggling. I have all the respect for him. He's very quiet, he goes about his business. He's cool as ice. The guy is as good over an eight-foot par putt as anyone I've seen. He's just got a great temperament, I think, and a lot of young players could look at him and learn a lot, just getting paired with him for two days.
JOHN BUSH: I think that's it, Jim. Thanks for coming by.

End of FastScripts

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