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FRYS.COM OPEN

October 22, 2009

D.A. Points

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome D.A. Points to the Frys.com media center after a successful round one. Six birdies and just one bogey en route to a 5-under par 65. Just a couple comments. You're enjoying a pretty good year. You've had three top 10s.
Just talk a little bit about the state of your game and kind of specifically how it applies to this week and your round today.
D.A. POINTS: Really my game was really good for the Florida swing. I was hitting it great and putting okay, but hitting it really, really well. Had a good week in Puerto Rico, and then obviously had a really good week in Dallas.
And then soon after I had that week in Dallas, you know, I had secured my card for the first time ever and I was kind of like, Whoa. It took me a little while to kind of figure out how to kind of get back on track as far as setting other goals and getting focused on trying to put myself in the winners circle.
Because when you've never kept your card, you're just out here just grinding away trying to finish as best you can, and it always seems kind of elusive to get inside that 125. And then when I did it kind of early in the year, it was a real relief.
At the same time, I kind of a lost my way for a little bit. The last few weeks I played all right at Turning Stone , and last week I played okay. It's just such a putting contest out there that I missed a few putts that I should have made.
All in all, I've really played solid all year. Lots of, you know, top 30s and stuff like that. Then this week, I went over to Ping on Tuesday here in Phoenix or in Peoria or wherever, and I've been trying all Fall Series to get the new irons with the proper conforming grooves so that I could have the opportunity to play them in the Fall Series to be prepared for 2010.
It's been a struggle. You know, USGA is not making it real clear how they want it, and club companies are trying to, you know, scoot the line of what's conforming and what's not.
Finally I got a set Tuesday after afternoon late, and I played nine holes yesterday in the morning. I thought, Well, they seemed pretty similar to the ones I had before, so I just went ahead and threw them in.
Today I hit a lot of really, really quality iron shots. Lots of 7-irons that were in there, tied an 8-iron in there for a gimme.
Just played real solid. I was excited to not see a big, big difference with the new groove.
DOUG MILNE: With that, we'll take a few questions.

Q. You were able to win quite a few times on the Nationwide Tour. Do you feel like you're ready now to break through on this tour?
D.A. POINTS: Absolutely. The wins on the Nationwide Tour have definitely helped, but it's also something about being out here and being comfortable with the surroundings and the people that are around you out here.
You know, this is my first time ever to Grayhawk. It's awesome. It's beautiful. It sets up good for me. I drive it relatively straight usually, and, you know, gotta hit some quality iron shots. Those are, I feel, two of my strengths. Hopefully this place sets up well for me.

Q. I'm sure you've had a chance to play Ricky Barnes. He's tied with you right now on the Nationwide Tour. Just your thoughts about him at a golfer. He had that great U.S. Open, finished second, and missed six straight cuts since then. It's hard out here, isn't it?
D.A. POINTS: It is. When you go through something like Ricky went through at the Open, I mean, it's kind of like what I went through at the Byron Nelson. You have this amazing week that's kind of something that you've never really truly experienced before, and it's a great feeling. It takes a lot out of you.
And in a way, whether you believe it or not, there's just a smidge of a letdown after that. Ricky, I think, lives out here. Plays a lot of golf. Maybe not at Grayhawk, but lives out here in Phoenix, Scottsdale area. So this is obviously home for him, and feels real comfortable out here. He hits it a long way, and when he gets his putter hot, he's a tough competitor.

Q. You said you lost your way for a while. When did you find yourself again? Was it one tournament or one stretch that you felt like you were back to where you could be?
D.A. POINTS: You know what, I will say that I felt pretty good at Turning Stone. Not necessarily playing that great, but even, oddly enough, the FedExCup, I mean, I was not hitting it well, but I just really grinded it out. My wife would tease me and say that I'm scrappy, because I would kind of hit it a little bit all over the place and maybe make a great up-and-down, and then out of blue I would hit a 3-iron to like three feet and make birdie. Just kind of silly things.
I was proud of the way I grinded it out. But then, you know, to have a top 10 in tough conditions -- or top 20, I'm sorry, at Turning Stone finishing 18th in some tough conditions, I was kind of proud of myself there.
I think I've kind of calmed down after the whole FedExCup and all that deal. Like I said, last week I played okay. Didn't get real hot with the putter. This week could be the week.

Q. Talk about how good it felt to secure your tour card. A lot guys are playing for their tour card right now. Talk about the pressure of playing golf under that pressure and knowing if you don't get in the top 25 you've got to go through Q-School and how hard that makes it out here.
D.A. POINTS: Yeah, one thing that I guess is a little different than maybe a lot of other jobs in the world is that we kind of know where we got to get to keep our job, which is a good and a bad thing.
If you're working in an office, you might think you're doing a great job and then you get sent home. Here you know what you gotta do.
It's tough. It's one of those things that when you're out there you're not really thinking about it. If like somebody said, Oh, you just made a putt to make an extra $30,000 or whatever it is, we're certainly not thinking about it. You certainly want to play well.
At the end of the day when you go evaluate your round, you go, Okay, I've got some work to do if I'm gonna be out here next year.

Q. Have you ever led anywhere after one?
D.A. POINTS: Oh, yeah. I don't think I've led anywhere this year after one round. Not that I can think of. But, let's see, in Vegas in '06, my last year or tour I led after 36 holes. In San Antonio in '06 I led after 36 holes. So I, mean, it's happened.

Q. Are desert courses typically good for you?
D.A. POINTS: You know, it's funny. I like everywhere. Actually, I've had some pretty good finishes in Phoenix when we used to have the Nationwide Tour Gila River tournament down there, I always seemed to play pretty well there.
Just, you know, the conditions are great. You know, I just kind of like the weather. I mean, it's nice out, so it's comfortable.
DOUG MILNE: Before we cut you loose, if you wouldn't mind running us through your birdies and giving us some clubs and a little description.
D.A. POINTS: Yes. No. 2, hit a gap wedge out of the rough to about 12 feet and made it.
Then No. 3 was a really good, good iron shot. Hit a good drive and a 7-iron to a back right location that almost went in. Made about a five-footer for birdie.
No.4 I hit a pretty good drive and a layup to 80 yards and hit a sand wedge to -- a lob wedge to like eight feet and made it.
And then really just played solid on through there.
Then 10 I hit a 3-wood and like a -- no, I'm sorry, I hit a 21-degree hybrid and then like a little three-quarter 8-iron to like a foot and a half. So that was a nice gimme.
And then 12 is another long par-4. I hit a driver and a 7-iron again there. I got a really fortunate read off of Jeff Klauk's putt. He was right in front of me and his ball rolled right by my coin. Saw his putt didn't break, so I played mine straight and it went right in.
And then a silly bogey on the next hole. Hit my tee shot into a sprinkler head right next to the green. I had to drop, and it rolled almost two club lengths away. So instead of putting from the fringe, I had to try to chip it up the hill. It checked up on me and I made a bogey.
Then on 15 I drove it right down in front of the green and hit a little pitch shot up off the back slope and rolled down to about six feet and I made that.

End of FastScripts

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