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FRYS.COM OPEN

October 22, 2009

Nick O'Hern

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome Nick O'Hern to the Frys.com media center after a tremendously successful first round, particularly the back nine highlighted by eight birdies.
First of all, have you ever birdied eight out of nine holes? And a few comments on the round and what really came alive for you.
NICK O'HERN: No, I don't think I've -- I think seven is my record on one nine. Yeah, the round was kind of level par. Nothing was really happening. I was hitting the ball pretty good, but just not making anything.
I think I just got on a roll. I birdie 10 and 11 with short birdie putts. Holed about a 60-, 70-footer on 12 and things just kind of went from there.
Six birdies in a row and I though, Oh, here we go. Let's see if we can do nine in a row. Then I knocked it in the water on 16, which turned out to be the Kodak challenge hole. The one hole I didn't birdie. Sort of pegged me back on that.
But I finished well with a couple more birdies. The putter just felt really good today, which it hasn't been in quite a while.
DOUG MILNE: You kind of joked out there earlier with XM that you really feel like your game is coming around. Too bad it has to be towards the end of the year. Talk a little bit about what you have noticed is really coming around with your game.
NICK O'HERN: Yeah, I think it stems from the last time my coach was over. He came during the playoff time and we did some work there. My swing just feels very comfortable. It's almost in the slot where I just kind of know where it's going all the time, which is pretty handy in this game.
It's always been more about whether I hole putts or not. I've always given myself plenty of opportunities, I just haven't converted the putts.
So, yeah, it's towards the end of the year, but I've also got a couple events in Australia. Better late than never.
DOUG MILNE: Are you playing either of the two fall events?
NICK O'HERN: Yeah, I'm playing them all. Mississippi and then Disney, which is a home game for me. I live in Orlando. Then I head down to Australia for the Australian Open and PGA.

Q. Could you just talk a little bit about what you went through with the surgery? Did you also have knee surgery?
NICK O'HERN: Yeah, end of last year I had thumb surgery on my left thumb. Thankfully it was the left thumb and not the right being a left-handed golfer. It just kind of hangs on there.
It was my third surgery on my right knee, so I tend to keep tweaking it. The ligament is completely gone in my knee. It's just a matter of keeping that strengthened. As loon as I don't run on it, I'm fine.
That kind of held my progress back at the start of the year. I had a bit of late start. I didn't really get the work and the preparation in that I wanted.
The year's been okay. Made a lot of cuts, but never really contended. I think I had a good finish in Houston, but other than that, it's been a bit of an average year.

Q. You've played well in the desert before. I'm thinking of match play with Tiger. Is there something about the desert courses?
NICK O'HERN: I don't know. Well, they're usually firm and fast. They're a little softer out here today I guess because of the overseed that they put in. I don't know. I like the desert air. It's got that dry heat feel to it, which is very similar to Perth, where I'm from back home.
Yeah, I played well at the FBR a couple years ago and the match play I love, obviously. The ball goes a little further here, which is nice because I'm a short hitter. So I can get it out there a bit more and I feel a bit stronger.
It kind of reminds us of back home. I know a lot of Australians live here and love playing here.

Q. (Question regarding the nickname Tiger Slayer.)
NICK O'HERN: Yeah, I never get sick of it. (Laughter) I've been called plenty of worse things. Yeah, a lot of people don't know my name. Hey, that's the guy that beat Tiger twice. It's nice. I would love another opportunity, but my rankings gone out so far that I need to work pretty hard to get back into match play.
So I'm just focusing on playing good golf and trying to get myself back up there.

Q. What happened on 16, and was it a problem getting over it?
NICK O'HERN: Not really. I actually felt that I hit a good shot. I felt the wind was off to the left and into it a little, and it turns out it was off to the right. I knew missing the green right there is bad. I figured I was gonna make another birdie anyway because I was on such a roll.
I was just trying to put it between the pin and the water, and just drifted a little on the wind, hit the bank, and rolled in. It wasn't actually a bad shot, but the result was bad. But at least I one-putted, so it was a good bogey.
I mean, I just hit two nice shots on 17 and rolled in about a 20-footer, so it was back to normal.

Q. How many looks did you have on the back nine?
NICK O'HERN: Back nine I had nine. I one-putted every green which is pretty scary. I've never done that before. I was pretty happy. (Laughter.)

Q. What was the longest one?
NICK O'HERN: I holed about 60-, 70-footer on 12. About that, I would say. And then a 20-footer on 17. The other six birdies were within five or six feet, so I hit the ball really well.
DOUG MILNE: If you wouldn't mind just running us through the multiple birdies and give us some clubs and yardage.
NICK O'HERN: Hit a 9-iron on the 2nd to 15 feet. Rolled it one in.
9-iron on 10. I loved my 9-iron today. It was working well. 9-iron on 10 to four feet.
Lob wedge on 11 to five feet.
4-iron on 12 to about 60 feet, which I rolled in.
4-iron again on 13 to three feet.
9-iron on 14 to three, four feet, something like that.
And then 15 I hit a 54-degree sand iron to about six feet.
16, won't worry about.
17 I hit 6-iron to 20 feet.
Then on 18 I hit 5-iron to about three, four feet.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. Well, keep it up, and best of luck tomorrow.
NICK O'HERN: No worries.

End of FastScripts

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