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FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN

January 30, 2010

Brandt Snedeker

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

BRANDT SNEDEKER: I'm playing good. I finish off a round like that, I definitely want to keep going. I hit a great shot on 16 about two feet and another great shot on 17 about three feet, and then 18 I finally made a putt.

Q. You must have some good vibes here.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I love this place. It's one of those places where for some reason I stay patient. I feel comfortable on my back nine, even though it's hard. I'm playing really good. I played great last week, and I'm driving it great, which you have to do around this golf course. I think that's the biggest key for me so far.

Q. Looking at your driving stats so far this week, that looks like --
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, I'm driving it phenomenal. I've not been playing very good at all actually, I missed the last four putts the last two days and missed a few short ones on the front nine, but on the back nine I made everything I looked at and hit every fairway, I think. It's easier to play when you do that.

Q. How many putts do you figure you lipped today, because one of your standard bearers --
BRANDT SNEDEKER: I three-putted for par on No. 6, missed a couple other -- missed two putts inside five feet, which is normally where I have my strength is making the short ones. But as fast as these greens are, these greens are fast and bumpy. They're great surfaces to putt on, it's just poa annua and with footsteps you're going to miss some short ones. You just have to take your lumps and move on.

Q. You said you've been driving it phenomenal. What is the difference between that and just your average day? You're hitting your spots?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, I have no fear. I get up to -- I get on tight holes, I can drive it down the left side and just free-wheel it and swing as hard as I want to and know it's going to be somewhere around the center or right of the fairway. When I'm playing bad, when I'm driving bad, I miss it left. I haven't missed one left in three days and don't plan on missing one left tomorrow, either.

Q. Do you do any regrouping in the off-season at all? Reevaluating how you want to --
BRANDT SNEDEKER: A little bit, definitely. I felt like I got a leg up on most of the guys because I was already playing the irons. I only switched two clubs in my bag. I felt like I ended last year playing phenomenal.
It was kind of an ego check my rookie year out here. I felt like I hit it pretty far, and I realized I hit it short compared to what's out here, and I realized if I need to be good, I needed to hit a lot of fairways. I figure that's where my strength is going to be, and this off-season I really just tried to keep doing that and kind of check the ego at the door when you play and just go out there and play. I've done a great job so far.

Q. How long did the BMW thing linger?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Not really. It's funny, a little tough for the rest of the season and the Fall Finish the last season, and (inaudible) how many times I would have been and should have been there. But that being said, I realized I have more opportunities coming up, hopefully very shortly, that three birdies can mean a lot more than that. It wasn't going to put a trophy on the mantel, so it was really not that important to me.
I'm playing good, have a chance tomorrow, which is all I wanted, and this course owes me a few, so I'm excited about it.

Q. Obviously winning would put that all behind you, you're back in the Masters and all that. But short of that, is the Masters another focus? And I guess the only other way in is the World Ranking.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Definitely. Masters is my main goal right now. If I get in the Masters I figure I've had a great start to the year. That would mean I've either won or I'm Top 10 on the Money List after Bay Hill or Top 50 in the world. Short of that, that's my main goal right now. I can take care of everything tomorrow if I have a good day.

Q. Are you playing more to try to accomplish that goal?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: No, I'm not going to change my schedule. I finally realized, this is my third year out here, I can't play my schedule when I'm trying to get in tournaments. I play my best golf when I play a lot. You're going to see me a lot this year, I'm going to play a lot, and I'm not really worried about the World Rankings, just go out there and try to play as well as I can.

Q. What else do you have after this?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Playing the rest on the West Coast, so I'm playing Phoenix, LA and Pebble. I'm not in the Match Play right now.

Q. You're playing next week, right?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah.

Q. Did you make any changes later in the round today, adjustments for the wind? It looked like you were playing pretty benign conditions early.
BRANDT SNEDEKER: Yeah, the last six holes played really tough, so it was kind of one of those holes where I knew if I could get in and shoot even or 1-under, I was really going to move in because the leaders hadn't gotten to those holes yet. Luckily I got lucky on 16, hit a great shot and got a good bounce and got up there close. 17 for me is always a hole I feel very comfortable on, and 18 is a par-5.
The wind is starting to howl out there, 16 is playing -- 15 and 16 are playing really long and tough fairway to hit on 15.

Q. What do you remember about your last rounds here with Tiger when you guys were in the final group?
BRANDT SNEDEKER: He was actually right in front of me. I remember it was a great day. I shot 71 having the lead for the first time, and this golf course was not playing easy. I learned why these guys are so good out here. Guys shot 66, 67 that last day, and it was fun to watch Tiger do what he does. He was in the group in front of me. He made a lot of great shots, and he works the crowd and that kind of stuff. I've seen him do enough of that. It's my turn to get in there and start playing better.

End of FastScripts

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