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FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN

January 30, 2010

Michael Sim

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

MARK WILLIAMS: Michael Sim, thanks for joining us, third round 2-under par 70, looks like a pretty steady ship on the front nine and then a little funky on the back nine. Talk about your round and give us an explanation there.
MICHAEL SIM: Front nine, like I said, I had nine straight pars, had a couple of chances on holes 2 and 4 for birdie but didn't convert. But on the other side I made two good two-putts, as well, on holes 1 and 3.
Then hit a couple of loose drives and kind of got up-and-down on 7. So the score looks good, but it was a bit up-and-down.
And then as the back nine progressed, I started swinging the club a lot better, hit a lot of nice iron shots and drove the ball pretty straight. Four birdies on the back and two bogeys.
MARK WILLIAMS: Did you find the conditions got a little harder as the day went on?
MICHAEL SIM: Yeah, the breeze probably picked up on about the 11th. It got a little cooler out there, and I think it definitely changed -- the conditions definitely changed from the front nine.

Q. 18 for some is a birdie hole. I saw you just couldn't get -- was your drive not far enough to take a chance on going for it?
MICHAEL SIM: Yeah, I hit a really good drive down there, and I had 235 meters front, which is roughly 255 yards, so it's too far for me to get there, so I laid up. With the back pins right now it's tough to get a wedge shot close because the greens are soft and they're spinning a lot. I hit a nice wedge shot and put a little too much spin on it. Gave myself a chance for birdie, but I'll settle for the 5.

Q. How difficult was the course playing today, and is that an explanation for why nobody made a really big move?
MICHAEL SIM: Well, the greens are soft and the greens are quite bumpy around the hole. It's quite difficult to make putts. I played with John Rollins today; he played quite well and missed a lot of opportunities. I think the guys up at the top of the leaderboard are putting well. I'm putting pretty good. I missed a couple today, but I've holed my fair share for the week. I think that's probably why a lot of guys aren't really tearing it up, because other than that it's quite soft out there, and it's easy to hold the greens. When you drive the ball in the fairway it's not bouncing too much. So that's probably the only explanation is the greens are a little bit bumpy around the hole.

Q. Did winning three times last year on the Nationwide give you a feeling tomorrow like you wouldn't have had maybe a year ago, that I can win this tournament?
MICHAEL SIM: Definitely. I mean, tomorrow I'm going to try and go out there and just play the golf course probably until I get to the back nine. Par is a very good score out here on this golf course, especially if the wind gets up like it did this afternoon. If I can go out there tomorrow and play like I did on the back nine today, I've got a really good shot at winning the tournament.
MARK WILLIAMS: Is there something specific that you've learned about the South Course in the two days that you've played it here this week?
MICHAEL SIM: It's a lot -- obviously it's a lot harder than the North Course. There's not many birdie opportunities besides the par-5s. There's not too many pitching wedge, 9-iron par-4s where you can sort of attack the flags. That's probably why I've found it hard to make birdies. You've got to drive the ball straight because the rough is kind of thick in places, and I did that today quite well. And you've just got to get out there and hit a lot of greens.
You've got to hit the ball and putt well out here. I mean, it is a U.S. Open golf course. They played it here two years ago. It's very demanding.

Q. Did you play in the Open?
MICHAEL SIM: No. The last time I played here was 2002 for the Junior World.

Q. Where were you during the Open?
MICHAEL SIM: Where was I?

Q. Yeah, watching at home, or --
MICHAEL SIM: Yeah, I would have been -- I was definitely watching it somewhere.

Q. 2002 Junior World, did you play then on the new South?
MICHAEL SIM: I played in '01 on the old and I played in '02 on the new.

Q. How did you play it in '02?
MICHAEL SIM: I think I finished about 30th, but obviously now there's a lot more additional tee boxes, so it is a lot longer.

Q. When you play it now, do you say, wow, I can see how this is a U.S. Open golf course, just the way it plays?
MICHAEL SIM: Definitely. It's long. Like I said, there's not many scoring holes besides the par-5s. I birdied 11, the par-3, today with a 3-iron in, and I birdied 6 with a 2-iron. You're not making birdies with your wedges, you've got to make birdies with your longer irons.

Q. This was probably the first time you saw the tee on 13 used all the way back. What did you think of that as a hole?
MICHAEL SIM: I think it's a great hole. Did Phil Mickelson make eagle there?

Q. Yes.
MICHAEL SIM: I was on 11, and he flew it on, and I hit a great drive and 3-wood and came up like 40 short. So it's a long hole, but it's a good hole. I think it's a great tee box. It suits my shape, my draw, from right to left. So yeah, I think it's a great hole.

Q. Secondly, given the circumstances of last year, how anxious were you to get started with a full PGA TOUR season, given your status but not having many opportunities?
MICHAEL SIM: Yeah, I won my third event before the Playoffs, and I went home to Australia just to see if I was going to get in when I got home, and I only got in Turning Stone through invite. I finished off playing the Nationwide Tour, and I'm happy to be out here now. I played last week at the Bob Hope and played quite well, and I've got an opportunity here this week to win a golf tournament. I'd like to take full opportunity of that tomorrow.
MARK WILLIAMS: Can you just run through your birdies and bogeys on the back nine?
MICHAEL SIM: Birdied 10, hit a good drive, 9-iron from about 130 meters and made about a 10-foot putt.
11, hit 3-iron to about 10 feet, as well, straight up the hill and made that.
Bogey on 12, hit a very ordinary second shot on 12 with a 3-iron, probably the wrong club and bad swing and poor chip and poor putt.
14, bogey, hit the fairway again on 14 and hit a punch 5-iron and just pushed it right. That was probably one of the toughest holes on the course today. I hit a nice bunker shot and just pulled my putt left from about five feet.
16, hit a great 2-iron into 16 behind the flag probably 20 feet and made that.
Hit a great drive 17, middle of the fairway, hit a great 5-iron to about eight feet and made that, too.
18, I laid up on the fairway and had about 75 yards and hit a great pitch shot, landed next to the hole and spun back to about 15 feet. It was a tough pin to get at with a pitching wedge from the fairway. It just creates a lot of spin. I just tried to leave it under the hole and give myself an opportunity.
MARK WILLIAMS: Thanks for joining us. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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