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FARMERS INSURANCE OPENJanuary 30, 2010Ryuji ImadaSAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA MARK WILLIAMS: Ryuji Imada, thanks for joining us, 2-under-par 70 today to be 13-under. Looks like you have a two-shot lead. Three birdies and a bogey today. Looks like it was a pretty solid day for you. Just talk about your round a little bit. RYUJI IMADA: Well, the score looks pretty solid, but it was a struggle out there. I struggled with my driver today. It took me nine holes to hit my first fairway today. I battled it out with a lot of good short game, good putting, and I made a really good putt on the last hole from -- I don't even know how long it was, about 35, 40 feet, and I'm about to be going into Sunday with a two-shot lead. MARK WILLIAMS: What was the difference? Why was it a struggle for you? Something you were fighting in your swing? RYUJI IMADA: No, I was struggling with my driver all week, but today I felt like my tempo was a bit too quick, so I slowed it down a bit on the back nine and got a little bit better. But I'm still hitting my irons really well, and short game and my putting is pretty good, too. Q. Has your game been building to this point? Has the confidence been coming, or has something clicked this week? RYUJI IMADA: Something clicked in my putting. I was struggling with my putts, putting, all year -- not all year. Two tournaments, actually, Sony and Bob Hope. I was hitting the ball really well and I was getting nothing out of it. And I come here, and all of a sudden I'm starting to feel comfortable, and I'm starting to see some putts go in, and I feel more comfortable and more confident. I don't know, it's unbelievable how one week can -- how much difference a week can make. Q. Was it a tip, new equipment, or just -- RYUJI IMADA: Nothing, no. Just different greens, different mindset. I know I've had success here, and I know I've made a lot of putts on these greens and feel more comfortable here. Q. A little bit different feeling going into Sunday than a couple years ago here? RYUJI IMADA: Oh, definitely. Q. When you were so far behind Tiger? RYUJI IMADA: Definitely. If he was here, I'm sure he'd be ten ahead of me. No, it would be a different feel. But it's still good 18 holes of golf left, and hopefully I can keep on playing the way I've been playing this week. Q. Michael Sim came in here and said almost the exact same thing you did, score looked better than how I played. It seems like Mickelson was all over the course today. Was it that kind of day out there with the conditions and -- RYUJI IMADA: Definitely it was tougher. Yeah, I said it yesterday in the media room, that the golf course played a little bit easier, or easy. But somebody must have heard me and told them to switch. It played really different today. The pins were obviously in tougher spots, and the wind started blowing on the back nine and the temperature dropped a little bit, and it was a whole other golf course. Q. Were you surprised on 18 when the putt went in? RYUJI IMADA: I was hoping that it would go in, but I didn't think it would go in. Q. Does it feel a lot better to have a two-shot lead heading into the last round than a one-shot lead? RYUJI IMADA: I don't think it makes any difference. Q. What about the chip on 15? Was that a pretty important chip to kind of -- RYUJI IMADA: Chip on 15, well, every shot is very important. But yeah, that one -- I hit it really good. I had a really good lie. I had about 27 yards to the hole, and I knew I had to stop it really quick. I had a good lie for it, and the wind and obviously the greens were a little bit softer, so they would have put enough spin on it to get it close. Yeah, that was big. Q. What is your frame of mind as you sit on this 54-hole lead? You look at people behind you, Michael Sim and Ben Crane and Lucas Glover is a U.S. Open champion but not a heck of a lot of experience closing back there. RYUJI IMADA: Well, if you don't think winning a U.S. Open, and having three wins, Ben Crane, three or four wins? Michael Sim, whatever, the Nationwide Tour Money List last year? I would say that's a pretty strong list. And also Phil is at 9-under. He's only how many back, four back. So it's a tough enough golf course where six, seven, eight shots could change in nine holes. I can't really let my guard down. I've got to keep playing well. And I'm sure some of those guys are going to play really well tomorrow, so I've got to keep going, too. Q. You've played here well in the past. Is there something about this golf course that favors a certain kind of game or maybe just your game? The same names seem to crop up here every year, Phil and Ernie. RYUJI IMADA: I think having the soft greens here, it allows me to attack the pins, and even when I miss the green, the greens being so soft, I can usually flop it onto the green and stop it or do something to get it close and make par. I think having soft greens here is a big help for me. And also I'm always -- when I come here I'm making putts for some reason, I don't know. Last week we had perfect greens and I wasn't making anything. This week, different story. MARK WILLIAMS: You've won before on TOUR, and here you're leading the Farmers Insurance Open. How important would it be for you to win again? RYUJI IMADA: Yeah, it would be huge. That's what I play for. That's what I dream about. It would be really good to win again, and it would be really rewarding tomorrow if I'm still sitting here. MARK WILLIAMS: Thanks for your time, Ryuji. Good luck tomorrow. End of FastScripts |
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