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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

February 27, 2010

Rickie Fowler

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

DOUG MILNE: Rickie Fowler, thanks for joining us for a few minutes after a solid third round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, 2-under 69 today. You find yourself in great position as you head into Sunday. Just a few comments on the day, and obviously as you were coming in the weather took a turn, especially with the wind. Just a few comments on how you're feeling as you're heading into tomorrow's final round.
RICKIE FOWLER: I feel really good going into tomorrow. I left a bit out there the last five or so holes. I got off rough start, played well in the middle, and like I said, left a few out there. Hopefully we can go out tomorrow and get those back. I feel good about the game, and when the wind picked up I felt comfortable. I like playing in the wind. Right where we want to be going into tomorrow.

Q. You were hitting the ball real close to the pins today, and it looks like you left, as you indicated, a few putts out there. What was it about the greens today that gave you a challenge?
RICKIE FOWLER: They were getting a bit dried out, especially with the wind there at the end. They were getting a little crusty, a little bumpy at times. So I hit a lot of good putts; some of my lines were just a little bit off. So we'll get that straightened out tomorrow and go for it.

Q. Do you ever wonder what it's like to play early in a round? You get the late tee times as a Q-schooler and then on Saturday you're still in the next-to-last group.
RICKIE FOWLER: Well, I played early here last year, so got to see that. I like to play late if I can.

Q. Talk about the eagle and what the club was and how that hole played today.
RICKIE FOWLER: Well, 13, leading up to it, I think the wind started to pick up a little bit on 10, a little more on 11. 12 played pretty tough because the wind was pretty hard out of the left and it's not an easy par-3, and then switched down 13 and it was pretty much straight downwind, so go ahead and let driver go. I had 220 to the pin and hit 7-iron in. That shows you kind of a little bit of the wind. I was really only trying to hit it to the front edge. That's how firm the greens were. I really only probably hit the ball probably 180. It gets up in the air and travels a bit, and I think it carried 200. It ended up about 15 feet, and hit a good putt.

Q. Pretty much Oklahoma weather today for you, right?
RICKIE FOWLER: I'm used to the wind. We get some of that out there in Oklahoma every once in a while.

Q. Can you talk about 17 and how you play that hole and what your approach will be tomorrow with the pin back left?
RICKIE FOWLER: It'll depend on what the wind is doing there and how firm the greens get with the wind today, how much they dry up. Last year I laid up, and I ended up laying up in the face of a bunker, so that didn't really work out so well.
Driving it, if I drive it the way I've done the last three days, I mean, one day I hit it on the green, the other two were just short, so in there in good position. It's tough enough hitting a wedge back there to that hole because it's so narrow, if you miss it a little bit left of the pin or right, I mean, right is in the bunker and left is in the water, and if you end up in the bunker you're basically going to hit it in the water unless you hit a good shot. So most likely we're just going to hit driver.

Q. Can you talk about the circus at 16? Did you hear anything funny today, and what kind of reception did you get from the crowd?
RICKIE FOWLER: I love it in there. It's a lot of fun. I hit a really good shot today. Unfortunately didn't make the putt. I hit it about five feet. I usually don't miss those too often.
I think it's a lot of fun. I think it's one of the greatest holes in golf. You've really got to step up and hit a good shot and test your nerves, and it gets you pumped up at the same time. I didn't really hear anything crazy. It's definitely rewarding when you hit a good shot. They get pretty loud.

Q. You didn't get the OSU school song or anything today?
RICKIE FOWLER: No, nothing like that. I got to hear some blue comments all day.
DOUG MILNE: Real quick before we cut you loose if you wouldn't mind taking us through 3, 10 and 11, your birdies, and just give us some clubs on that.
RICKIE FOWLER: No. 3, it was playing into the wind early this morning, or early in the round, so I wasn't really planning on going for it, plus with the pin in the front it's kind of a small area, so basically it was off the tee just planning on laying up, so laid up and hit a wedge in there to about 10 feet and made the putt.
10, was trying to cut a driver and I drop-kicked it left in the rough, so that wasn't exactly how I wanted to start the hole. But just hit a high wedge out of the rough about eight feet right of the hole, made the putt.
Another kind of non-traditional birdie on 11, trying to hit a cut up the right side of the fairway. I hit it about 40 yards right of the fairway in the desert and had to kind of choke down and manipulate the swing a little bit to stay underneath a tree branch, and I guess hit that to four feet and made birdie.
DOUG MILNE: Ricky, thanks for your time. Great playing today, and best of luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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