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SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

April 4, 2010

Shaun Micheel

HUMBLE, TEXAS

Q. Congratulations, Shaun.
SHAUN MICHEEL: Thank you. It was a great day. Actually, I've had a good week. I'm very appreciative of Steve Timms and the committee to give me an exemption this week. I wasn't in. I kind of hung around there on the cut day. I started out badly on Friday and hung in there and -- everybody can say it, I missed a lot of putts this week.
The greens are perfect. I probably left more putts short this week than I ever have. Not because the greens were, you know, slow or fast or whatever, but I was grinding so hard at the line, it seemed to be the most important thing. If you get it on line, they will go in.
Anyway, it feels good to put a good number out there. The wind picked up on about 10 or 11 for us. I hung in there, hit some good shots, and I had a great day.

Q. You did it the hard way, too. You didn't birdie the two par-5s on the backside. You got two of the par-3s.
SHAUN MICHEEL: I hit a good putt on 13. I didn't -- I hit the underside of the hole. On 15, I hit a great drive, and, you know, I was in -- somebody had driven it -- the mower and my ball was in the part of the grass that was growing against me on the pitch. It didn't come out like I wanted. I left myself 8, 9 feet, 10 feet, and I played too much break.
Those are the types things that happen to you when you get the nerves start to creep in, and, you know, maybe you second guess your line or whatever, but, you know, it was a great day.
I just -- I hung in there, and in between clubs on the last hole and hit -- I didn't hit a bad shot, kind of held it up in the right a little bit. Overall, I'm pleased. Very thankful to have gotten a chance to play.

Q. Great to have the good nerves again? You've had the bad nerves of having to fight and make cuts. Good nerves of being in the hunt again?
SHAUN MICHEEL: It is. I felt good. Last year I was playing on a medical. I shot 7-under going into 18 on Charlotte. I bogeyed 18. Hey, I was hitting the ball well. I think that's the key, really. I had a lot of confidence in what I was doing, and consequently that usually gets to you.
I got a couple good bounces. You need that. I had good yardages into the holes except for the last. I had a perfect club. I trusted my yardage, and I made good aggressive swings, and I didn't backdown from the pins. I went right at the pin on 17. I left it short from 20 feet. I felt really good about it.

Q. This gets you to New Orleans. You're in the Top-10.
SHAUN MICHEEL: Okay. I've been out here for 13, 14 years. I don't know what gets me in. I'm going to play Verizon. That's one of the categories I get in for that. I was writing Tommy and the guys that were there at New Orleans, and I was hoping to play there because I like the course and just like to be there.
Playing well, and I'm thinking a lot about my mom. My mom is really sick and just got a bit of bad news the other day, but, you know, she's got good spirits. I was really kind of out there for her. Comforting to think about her out there.

Q. This will make her feel better.
SHAUN MICHEEL: She wants me to play. Like I said, it's been a tough week, you know, get some news on Monday. She's in great spirits. I thought I should be, too.

Q. A 65 today. That's making the most of a sponsor's invitation. You woke up this morning, 7 strokes back of the lead, 25 names above you on the leaderboard. What did you think realistically you could get done today?
SHAUN MICHEEL: I don't know. I don't have a history of shooting low scores on Sunday. I've been playing some pretty good golf. I just wasn't sure. I wanted to go out and have a good day. I'm trying to get into an event. I'm trying to play well for Steve and Shell who gave me a spot this week. I wanted to go out and have a good day. Jason and I had a wonderful day out there.

Q. The last two years have not been easy for you. You actually have membership on the European Tour. Talk a little bit that what the years have been like.
SHAUN MICHEEL: 2010 was the first year in three years that I started the year healthy, and at the end of 2006, I really had a good run, second in the PGA. I lost to Paul Casey by a big margin in the World Match play finals. Come March, my teacher asked me, you know, did I change my swing and worked with a new instructor.
I had gotten injured. I played most of 2007 with an injury, some of 2008. Finally decided to have an MRI done. Dr. Andrews did the surgery on me, and here I am.
They found a spot on my mom's brain the other day. I'm playing for her. It's been very difficult. She's in great spirits and pushing me along. Just trying to do the best I can with the opportunities I have.

Q. You certainly made the most of the opportunity. Shaun, when did you know that you really had it going today?
SHAUN MICHEEL: Jason and I both birdied the first hole. I really struggled off the tee this week, and then for some reason today, I keyed in on something this morning hitting a few balls. I hit a lot of close shots. I hit -- I parred 2, 3. I hit it 4 feet with an 8-iron. Felt like I had control of my ball today and good distance control. I was hitting the ball solidly. The wind picked up about 9, and fortunately I got in as many holes in as I did without the wind.
It was a good day. I wasn't really thinking about shooting a low number. I was trying to play golf, and maybe that's how I need to think from now on.

Q. Were you aware of what Kim was doing?
SHAUN MICHEEL: No. Maybe at the end, at the end when I was 10-under. A huge up and down on the last hole, and I was certainly thinking about it, particularly in the status in the position that I am in membership here, limited starts and everything, it was just coming down to the end.
I really wanted to have an good opportunity for birdie on 18. I just found myself in between clubs and --

Q. Was the wind a factor?
SHAUN MICHEEL: Probably should have hit an 8-iron. I thought the wind was more off the right than it was. I made a mistake. I didn't compound my mistake. I got the ball up and down. That was huge. I'm thrilled with the opportunity. Again, I have to thank Shell and Steve Timms for giving me a spot.
I wrote back in October, November, something like that, and let him know kind of what my status was looking like. I wrote again probably in January, maybe wrote again in February. You know, last year, Steve came up to me on the range on Tuesday, late afternoon, and asked me if I could do a dinner at the Houstonian.
I said sure. So I quit practicing, ran back to my hotel, showered, tried to put on some decent clothes to look appropriate. I went to this dinner for Shell and Saturday with Carol Mann, sat with her. It was a big deal for Shell.
And when I wrote back, I got a letter back from Steve. He said thank you for going to dinner last year, we'd love to have you. If anything, the young kids could certainly learn, you know, is to try and bend over backwards for the sponsors and, of course, the fans as well. It certainly helped me this time. Hasn't helped me all the time, but it did in this case. I'm just proud and I was just very happy to be here.

Q. Do you think you made the most of the opportunity that you got?
SHAUN MICHEEL: I was disappointed really because Friday -- Friday -- I played pretty well on Thursday in the wind, and Friday I came out, I bogeyed the first three holes. It was just massive damage control to make the cut.
Yesterday it was -- it was a perfect day for scoring. I shot 2-under. Probably should have shot 6 or 7. Yesterday was the day I could have shot a low one. For some reason today, I just had it.
I don't know. I don't know what to say. That's how golf is. The thing about our sport is, you know, one day you have -- you feel good, but you don't score well. The next day you feel average and you score well. And that's what I did today.
It's difficult to come out here everyday and play and have that same feeling because you play, you go home, you have dinner, you do something every night and you have something different to eat.
I don't know. I went out last night with a good friend of mine I grew up with watching basketball.

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