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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2010

Brendon de Jonge

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Q. Nice round of golf out there today.
BRENDON de JONGE: Thanks very much, appreciate it.

Q. We just had Tiger up here talking that he felt like it was almost an impossible course, and you went out there and put up the lowest number of the day. Describe how you feel about it?
BRENDON de JONGE: Obviously very excited. I think on a day like today you've got to get a lot of good bounces, and obviously I did today.

Q. How much experience have you had on this course? Have you played at AT&T?
BRENDON de JONGE: Yeah, I've played AT&T three times and played the Callaway Pro Am. I love this place the first time I set foot on it.

Q. Can you describe to me how it's playing with Mike's set up, your thoughts on the setup?
BRENDON de JONGE: Obviously very, very difficult. But I would say that the setup was fair. Obviously it got a little bit bumpy this afternoon on the greens. And you have to try to stay patient. You could hit a good putt that didn't go in and hope some of your bad ones do, it evens out.

Q. You find yourself in the first round and a first round leader or a share of the lead. What does that mean to you?
BRENDON de JONGE: It's obviously very exciting, but I think I need to do a good job of putting today's round behind me and coming out and starting fresh tomorrow and hopefully more of the same.

Q. Talk about, you like tough golf courses, you're a terrific ball-striker, your fear also, all of that went in today's round?
BRENDON de JONGE: Very much so. I do like tough golf courses. I don't feel like I'm someone that can shoot a lot under par. It's fun having to think about it a little bit more. It's a good challenge.

Q. Can you please describe the eagle shot?
BRENDON de JONGE: Obviously it takes a lot of luck when something like that goes in. That's such a hard third shot, such a hard hole, period. It's a bonus, one of those things.

Q. And can you comment on the way that -- just the whole experience of -- you say you played here in AT&T, but this is an iconic golf course?
BRENDON de JONGE: It's unbelievable. Everything that goes along with it, with the tournament, the venue, everything. There's been a news buzz about it from when you set foot on the grounds Monday. It's fun. It's fun to play golf amongst that sort of thing.

Q. Are you excited about tomorrow morning, playing smooth greens?
BRENDON de JONGE: Yeah, I'm excited. It will be a good challenge.

Q. Tiger was saying that he always plays his practice rounds early and he said the greens were significantly more receptive. It was quite a different course in the morning than it was in the afternoon. Talk about your practice rounds and what you experienced?
BRENDON de JONGE: Yeah, well, I played a practice round. I played one of them early and one of them late. And it's a noticeable difference. You can play with the ball to bounce 15 yards in the afternoon, you have to try to aim at the front of every green. In the afternoon you can be a little more aggressive if you drive it in the fairways.

Q. Did you look at the leaderboard and realize you were leading The Open and just stop for a minute?
BRENDON de JONGE: Yeah, a little bit. I did when I birdied 9. I knew I was around the lead there. And, yeah, just kind of took a step back and took it all in.

Q. What did you think?
BRENDON de JONGE: Pretty excited. But I realize trying not to get too far ahead of myself.

Q. You travel a lot and all different -- you're from North Carolina, where it's probably about 110 right now. Is there a significant adjustment physically you have to make for this?
BRENDON de JONGE: This is actually nice right now, it's been miserable at home. It was a shock to the system Monday stepping out and seeing 60 degree weather. It's not that big of a shock.

End of FastScripts

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