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TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP

August 4, 2010

Gavin Hall

VERONA, NEW YORK

ADAM WALLACE: All right. Like to welcome Gavin Hall to the interview room. Gavin is 15 years old from Rochester, New York, went to the quarterfinals in the U. S. Junior Amateur last month, just qualified for the U.S. Amateur later this month, finished tied for second in the Porter Cup last week and this is his first PGA TOUR event playing on a sponsor's exemption. If you could just give us some opening comments about how it feels to be in your first professional event and just everything about it.
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. It feels great just to walk in the environment of a PGA TOUR event. I just want to take it in, enjoy myself these next three or four days.
It's really something special when I walked in, and the environment is just unique, and I'm going to learn so much after this tournament. And I just want to enjoy it right now and play some good golf the next couple days.

Q. We missed you in Albany, but you had bigger fish to fry, I assume. Have you taken any advice from some of the guys that are playing week to week? Have you been able to interact and talk with them or even the 16-year-old that played in the Byron Nelson, I think it was, a couple months ago?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. I talked to Jordan Spieth. I've been playing a few events with him, this summer and the spring right after the Byron. He's a great guy to talk to. I play with him a lot. He's a really good competitor.
Yesterday I actually played with Jonathan Byrd, played nine holes on the back, and just learning from him, and to see like how he prepares for a golf tournament is something you can always take from. And I think the way he does it is a good routine. He comes in, he doesn't overwork himself, and he really sets himself ready for Thursday morning.
And also I met Webb Simpson, and I was talking to him a little bit on the practice tee, and he had some good words to say, some good advice for me, which I think it'll only help learning from these guys out here.

Q. On the day in a Pro-Am, have you ever, A, played in a Pro-Am before, or B, thought you had to skip the Pro-Am because you gotta tee off the next morning in the actual tournament?
GAVIN HALL: No. I'm all for the Pro-Am. The people that come out and run the tournament really make the tournament, and anything I can do to help them and to play with them will be fun, and to play with Scott McCarron this afternoon will be a blast, too.

Q. You've played fairly well in 72-hole tournaments in the last month, obviously the win at Oak Hill and second at the Porter Cup. What do you take from those experiences, this situation obviously is a much different level, but you have to have some positives out of those performances; right?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. Definitely a lot of confidence. Four-day tournaments you really don't want to overwork yourself. You want to wait and stay fresh for the final two days is really key.
But at the Porter Cup, playing with some of the top amateurs in the world, it was a really good field last week. I think we had two kids that were in the top 20 of the majors this year, the U.S. Open, Russell Henley and Jin Jeong at the British Open, and to beat those guys is pretty incredible. And I take a lot of confidence from that, and I don't want to dwell on it, but I want to keep the confidence and keep everything rolling and keep playing some good solid golf.

Q. That has to be pretty special playing relatively close to home. I'm sure you'll have a lot of family and friends in attendance?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. Definitely. Almost my whole family, I have a big family on my dad's side. And I think most of them are coming out, so it'll be fun. I like playing in front of crowds. It gives me a little more motivation, a little more confidence to push myself.

Q. Can you go through the day you received the call? First of all, what day was it and who called you and the emotions right after that?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. Well, on Monday, last Monday I heard some rumors at my U.S. Am qualifier that they were going to give me an exemption, and I was just taken away by that. I didn't want to believe them.
And then the next day, Tuesday morning, that's when the phone call came, and I was in the practice round at my Porter Cup. And it was electrifying. I was in shock. I didn't really soak it in, but that morning when they called, it was something special. It just blew me off a little bit, blew me back a little bit. And I'm just so excited to be in the field, and I'm very honored that they gave me an exemption this week, and hopefully I can take advantage of it.

Q. Another thing. What do you think your emotions -- I know you've been here all week, but I'm sure you've thought about that first tee shot, when they announce your name at a PGA TOUR event. How do you think you're going to handle that?
GAVIN HALL: You know, I think I'll handle it pretty well. I've played in -- each tournament I've been playing in keeps getting bigger and bigger. So I think I've been handling most of the big tournaments pretty well this year, and I think my game's really developed, and I'm ready to go play some good solid golf.

Q. Gavin, your 16th birthday is when?
GAVIN HALL: September 3rd.

Q. And you're going to be a sophomore at Pittsford Mendon?
GAVIN HALL: Pittsford Mendon, yeah.

Q. Pittsford. You're the New York State High School Champion? Yes, no?
GAVIN HALL: No. I came in third this year.

Q. We have a pretty good local golfer who is almost exactly the same age you are, Derek Bard, you played with him, against him?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. I played with him last year at the Boys State Am.

Q. Yeah, yeah. And how does this golf course, how does your game match up with this course?
GAVIN HALL: I really like the golf course. Right when I walked in on Monday morning, it suits my eye, perfect shape. There wasn't even a divot out there on the fairway, and it's firm and fast and I think that suits my game pretty well.
And I like the rough. I'm glad it's up, because I drive it pretty well. So if I keep it in the fairway and hit greens, fairways and greens, that'll be the game plan for the first couple days. And I'll learn a little bit after the next couple of days that I'm playing in the event. And I really like the golf course, and the greens are just absolutely perfect. Once you get the ball rolling, it stays right on line.

Q. Gavin, two questions: One, have you ever come out here just as a fan to watch these guys, in the colder conditions, of course? And two, can you talk a little bit about you didn't want to give up the game of basketball for a while, my understanding is, and you finally did to get to golf. Maybe you can address both of those points.
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. This is my first time at Turning Stone. I think I was always at another event that conflicted with it. But yeah, I always wanted to come watch. It's great to watch a PGA TOUR event. You can learn so much from it.
But with basketball, I still play high school varsity in the winter, and I think you just have to do something. It's not very good, I can't wait the whole winter. It's a long winter in Rochester. So I gotta wait till the snow comes off.
And I really enjoy basketball. I've been playing for eight years now, and it gives me something to do. It's a different sport definitely with the team aspect; and I like it, going from being solo in golf and playing in a team sport. I think it helps me, and it conditions me a little bit, too, for the athletic part.

Q. (No microphone)?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. They always say that, but I can't give it up. I love the game too much. But I did give up soccer and baseball when I broke my foot when I was about 11. And that really made me go to golf, and I got hooked on it right when I played in the spring.
I broke it in the spring, and I tried to play golf every day. It was the only thing I could do with my foot because I had a stress fracture. So then I just got hooked on it and played each summer, and I really started to take it seriously when I was about 12 or 13, playing every day, playing in tournaments. And just came up so fast, so I'm just enjoying it.

Q. What are your realistic goals for this week, Gavin? Just make the cut or?
GAVIN HALL: My goal actually at the Porter Cup was to get better every day, and I progressed lowering my scores each and every day. I think that'll be another goal of mine coming into this week.
I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I want to keep practicing and play some good solid golf the first two days and then see where it goes after that.

Q. Who will be caddying for you this week, and has he caddied for you in previous tournaments?
GAVIN HALL: No. Actually my instructor Joe Lusardi from the country club in Mendon, my home club. He'll be on the bag this week, and he's been with me the past couple days. And it's really fun to have him on the bag. He knows my game so well, and I think we're really going to be a good team this week, and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. I'm guessing your basketball position is point guard; yes, no?
GAVIN HALL: Shooting guard.

Q. 20 shots a game? What? Just kidding. You're how tall? What do you weigh?
GAVIN HALL: 5'9. 135.

Q. And you guys got a pretty good team or what?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. We lost in the semis in our sectionals.

Q. Sectional semis?
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. But I mean I think we're going to have a little difficult year this year, but I think the year after that when I'm a senior we'll be pretty good.

Q. Terrific.
ADAM WALLACE: All right. Thanks for coming in, Gavin. Best of luck to you this week.
GAVIN HALL: Yeah. Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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