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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 12, 2005

Lee Janzen

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

JOHN BUSH: Lee, thanks for coming by, an even-par 72 today and one shot out of the lead heading into tomorrow's final round. Just comment what your day was like today.

LEE JANZEN: Well, I hope that it would have gone better than this, but really, at start of the week, all you want to do is have a chance on Sunday. It would be great to say if I play my best for three days, I could have a ten-shot lead and it won't matter, but that rarely happens. So all I can hope for is that I can be within a shot of the lead and that would be great. I think I'm in a great position for tomorrow. I feel like if I can go out tomorrow and just play the best round of golf I've ever played, I'll win.

JOHN BUSH: A good start there with two birdies in your first three holes. If you can take us through real quick starting at No. 2?

LEE JANZEN: 2, I hit a good drive, went through the fairway. Probably hit too much club off the tee and I hit a sand wedge knocked it about 25 feet and rolled it in.

No. 3, I hit a 9-iron three feet from the hole.

8, I hit a 5-iron probably one of the rare instances where you actually hit it too good. I hit it on the back of the green and left myself a pretty long putt and rolled it past the hole six feet and 3-putted.

10, a 3-wood and a sand wedge to about ten feet for birdie.

13, a drive in the left side of the fairway, a pushed 4-iron to the right of the green. I chipped to about five feet past the hole and I missed.

18, a good drive in the fairway, a poor 6-iron short and right, to the green but a little short of the pin and I left myself about ten feet and missed it and putted from the fringe.

JOHN BUSH: Questions?

Q. How much more difficult did the course play today?

LEE JANZEN: It definitely was firming up. The fairways were getting faster, and there was a couple of greens that you got the feeling that the whole course was getting harder. But some of the greens were still fairly receptive. Chipping to the 13, that green was very hard, first green was very hard, but there was plenty of times today where the ball stopped. So it's not quite as firm as it was last year, but there are some areas that it is firm.

Q. What about tomorrow, do you think it's going to be close to last year by tomorrow?

LEE JANZEN: I would guess so. Although, it's going to be a warm wind tomorrow. It's going to be warmer, right? So yeah, that dry wind dries it out pretty quick. I don't know if it will get that much firmer. Some of the greens probably will. I'm trying to think of some of the placements that will be tough to get to -- there's some pins they are not using tomorrow that they used last year, and there are some different ones, too, tomorrow.

But we've all gotten a look at the course again for a few days and guys know where to hit it. We are expecting a southwest wind today, similar today but more to the south. It should play similar to today.

Q. Did you can you speak about the emotion of the day; is it beginning to feel more like a survival test out there?

LEE JANZEN: I think if I was in more command of my game, I wouldn't feel that way. You know, I just didn't feel comfortable shooting straight at the pins. You know, I still didn't hit the ball where I was trying to hit it. Even if I'm going to aim 12 feet right of the hole or whatever, I wasn't hitting to where I wanted to hit it, which didn't help my confidence, anyway, to feel like I was going to make a bunch of birdies.

Ended up birdieing the par 5s today and was disappointed in that, but once you get to 13, every hole seems to be into the wind coming in. Got to hit a lot of good shots, just to make pars really. If the wind is going to be up 10, 15 miles an hour and it stays there all day tomorrow, then those holes are going to be very difficult.

Q. Feeling that way, how do you approach tomorrow?

LEE JANZEN: Like everything's going to be great. That's the only way I can do it. You know, I'm grateful that I'm one shot off the lead. A week ago, I wasn't hitting it very good and I've worked on some things. It was really windy up in Orlando, and I know better than to go out and practice when it's windy; that usually messes up my swing. It took a few days to get back to where I felt at least comfortable or have an idea of where it was going.

Q. Did you know much about Brett before today?

LEE JANZEN: No. I didn't know that he even lived here. But I know a little bit more about him today.

Q. What impressions do you have of his game?

LEE JANZEN: Very long. Very long, which I think is an advantage. If you can drive the ball long and straight, you can shorten a lot of golf courses. Obviously, for him to be on TOUR, he's got to be a pretty good player. There's lots of guys that have the skill to be on TOUR but have not quite done it whether it's a mental thing or whatever. So I think that you have to admire anybody's ability just to get on TOUR.

Q. How about his guts on those two up-and-downs, 16 and 17?

LEE JANZEN: Yeah, that's very good. I'm sure he's been in the lead at tournaments off the PGA TOUR.

Q. Nationwide.

LEE JANZEN: And it's not a ton different. It is a little different, I'm sure he felt a little bit more anxiety, but just the same, he did not want to give away shots.

So, you know, he just was determined to make pars and made a great up-and-down on 16 and 17 and had a great putt on 15 to save bogey.

Q. You've experienced difficult venues and winning on difficult venues, this tournament; this venue is starting to become very difficult. Do you think that's an advantage going into tomorrow?

LEE JANZEN: If that's what everybody else thinks. (Laughs). But I'm sure they are not thinking that. I'm sure they are thinking the same thing I am, try to hit a perfect tee shot off of 1 and from there hit it as close to the hole as they can and make a birdie and take it to the second hole. If you try to get too ahead of yourself, how you play the last six holes, because that's going to be the most difficult part of the golf course tomorrow, you know, there's lots of birdies to be made through the first 12 holes.

Q. Is that really the formula for this, go out and make as many birdies as you can on the front side, through 12, and maybe hold on for 13 on?

LEE JANZEN: I would think if I can birdie the first 12 then make an assessment on where you stand. (Laughter.)

You know, certainly when you come back to 13 you shouldn't think, "Oh, I can't make a birdie now." I just think it's a little bit more difficult to make birdies, 13, 14, 15 the pin is going to be all the way in the back. There will be a few but they will probably be long putts made on that green.

16 is a good hole. The southwest wind should be straight in off the tee, so it's going to be 5- and 6-irons hitting into that front left pin. That will be a difficult birdie, too.

17, the pin is all the way in the back center.

18, southwest wind is into off the tee, too. It will be a long hole. It will be tough to make birdies tomorrow too.

Q. How big is tomorrow for you?

LEE JANZEN: Right now it's the most important day that I can look at. You know, regardless of the outcome tomorrow, the effort tomorrow is to do my best, but I still have the rest of my career ahead of me.

You know, if I were to get injured and couldn't play on the TOUR anymore, I certainly wouldn't be -- I would be very grateful to have won and done what I've done, even though I have not won in what seems like a long time, I'm still grateful that I've been able to win on TOUR, and been healthy, too.

Q. Last week 24-under was the winner, you guys are at 12-under, the leaders are at 12-under. Would you like to see more difficult venues like this on TOUR?

LEE JANZEN: Yes. I've love to see between 10 and 15 (under), even single digits winning every week.

I didn't play the course last week. From what I heard, they overseeded the course. When they do it, they water it a lot and it's soft, so Doral doesn't have much of a defense when it's soft; and I guess greens were perfect, too. So take away some wind, make the greens soft, and the guys are going to shoot low.

JOHN BUSH: Lee, play well tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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