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FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN

January 28, 2011

John Daly

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Q. I'm sure you feel like you left some shots out there, but overall are you happy with your round today?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, I left some out but also got some back. I made some good quality putts today. I hit the driver really, really well to set up some good opportunities. So I'm not too disappointed.
You shoot 3-under on this course a year ago you feel like you lost a lot of spots in the field. But now with the rough and everything and the added distance, 3-under's good on this course.

Q. How good do you feel you're playing going into the weekend right now?
JOHN DALY: Feel solid. Hitting the driver real solid and everything's just solid. That is something that I haven't had in a while. I think a lot of that is trying to overcome injuries and stuff, but when you're hitting the ball solid, it's easier to figure out what you're doing wrong.
As long as I keep doing that, just go out and make a few putts, there is no telling what might happen.

Q. How different is John Daly now than he was a year ago at this time of the tournament?
JOHN DALY: Probably the same, just I wasn't healthy. I feel healthier now. I worked really hard in the off-season last year maybe expecting too much too quick, not giving myself an opportunity to really let the weight loss, getting used to it and all of that. Now I'm pretty used to it. I'm at a weight where I want to be, and I just feel good for the first time in a long time.

Q. Having won here before, does that give you extra confidence?
JOHN DALY: A little bit, it's special. This place is always special. For the South course to be one of my favorites and it's a public golf course, it just makes you feel good all over anyway.
Like I said yesterday, it's a golf course that is the only one I defend and that I get to defend now, because all the other ones are gone. We don't play them anymore. But I just go out hoping to play solid. That's all I want to do is play solid.

Q. Do you feel more comfortable on the South than this one?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, a little bit more. We play the South so much more. The North course is like a brand-new golf course the way they have it set up this year, and I think the scores are showing it. Usually you'll see somebody on the first round in the North, three or four 8s, maybe a 9 or a couple of 10s, and that's not happening. I think it shows how hard it's playing. But I feel a little more comfortable on the South because I'm used to it.

Q. Did you have a number in mind when you woke up this morning coming over here?
JOHN DALY: No, with me, you don't know what to expect. I'm the same way. I just like the way I'm hitting the golf ball, and I love the way I'm stroking it. I know I had a 4-putt and a 3-putt, but you can walk off the golf course and say you hit your lines on those putts.

Q. Talk about being healthy and being unhealthy, did that contribute to the frustration from last year? Now that you are healthy, is there confidence there?
JOHN DALY: Yeah, it's hard playing this game hurt. Doesn't matter if it's a finger, mine's been a rib, shoulder and cartilage the last three and a half years, so it's hard. You open your stance to relieve the pain, and sometimes you close your stance to relieve the pain. You just can't get consistent, really consistent in your game at all where you can gain confidence.
This last month or so, I'm starting to feel really good. I went to see the doc, and he just kind of popped everything back in and said everything's good. We're just going to be doing it once or twice a month. And the rehab that I do on it, I'll probably have to do the rest of my life, on the shoulder, especially. I don't want to have surgery. So as long as I keep doing that, hopefully it will hang in there.

Q. Can you compare how you feel today after day two compared to last year how you felt? Is it night and day?
JOHN DALY: It's night and day. One, I lost a lot of weight. Two, everything was still hurting a little bit. Just trying to get through the pain to be able to play golf is one thing. But now I feel like I'm hitting it solid enough where I can at least build on it and get some confidence.

Q. Did you envision yourself being here last year this time?
JOHN DALY: Probably not, no.

Q. Are sponsors exemptions getting harder to find?
JOHN DALY: A little bit, yeah. I'm very fortunate that I've heard from about 12 more down the road, 12 or 13 more that I pretty much know I'm in.
Like I said yesterday, I've always done a lot of the Monday Pro-Ams and Wednesday Pro-Ams and a lot of other stuff for tournaments that I didn't have to do when things were gray. And I'm doing it because I take it to heart. Especially the way things have gone and these tournaments giving me spots, the little more I can do, the more I feel better about it.
That's why I said about Phoenix and the Hope. I put a lot of effort into those two tournaments over the years. And if there are two tournaments I thought I deserved an exemption, it would have been those.
But you've got to look beyond that and just play in the ones that give me spots. This year, hopefully, knock on wood, if I just stay healthy, there's nothing better than to play golf with a little confidence than it is trying to figure it out.

Q. You're going to be three or four shots back going into tomorrow. How realistic is your expectation to win?
JOHN DALY: I can't think about that. I just want to put up decent scores. Whether I do or not, I just want to know I walked off the golf course saying I hit it pretty good. As long as I can keep doing that, I'll get some confidence in my game. And the more you hit it good and play competitive golf, the more confidence you get, and that's all I'm looking for.
If something great happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it's no big deal. I'm building on something right now.

End of FastScripts

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