FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 28, 2003

Richard S. Johnson

TODD BUDNICK: We thank Richard Johnson, the third round leader for joining us today after his 2-under 69. Richard, your bogey-free streak ended after 46 holes with a bogey on 11, but pretty solid play.

RICHARD JOHNSON: I'm still striking it really well. I just didn't get the putter going today. I had a really bad day on the greens. Hopefully I'll play the same tomorrow and the putter will go better.

TODD BUDNICK: This is your first lead on the PGA Tour going into the final round. You're looking for your first stroke-play win tomorrow.

RICHARD JOHNSON: Yeah, I felt really calm out there today. I wasn't hardly nervous at all, just went out with the attitude of trying to play my game and didn't look at the leaderboard. I was trying not to but you always get a sneak peek at it once in a while. I'm very happy with how I performed but not very happy with the putting.

TODD BUDNICK: The win on the European Tour has to give you some confidence heading into tomorrow and some good thoughts as you're walking around the course tomorrow.

RICHARD JOHNSON: Absolutely. It's always nice to know you can do it. I mean, to win doesn't really matter what competition it is. You're always going to find the odd guy who has a hot day. If you turn out on top, you've done a tremendous thing.

TODD BUDNICK: It's a very crowded leaderboard. It looks like there's going to be a number of players with a chance where it looks like you can go low. What do you have to do tomorrow to win this tournament?

RICHARD JOHNSON: I just have to keep playing like I've done the last three days. I just have to get the putter rolling again. If I can do that, I think I have a very good chance of taking this home.

Q. Do you recall or can you think of some real tricky pin placements today, where they were?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Excuse me?

Q. Tricky, difficult pin placements?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Yeah, they put them in some hard spots. That's probably why somebody didn't shoot 10-under today, because it was the perfect day to shoot 10-under. I mean, the course is in great shape, it's just a matter of getting there.

Q. Where were the most difficult pin placements? It looked like 10 and 11 both were tough.

RICHARD JOHNSON: Yeah, 11 from that back tee is hard because it's very -- it's a demanding shot. You have to clear those bunkers and you just don't really want to go long, and I did that mistake. I hit it in the bunker and plugged it.

Q. Any on the front nine, pin placements that come to mind that were difficult?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Well, not that -- the one at No. 4 is pretty tough. It's the shortest pin you can put on that par-3, but if you hit a great shot three, four feet to the left, it's going to run down to the water, so you have to really play to the right there. I'd say that's the toughest pin on the front nine.

Q. With your putter, was there anything that you noticed particularly that was not quite working for you today, and are you going to try and go work on that a little bit tonight?

RICHARD JOHNSON: I'm absolutely going to try to work on it a little bit right now. It probably was just because I maybe was a little tense or something. When I looked down at the putter, I just didn't feel like I could get it square and it looked like somebody messed with it last night, but that's not the case. But it's just -- it was probably more -- just more of a little tension that did that, that I didn't putt as well.

Q. Do you gain some confidence going through a day like that with your putter where you still lead the tournament?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Oh, absolutely. I'm very happy with how I performed. I mean, I hit the ball very solid today, and under the amount of pressure that I thought I was going to be on, I thought I did a great job. To shoot 2-under and still not putt well feels very well.

Q. With the putter not quite working for you and occasionally looking at the leaderboard, were you maybe surprised that somebody didn't pass you there?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Oh, absolutely, but it was kind of a leaderboard that was crowded around 6, 7, 8 yesterday and I was four in front of that, so I knew if I could shoot 4- or 5-under today, I was going to have a pretty nice lead, but that didn't happen. I still holed a few nice ones. It wasn't like I putted the worse day of my life, but I was a little disappointed in like 10, 15 feet for birdie.

Q. What would it mean to win here tomorrow and do you allow yourself to any about that?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Of course the thoughts come into your head, "what happens if you win?" The thing I look forward to the most is to be able to play on the schedule again. Coming from tour school, sometimes you play ten weeks in a row when you really don't want to do it because you never know when you need to get your money up. Really I'm just looking forward to get planning and then with the win, usually nice things always come with a win.

Q. When were you last back home? I saw your girlfriend was traveling with you here. Is that it? Do you know many other folks in the United States?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Yeah, I lived over in Phoenix for probably four winters and I stayed with a family over there, and they are almost like my parents right now.

Q. Are they here?

RICHARD JOHNSON: No, they're not here this week, they're still in Phoenix, but I'm sure they've been watching the golf very closely. They're very, very good friends of mine. It's not the same thing. You need to go home to your stuff and your bed and all of that, so I've probably only been home 14 days this year in Sweden and maybe a week in Monaco. The last time I was home was about five weeks ago.

Q. Is it hard just figure out where to go to dinner where you go to these stops? I guess you went to Yia Yia's last night. What are you going to do tonight?

RICHARD JOHNSON: Actually I'll probably go back to Yia Yia's. I think that's a great place because it feels like you're in Europe a little bit. It's always a bit tough, but I'm good friends with Matt Gogel out here, and they've been out for a few years, and you always ask around what's good and what's not, and I usually go out and have dinner with a lot of guys. They help you out. If you came by yourself it would be a bit rough.

TODD BUDNICK: Richard, let's go through your three birdies and your bogey. Start with No. 2.

RICHARD JOHNSON: Yeah, on the 2nd I hit a 3-wood up to -- I think I had 120 to the hole and I hit a pitching wedge up to seven feet maybe.

On 8, I hit a small 8-iron up to about three feet.

Then the bogey on 11, I had 175 to the hole but I thought it was more downwind so I hit a small 7-iron and it plugged in the bunker. I just tried to hit a nice bunker shot out, but it just splashed on me and turned up short.

Then on 13, I hit a good drive and hit a pitching wedge to about five feet maybe.

TODD BUDNICK: Good luck tomorrow, Richard.

RICHARD JOHNSON: Thank you.

End of FastScripts....