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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 6, 2011

Jerry Kelly

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

Q. Certainly didn't think the scores would reach that and I didn't think that 7-under would win this thing on Sunday?
JERRY KELLY: I really wanted to get to 4-under today and I thought that might have a really good shot at it. But Rory saved the pars early, and he really didn't get himself into too much trouble late. He did what he had to do to hold us off, and we just didn't hit it good enough to make enough birdies.

Q. The opportunities on the front, they were there, just you didn't convert them and a couple of mistakes that all of a sudden the tables could have skipped?
JERRY KELLY: There's no question, if I could have made those two on 4 and 5, those were big. I left them short, which you know, I had a tough time with the speed all week. I just felt like they were going to be faster and they just kind of weren't. You know, hats off to this golf course. It's an awesome track and gets you ready for Augusta and the majors.

Q. You had just an outstanding shot at the 17th, that was a beautiful shot. Do you think it was a little bit of a break for Sabbatini to hit before the horn?
JERRY KELLY: I think so, no question. He had just made birdie and was on a roll and didn't have much to think about but going ahead and putting it on that left side.
It helped me because when that wind was up, I was keeping it to the left a little bit and when I came out there was no wind and I told my caddie, we are going right at it now. So it worked out.

Q. The five-shot lead was down to one and then he has to step up and make birdie -- just talk about that.
JERRY KELLY: I could tell the way he was handling himself today, that he was mentally in it. His caddie, Kevin, does a great job of holding him into the zone a little bit. You know, if things would have been a little different on some of those short putts on the front side you never know. But he did not let his emotions get the best of him. He stayed in there and he stayed positive with Y.E. and I. He's was just a good competitor all day.

Q. He has the perception of being an aggressive guy and loose cannon, is that an unfair reputation?
JERRY KELLY: It's kind of the same one that we have of me. I think we are so much two different people on and off the golf course. When things are not going great for us out here, we are tough on ourselves.
I never try to get in the way of somebody else, but I tend to get in my own way an awful lot. And I think that's about the way Rory is. He gets in his own way an awful lot and rubs some people the wrong way. But he usually has the best intentions for everybody else around him.

Q. He likes to play fairly quickly; were you and Y.E. at all trying to slow down play today?
JERRY KELLY: No, it's not worth getting out of your own original tomorrow mess anybody else up. You have to play the game to the best of your ability and if that's not good enough, then you try the next week.
But there's certainly no sense in putting the brakes on because you're only going to hurt yourself.
He was always saying great shot every single time. When he's in control, he's a really good guy. I understand it more than anybody because I'm really tough on myself and I'm a fairly loose can in an, too. But when you stay out of everybody else's way and be a gentleman out there, that's all you can ask.

Q. Did you feel like he was taking a cautious approach today?
JERRY KELLY: Oh, yeah. He was not going after the drivers and playing to a middle of a lot of the greens. He played a very smart game plan.

Q. How do you assess the week as a whole for yourself?
JERRY KELLY: For myself, I was in position to possibly win last week and I just had a terrible Sunday. So this was a little vindication for me to at least have a good Sunday to go ahead and get that under my belt. I'll go down to Puerto Rico and hopefully hit it the same way and see what happens there, and Augusta is next.
You know, I'm comfortable with my game right now and comfortable with the way I'm hitting it and comfortable with the way I'm putting, nothing more I can ask for.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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