home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

April 21, 2005

Brendan Jones

HOUSTON, TEXAS

TODD BUDNICK: We thank Brendan Jones for joining us after a 7-under 65 in the opening round of the Shell Houston Open. Brendan, bogeyed that first hole and then from there you did okay. Talk about today.

BRENDAN JONES: Yeah, well, through the week I had a look at my putting stats on the website, and I saw my name right at the bottom of the list, and I knew that that was why I hadn't been playing well this year.

You know, the 1st hole -- I just tried a different attitude this week because I've been practicing my putting, and I just went out there and thought, well, the only thing I can do is pick my line and hit as good a putt as I possibly can. The 1st hole I had about a 12-footer for par and I hit a really good putt and it lipped out, and I thought, "oh, here we go again."

On 12, I hit it on the green, par 5 in two and three-putted. I thought, "you know, this is what I've been doing the last three, four months."

The next hole I holed about a 15-footer for birdie, and the same on the hole after. I think I had three in a row, two-putted 15 for three in a row, and I felt good.

The putts I was hitting, they were all going on the line I was seeing, and that's one big problem I've had this year is not being able to see the line once I get over the putt. You know, today I got over pretty much every putt, and I could see the line again, and it was just a really nice feeling to finally see some putts from outside of three feet go in for a change.

TODD BUDNICK: 65 is your best round on Tour, in your short Tour career. It's just your 33rd round. You've made five of nine cuts in your rookie season. Are you happy with the start so far? It's tough adjusting to a new tour.

BRENDAN JONES: I've put a lot of pressure on myself this year, the first year out. All you want to do is keep playing on the tour. Early on I've been trying to push things too hard. But having made five of nine cuts and I'm last in putting shows that I'm playing okay, but when you come in last in putting on this tour, you don't make a lot of money.

Now I'm just trying to keep this feeling going and hopefully keep making those cuts and seeing my name up on the leaderboard. I've always felt that when my name is on the leaderboard I feel more comfortable because I know I'm playing well. You know, it's the first time I've seen it all year (laughter). It's a nice change for me.

Q. How do you feel about seeing it right under the name of Singh and trying to run with him this week?

BRENDAN JONES: Well, he's probably one of the top two players in the world. You know, it's just nice to know that on my day I can match it with those guys. You know, I know that there's a big gap between Vijay and Tiger and myself, but the thing is just playing alongside these guys week in, week out, it's not that big a deal to me now, you know. Like when I first joined the Tour I'm rubbing shoulders with guys I've watched on tele for the last 15 years, and to finally be out here playing with them, it's a nice feeling, especially when you have rounds like today and you know that when I do play well, I can compete.

You know, it's only one round in a tournament. Now I've just got to continue with how I've started.

Q. Just to see your name alongside with Gavin, talk about where you guys came from, from the same town.

BRENDAN JONES: Well, not really.

Q. How close are you?

BRENDAN JONES: The same state in Australia. Gavin, I don't know if you guys know Gavin, but if you want to know what's wrong with the world, just go and ask Gavin. He's got an answer for everything (laughter).

This tour wouldn't seem like it's perfect for him. He hits it short but he hits it straight and he's a good putter, where the courses we seem to play these days are so long. Gavin, he's a good player, but it's hard for him because the courses are so much longer and he's hitting long irons when the rest of us are hitting wedges.

Gavin is a good player. I haven't played a lot with him. He's a little bit older and turned pro a lot sooner than I did, but the last couple of years I've played a few times with him. He's a fun guy and it's nice to see him doing well, as well.

Q. Do you have any stories that my shed light on why they call him the "Angry Ant"?

BRENDAN JONES: I don't have any stories. I haven't played a lot with him to know, but he's just angry that people can hit it a long way and he can't and courses are set up for the long hitters and he's not a long hitter. Pretty much he's angry all the time because he thinks the world is against him (laughter).

Q. What do you think the chances are of you two guys being up there on the leaderboard on Sunday?

BRENDAN JONES: Well, who knows. I've been playing the Japanese Tour for four years and I've learned a lot in that time. Being out here and being near the lead, it's not something I'm not used to, but on this scale it is.

But I've just got to go out with the same attitude I did in Japan for those years. I had four wins in the time I played there, so I've just got to think, well, really, I've only got two arms and two legs like everybody else and they've got reputations, a lot of them, and that's the thing that I'm going to find hard down the stretch.

You know, I've won before and I know the feeling of winning, whether it's this week or not, who knows. But you've got to put yourself in this position before you really know how to handle it. You know, if I can just string three decent rounds together, who knows, but it's early, and it's nice to know I've got a good round in me.

Q. Todd Hamilton basically built his career in Japan. Does his success sort of give you any reinforcement?

BRENDAN JONES: Yeah, I played quite a bit with Todd in Japan, and seeing the success that he's had on this Tour and winning a major championship, that gives hope to the rest of us. You know, I've spoken to Todd about it, and he's probably one of the hardest working guys on his game out here. In Japan all he ever did was finish the round and he'd be the lest to leave from the chipping and putting green.

I know that he wasn't an overnight success over here. Winning a dozen times in Japan, it's not a tour with the depth of over here, but he beat everyone there. So it's nice to see him having success over here and it's nice to know that I can compete with Todd, which means I can compete on this Tour, as well.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll just go through your round. We had the lip-out on 10 that we talked about, the bogey. Can you go through strokes for 13, what you hit off the tee.

BRENDAN JONES: Par 3, yeah, 6-iron, the wind just off the right and then I just hit it 15 feet right of the pin.

Next hole was just a driver, gap wedge pretty much to 15 feet, same thing.

Then the next one, I hit a real nice drive and a 5-iron pretty much pin high, left side of the green, two-putted that.

Then back to 1, I just missed the fairway to the left and I had a tree in my back swing, so I pitched it out, just went a lot further than I thought, sort of 50 yards short, and I hit it to six feet, made that.

2nd hole, 5-wood off the tee, gap wedge to 12 feet, I guess, made that.

4 was a tight pin, and I just tried to play middle of the green and hit it probably 25 feet and made my long putt for the year, so that was nice.

Then 8, hit a nice 7-iron into 8 about ten feet just left of the hole.

Then up the last, hit a gap wedge from 105 yards to about six or eight feet.

I missed a few putts in the first few holes, but after that I didn't miss anything that I should have made. It's not often I walk off the course smiling these days, but today is different.

TODD BUDNICK: Keep smiling, Brendan.

BRENDAN JONES: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297