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HP BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 28, 2011

Ryan Palmer

IRVING, TEXAS

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Ryan Palmer in after an exhausting day in Round 3. Talk about the difficult conditions and how hard of a day it was out there.
RYAN PALMER: Obviously the scores show how hard it was, but the front nine I was actually cruising along, not letting the wind bother me, going through the front 10 holes.
It got tougher and tougher. You never could figure out the gusts; that was the hard part. It would gust and then it would stop and gust and then stop. But it's hard enough on this golf course on a calm day. But the wind, we talked about it we chalked it up as a hard day of golf, a 15-round battle, and if you had told me Thursday I was going to have a 1-shot lead I would have called you a liar and said whatever.
But my bad round is out of way, I think, and I still lead by 1.
THE MODERATOR: That's got to be comforting to have that bad day out of the way.
RYAN PALMER: Bad, hard day, that it is for sure. I hit it pretty good, I felt, but it's hard to hit some of these tee balls, but I swung good, hit it good and never missed anything I should have hit, so just a hard round of golf.

Q. Ryan, with things as difficult as they were, how fortunate do you feel to walk in here with a 1-stroke lead? You and Sergio obviously knew what each other were doing, but how fortunate were you?
RYAN PALMER: Very excited. Also if I could have come in with an even par, I could have separated myself a little more, but it just shows how difficult the conditions were. Whether it's 1 shot or 5 shots it's nice to go into Sunday with that lead. Tomorrow, same game plan and just have fun with it, whatever happens, happens. I've never played well on this golf course, and to be sitting here with a 1-shot lead and especially with the history I have when I'm leading going into Sunday, I've had success and I'm going to rely on that tomorrow and just go out and have fun.

Q. Ryan, talk about putting today. It seemed to be an adventure a lot of times and pulling clubs down wind, I imagine was a challenge, too.
RYAN PALMER: The hardest part when you get windy conditions is definitely putting, because the ball is rockin'. You've seen stories. It cost Simpson in New Orleans, I think it was, and so when it's gusting, your putting goes all over the place and that's the hardest part today.
I made 8 to 10-footers for par, so it was an awesome day for me. Couple of bad tee shots, and I guess you could say par was probably 73 or 74, so I'll look at it I shot 1-under today. (Laughter.)

Q. Do you consider yourself a good wind player, being a Texas boy?
RYAN PALMER: I think so, especially with the work Randy Smith and I have done on controlling my start direction with the ball and my flight pattern. I'm not turning the ball over as much as I use to, so it's easier to knock down shots and not hooking as much. Especially the way I'm striking and hitting it, the ball is not being affected by the wind very much and it's encouraging for what's ahead for tomorrow.

Q. Talk about how mentally draining it is to play in these conditions and then part B of that, was it any less mentally draining for you knowing that you have no responsibility off the tee box anyway and you've got somebody to blame now?
RYAN PALMER: No, I told him several times today, "Perfect"! I was calling him "Pro" all day today, too. (Laughter.) He was the man. I'll be honest with you how relaxed and not that tired I am, that could be a part of it, because I'm not going into each shot grinding and thinking and overanalyzing.
It's a blessing to have somebody that knows my game the way he does and able to tell me -- I didn't want to hit a pitching wedge on 13 today to the hole, and he said, "Just hit it" and I said okay, and it was perfect. That's one of the those moments I've lived with this week. I'm blessed to have somebody that knows my game the way he does and has the confidence to come in and tell me what to hit.

Q. Given that conditions will be the same or similar tomorrow, it's hard to imagine that anybody is going to go really low. Is it a matter of survival tomorrow?
RYAN PALMER: I think that was what was big about my first two rounds, and Sergio as well. We kind of separated a little bit knowing the conditions -- so you know nobody is going to go out there and shoot 5, 6, 7-under tomorrow. It's going to be survival tomorrow, and it's nice to have that -- I was able to look back and the first two rounds were huge considering the wind today and tomorrow.
It will be another grind tomorrow. I'm not going to -- I'm going to be just as aggressive as I was today on the tea shots, and I think we got our bad round out of the way.
We didn't give me any birdie chances which was hard, and when you don't do that that's a grind, so hopefully a few more chances tomorrow.

Q. Ryan, up through really 12, you were way more aggressive than Sergio. I was surprised by that. All of the sudden he decided to get -- or seemed like he changed his plan and got more aggressive. Was that James' way for all three rounds to play that aggressively off the tee?
RYAN PALMER: That's just my game. I'm not one to go out and play conservative. I was shocked I hit 5-wood on 4, I was like, "What? 5-wood? Okay." But that's just the way I've played and he knows that.
It's been kinda fun. Last year I played a lot with Phil, so I'm trying to -- I learned a little bit how aggressive I could be, and when I hold back is when I get in trouble. When I'm swinging good and hitting the driver the way I am, I'm not worried about where certain lines are and I have confidence in my driver the way I'm hitting that I can be aggressive and go after lines that most guys won't.

Q. Like on 8?
RYAN PALMER: Yeah, I knew the wind was there and I know I'm going to hit the perfect draw and it's a matter of letin' it happen.

Q. Is that why you think you're so -- are you so good with the lead because you are aggressive and you aren't sitting back?
RYAN PALMER: There could be something to say about that, I agree. I have been up toward the top in the lead I've had some success and it might be. I'm not trying to make par, trying to survive, I'm actually trying to get a 1-shot lead or a 2-shot lead rather than laying up here, and making par, that's when you start 3-putting, or miscue on an iron shot.
There is something to playing aggressive and it can bite you at times, but I'm not going to go out there tomorrow and try to survive, I'm going to try to win by 3 or 4. I'm not going to hold back at all. We didn't think we would be in this position coming into the week, I think we've already won so it's having fun tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Ryan, thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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