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FUNAI GOLF CLASSIC AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

October 21, 2005

Stephen Leaney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Stephen Leaney after an 8 under 64 in the second round of the Funai Classic at Walt Disneyworld Resort.

Stephen, your career best round on tour.

STEPHEN LEANEY: I didn't know that.

TODD BUDNICK: Talk a little about your day. Bogey free, 8 under.

STEPHEN LEANEY: Got off to a good start. Made seven putts in a row. That always helps. I think I got ten putts the Front 9. Just had one of those days where I capitalized on my chances. I didn't make any mistakes. Yesterday, I made four bogeys. Today I didn't make any mistakes. I think the biggest play at the moment, 6, I hit my driver in the rough, tried to hit over the water, I thinned it over the rough and it went six feet in front of me. I hit it on the green from 160 yards and holed it from par from about 10 feet. It was just one of those days where pretty much what I did sort of turned out.

TODD BUDNICK: You've had an interesting year. 103rd on the Money List. Haven't had a top 10 to date. Characterize your season for us.

STEPHEN LEANEY: I think I've had five finishes around 11th and 12th. They've all been sort of one shot away from sixth or seventh. That's the way the year has been. I haven't really finished the week off the way that I'd like to.

I haven't really got off to good starts at all. I've hardly broken par in the first round at all, all year. That's been sort of putting pressure on my game. But I've been home twice in the last six weeks. Going home just relaxes me a bit more. I think I've had more time to think about what I've done this year. Each time I've come back, I've come back a little more refreshed and in a better frame of mind. I think that's helped.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll open it up to questions.

Q. You've been home?

STEPHEN LEANEY: Twice in the last six weeks. Home for three weeks, back here for three weeks. It's a lot of flying, but I'm used to doing it. It's not a real difference to me.

Q. You say seven (indiscernible) in a row?

STEPHEN LEANEY: Yes.

Q. Had putting days like that much this year?

STEPHEN LEANEY: Not for couple years, I don't think. You know, it was just one of those days where I had a good feel. I just had the ball close enough on the right side of the hole. Sort of had a very good feel the whole day. I still missed a couple of chances from four and five feet today. You don't tend to worry about those when you're making the 10 or 15 footers.

I've been putting well generally most of the year but just haven't been making a lot of those distance putts. You have to make those length putts to shoot 8 under par. That's what I did.

Q. There was no like epiphany?

STEPHEN LEANEY: I think it helps when you roll a couple in early. You sort of get that visualization the whole day of it going in. Putting is such a mental game. If you keep seeing the ball going in the hole, you sort of have a pretty good visual day. I think it's the days when you don't see it go in that you need to keep the same attitude.

Today was just a good day.

Q. Career wise best round?

STEPHEN LEANEY: I think 63 is my lowest career wise.

Q. Where and when?

STEPHEN LEANEY: It was on the Canadian TOUR in Toronto in '96, I think. You know, I'm really not that sort of player that shoots low a lot. I probably shoot 66 more than 64, 63. I haven't reached many par 5s. When you get a golf course when you can knock it on all the par 5s, it makes it a lot easier to shoot 8 under par.

Q. Why exactly did you go home twice?

STEPHEN LEANEY: Well, just worked out in the schedule. My wife and my little boy went home after the PGA, and they stayed at home. I didn't want to come back for nine weeks and not go home. So I've had to do two trips back. Three weeks here, three weeks there. Just a three week flip back and forth.

It's just a long year for them to stay over here without seeing their family. It's just the way it is when you live Down Under. It's a long way.

Q. Kind of a weird question, maybe not. Why are you a good putter? Is there a certain discipline that you understand better than some other guys or is it just a fundamental thing?

STEPHEN LEANEY: I think with putting, when you're not putting well, you have to stick to your routine all the time. Even when you're putting well, you still do the same routine. You just have to accept that you're not going to make putts all the time. I think it's more if you can accept it when you're not making putts, keep doing the same thing over and over, they're going to go in eventually.

I think a lot of guys not a lot of guys, but guys get in the habit of getting down on themselves when they miss putts. It makes it harder to make putts again. It's like anything, you're not going to make them all, you have to accept it.

Q. You don't change putters a lot or anything like that, do you?

STEPHEN LEANEY: Not really, no, no.

Q. Given that you got your card locked up?

STEPHEN LEANEY: My card wasn't locked up till last week. I mean, I was here for three weeks, slipped back 15 spots. I think I left at 95 and got back here and I was 109. I certainly was a lock. I knew I had to play well the last three weeks. That was on my mind last week.

I mean, I played last week for four days. Just sort of kept it going this week. I just got myself into a good routine and a good flow on the golf course. It's worked out.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's go through your birdies. Par 5.

STEPHEN LEANEY: Hit it pin high, chipped it up to about a foot.

3rd hole, 7 iron to around 25 feet.

Fourth hole was a 9 iron to three feet.

Made three in a row, didn't know that.

What's the fifth hole? Fifth hole was an 8 iron to 18 feet.

7th, par 5, hit it short, chipped it up to two feet, made that.

9 was a 9 iron to five feet.

14, knocked it on in two and 2 putted from 75 feet.

16 was a 6 iron to 15 feet.

Q. What parts of your game do you feel like have been letting you down this year?

STEPHEN LEANEY: It's purely mental, being able to stick to the same routine week in, week out for a number of weeks. I've worked hard with Robert Taylor on that, trying to get more prepared so when I step on the tee, it's ready to go.

There's been a couple of weeks where I sort of haven't played played the ProAm Wednesday, you just sort of lose a bit of focus going into Thursday, that's why I have trouble on Thursdays. I haven't really come out really ready to play.

The last couple weeks, I've tried to be fully prepared mentally to play. It's not that my game hasn't been, I just haven't been there mentally, just making basic mistakes, missing greens on the short side. That's what I haven't done.

But the last two weeks, I've really been more prepared. That's so today. I came out firing early this morning at a very early time because I was ready to go.

Q. Fair to say you were fairly disappointed with the season?

STEPHEN LEANEY: I played better than I did the last year. It's just last year I finished fourth in the matchplay, made a huge check. I think I only finished seventh at Byron Nelson. Didn't have a lot of great results last year. I haven't had a top five or top three to boost it up. That's probably been the disappointing thing. I think all my stats are better this year, except my Money List position. You know, it's hard to read things into those. But I have played well. I think I played better this year than last year.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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