VOLVO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 24, 2003

Stephen Leaney

Q. Talk us through your round a little bit.

STEPHEN LEANEY: I only birdied one par 5 and shot 7-under. I had 6-iron into the 4th and didn't make 4, and I had 2-iron to the 12th and didn't make birdie. I hit it on the front edge. It was kind of strange.

I was happy with the way I played, obviously. But I made three bombs : I made the birdie on 5, I had a 50-footer from the bottom tier. 16, I hit it in the right-hand side of the fairway, hit a big slice to probably 45 foot and holed that.

So I guess that sort of counter acts the fact that I didn't birdie the two par 5s. But it was a good ball-striking day. It was nice to hole some putts. I have not been holing a lot lately.

Q. Perfect conditions out there?

STEPHEN LEANEY: It was. I'd be surprised if I'm still within five or six by the end of the day, but it's a good round and it just gives me a chance to try to shoot the same tomorrow and be in there.

I birdied 16, 18 to get to 2-under. I just struggled with my putting really badly yesterday. I missed a lot of 5- and 6-footers, just very tentative. Third round is always a bit easy because you know you're still playing.

Q. What about the last round?

STEPHEN LEANEY: That's really out of my hands. You don't really expect to be in there with a chance when you only are in might be on top by one. I think I'm going to have to shoot the same score tomorrow to really have a chance, but you never know. If the winds get up this afternoon, they might struggle a little bit.

Q. Just play your own game then?

STEPHEN LEANEY: There's so many good players in front of me who consistently shoot low on this golf course: Els, Monty, Clark, Fasth. It's not that difficult to shoot 68 or less.

Q. Lots of low scoring, is it easier pin placements?

STEPHEN LEANEY: The par 3s are always tough but the par 5s are not in really difficult positions. That's the thing about the golf course, you need to make your birdies there. And the first and third hole are playing hard, as well. I bogeyed 2; the start has been difficult here the last two days. The first seven holes going out, it's very hard to make birdies.

Q. Good finishes in the past?

STEPHEN LEANEY: I've finished 4th and 11th, somewhere in thereabouts. But the years I've played were all years Monty has gone really low or other guys have their sort of weeks. It's a shot-makers golf course, you've got to think on it. It's not a bomber's golf course.

Q. Did he speak to you? He said he might.

STEPHEN LEANEY: I haven't seen him yet. We're on the wrong side of the draw, so I haven't seen him. But if he comes and speaks to me, he comes and speaks to me.

Q. So you managed to put those distractions aside on Wednesday night?

STEPHEN LEANEY: I still had them yesterday, but it happens. You get over it and you get on with your game.

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